Gary Martin 13th at NCAA XC

Good post-race interview. Gotta love the kid

I suppose this one too

Why is this guy so eminently likable? Just a well-spoken, hardworking guy who is improving year over year and very easy to cheer for. Best of luck Gary and can't wait to see what you do this track season.

Get a room you two!

I find him overhyped on this forum. Just b/c he interns (or works?) at Citius magazine? 13th is great, don't get me wrong! But Langon is 15th at the same age, why don't we give him a thread?

Langon is actually almost 9 months younger than Martin, almost a full grade's worth. But aside from this really stupid post above yours which I am sure will be deleted... Gary Martin has done really well for himself. It's really hard to be really good in today's College game and then onward after that, and he has a really solid body of work. It seems like a bunch of cross guys are stretching their 10K cross fitness to go at BU to try and get a really fast 5K mark . What great opptys. there are today. I would think Murphy would be under 13:15 and Martin and Langon under 13:20 low.

Americans who ran sub-4 in high school always get attention. That's just how it is. And despite the comments in this thread about Martin's 5k potential, I think many people before this cross country season viewed him as a miler. His cross country improvement this year has been remarkable.

Langon absolutely deserves attention too, and you are welcome to give him his own thread.

For real, that was annoying as sh*t to read. I had to get past it to see what other people have to say about Gary Martin.

WTF "are you on about" Mr. Negative? Chill your bumhole.

virginiasports.com

Gary Martin

Gary Martin

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Very impressed by Martin and don't let people be fooled by his nerdy appearance because in actual fact he's as tough as nails as he showed in that NCAA cross-country final.

Martin is an icon in the state of Pennsylvania and has so many records, too numerous to mention. His range from 1:47, 3:54, to 13:30, and this great cc (intrinsically worth 28:00 -28:20 on the track, I think) indicates he'll have a great future somewhere down the line.

Reading his bio on the Virginia website it is evident that Martin is also a great guy having volunteered to coach little League Baseball and basketball throughout his high school years.

People keep on mentioning his ungainly running technique but that is something people will have to get used to because I don't think it's going to change any time soon or possibly ever and despite that technique he produces the goods and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

People should focus on his leg action and not be obsessed by his upper body mechanics which show some unorthodox movements.

I never though Gary would be a miler/15 guy up the line. He also ran 8:45 I believe for either 3200 or two miles? And for two years, he was one of the less accomplished XC runners with those HS marks, that I had seen, since then, there have been more. he is not shifty, ie. he is kind of a gatherer, does not have 2-3 step speed, ie. quick pace change talents, not yet anyway, even though he has prerequisite underside at 1:47.x I do not think he is a next level 1500M runner and I think the 3:32-33 predictions are a bit too aggressive, that's just me. O the other hand it's hard to go longer too, with the form, which people probably think I am too focused on, but Nico Young was a training video compared to where Gary is now. I am a fan of Martin, it matters not, that I am also a fan of Langon's talent. There is nothing NOT to like about Gary, he is gracious, smart, obviously hard working, he has for from the 125's plus in XC to 13th in one year .

By the way the comparison to Cooper Teare? a bit unfair, Teare is actually and has been very good, just in a bad window of time, without a certain event, but as a runner..pretty solid form going on there.

I also agree with last sentence to an extent, but there is a lot of other stuff going on there as well. It is really easy to root for him, by the way, dinky critiques aside. LOL.

I'm assuming you're referring to his foot placement as not being ideal - would that be correct?

There are variants in foot placement defects - for example pigeon-toed runners like Connor Mantz, but that's not a big problem, and I think a bigger problem would be running like a duck with the feet splaying outwards, but do you remember Steve Cram had that defect (one foot!) and it didn't stop him from being super elite.

Not sure about Martin's alleged foot placement defects?

In two years Gary Martin will be 22. Possible, but I would argue not obvious (which is ok). Rooting for him!

Age of American-born runners when they ran their first sub-13.
12:53 - Fisher (24)
12:54 - Teare (24)
12:54 - Kinkaid (26)
12:55 - Solinsky (25)
12:56 - Ritzenhein (26)
12:57 - Young (21)
12:58 - Kennedy (25)
12:58 - Kincaid (26)
12:58 - Tegenkamp (27)
12:58 - Hocker (22)
12:58 - Rupp (26)

Comparaison Gary Martin and Galen Rupp

Age 20, Martin runs 1:47.46, 3:35.77, 3:56.15, 7:47.49, 13:31.51, well ahead of Rupp at all distances.

Of course people will point out that Martin has more of a profile of the middle distance runner whereas Rupp has always had more of a profile of a budding long distance runner doing his apprenticeship by running middle distances in his early twenties until he finally hit maturity in his late 20s and early 30s.

Btw, Martin turns 21, two days before Christmas, on 23/12/2024.

Age 23, Rupp runs 1:49.87

Age 22, Rupp runs 3:43.33

Age 28, Rupp runs his pb, 3:34.15 in Brussels

Age 20, Rupp's best mile 4:11.22 (indoors)

Age 27, Rupp's best mile 3:50.92

Age 26, Rupp's best 5000 12:58.90

Age 27, Rupp's best 3000, 7:30.16

Age 28, Rupp's monster 10,000 in Eugene, 26:44.36

Age 32, Rupp's peak for half marathon 59:47 in Ostia, Italy, and 2:06.07 Prague.

Lol why do we care about Rupp's 800 meter time? His best event was the 10,000. Weird comparison.

cmon guys - the kid ran all 4 years. This was not a soccer player who decided to switch to cross country junior year and dazzled all out of nowhere. He was training since he was a frosh

Everything is related, basic speed comparison. Martin and Rupp have different profiles and physiologies, though.

Not sure if Martin will move up to the marathon at some point? For the moment, and next few years, 1500-5000 beckons. I can see Gary running 3:33.50/13:08 in 2025. From there on, linear progress if he stays healthy.