Mair only reached international level of the sport at age twenty-three and did not compete at a high level in his youth. His first major competition was the 1987 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics and he came away with three medals: bronze medals in the 100 m and 200 m, and a gold medal in the 4×100 metres relay. This marked the beginning of much success with the Jamaican men's relay team. At the 1987 Pan American Games the following month he was eighth in the 200 m final and claimed a bronze medal in the relay, running the anchor leg in a quartet with Ray Stewart, Andrew Smith and Clive Wright. The team regrouped for the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, with Mair leading off this time, and won another bronze medal – the first time that Jamaican men won a relay medal at the competition.