Hi, my name is Cara Feain-Ryan, a 24 year old Australian middle-distance runner living in Brisbane, QLD. My main event is the 3000m Steeplechase and I would love it if you could support me on my journey to achieving my dream of becoming an Olympian! 

I am ranked 6^th All Time Australian in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, with a personal best of 9:29.60. After narrowly missing selection for the 2020 (2021) Olympic Games in Tokyo I represented Australia at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene where I placed 34th overall and the 2023 World Athletics Championships where I placed 20th overall!

In 2023 I won my first Open Australian National Title. I also represented Australia at the 2023 FISU World University Games in Chengdu where I placed 1st.

I have now achieved four consecutive podium finishes at the Australian National Open Championships for the women’s 3000m Steeplechase. I was the silver medallist behind 4-time Olympian Genevieve Lacaze in 2021, bronze medallist in 2022, gold medallist in 2023 and bronze medallist in 2024.

I have been selected in seven Australian Open Athletics Teams. The 2020 FISU World University Cross Country Championships, 2022 and 2023 FISU World University Games (1st), the 2022 Oceania Championships (2nd), the 2022 World Athletics Championships (34th), the 2023 World Athletics Championships (20th), and the 2024 Oceania Championships (2nd).

To qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games I will need to continue to race in competitive fields to further my world ranking and work towards running the automatic qualifying standard for of 9:23.00. This will not only require a lot of training but also travel to training camps and competitions both in Australia and overseas in Europe. All of this is at my own expense.

I am a student, studying a Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) Undergraduate Degree at the University of Queensland and am likely to graduate at the end of 2024. I’ve been a sporting scholarship recipient at the university for the past six years and in 2022 was a Blues Award recipient. I work as a cross country and middle-distance coach at Moreton Bay College in Brisbane, where I coach athletes from the ages of 6 through to 18. More than just being a job for me, coaching allows me to give back to my sport by helping inspire and mentor a new generation of young sportswomen. It provides a constant source of motivation that I apply to my own training.

The costs of elite sport are very extensive, the expenses for traveling interstate and internationally for competitions and training camps, registration fees for races, annual membership in my state association, private health insurance, training fees for both running and strength and conditioning programs, as well as track entry are all paid for by my mum and I. My Mum works as tirelessly as I do to achieve my dreams since we lost my Dad to brain cancer in 2008.

As a self-funded athlete, I would be very appreciative of any support you or your business can provide me on my pathway to Paris 2024. Your donation would greatly help offset some of the costs associated with training and competition, with the aim of qualifying for the Olympic Games next year and future Australian teams. Thank you for supporting my athletic journey and providing me with the opportunity to pursue my goals in sport and reach the highest level possible.