From 3:57 Solo in High School to 3:48 at Millrose: Gary Martin on Records, Risk, and What’s Next

THE RUNNING EFFECT PODCAST

Dominic Schlueter

Running, Sports

4.8 • 686 Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

From a late start in high school track to becoming one of the fastest milers in NCAA history, today’s guest has rewritten the blueprint for distance running success.

Gary Martin’s rise has been nothing short of electric. After a quiet freshman year at the University of Virginia, he exploded onto the national scene during the 2024 cross country season—capturing the ACC Championship with a course record and finishing 13th at nationals to earn All-American honors.

But that was just the beginning.

On the track, Gary has been rewriting record books: a 7:36 meet-record win in the 3000m at ACC Indoors, a Virginia school record in the 5000m, and a 3:48 mile at the 2025 Millrose Games—the second-fastest indoor mile in NCAA history. He didn’t stop there, anchoring UVA’s distance medley relay team to an NCAA-record time of 9:14.

And long before college glory, Gary made headlines as a Pennsylvania high schooler when he ran 3:57.98 without a pacer—becoming the first from his state and just the 14th U.S. high schooler ever to break four minutes.

With PRs of 3:33 in the 1500m, 3:48 in the mile, 7:36 in the 3K, and 13:16 in the 5K, Gary’s resume is as fast as it is fearless.

In today's conversation, Gary takes me through his training, recent record-breaking races, his mindset going into NCAA if he'll end his NCAA eligibility to go pro, his take on PA distance running, MJ v Lebron, and his thoughts going into Eugene next month.

This one was an absolute blast. Don't miss an inside look at one of the best runners in the country.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I feel like my super power is consistency, which I know is, you know, obviously it doesn't sound flashy, but I think my power is just on a daily basis to show up and work really hard.
0:13.5	And I feel like someone who trains really well.
0:15.8	And because of how consistent I am, I'm always confident going into races.
0:19.3	And I know that whenever I told the line, I'm going to show up and, you know, I'm going to put my best foot forward.
0:27.8	You guys asked for him. He's finally here. Gary Martin today, ladies and gentlemen, I'm so
0:32.8	excited for this conversation. I'm really confident you guys are going to enjoy this one and
0:36.9	that it lives up to the hype. I see your DMs requesting him on the podcast. And I'm really confident you guys are going to enjoy this one and that it lives up to the
0:37.7	hype. I see your DMs requesting him on the podcast. And I'm so confident that you are thoroughly
0:42.7	going to enjoy this conversation, not just enjoy it, find value from it. If you've been in a living
0:47.5	under a rock, Derry Martin competes for the University of Virginia. And he has peers of 333 in the
0:53.7	1,500, 348 in the mile, 736, and the 3K,
0:57.6	and 1316 in the 5K. Gary's resume is as fast as it is fearless. This man is a man on a mission,
1:04.6	a man with titles on his mind, records on his mind, and he's also just a fun guy. We talk about
1:09.0	things both within the sport, outside the sport, and applicable takeaways that you guys can apply into your own running. If you enjoy this one,
1:15.5	make sure you are a follow or subscribe so you never miss another episode. Give us a five-star
1:19.4	review because it takes five seconds and helps us out and share the podcast with a teammate
1:23.2	and a friend, a family member, someone who you think would find value and benefit from it.
1:27.0	Doing those three things greatly helps us to grow the podcast, which is ultimately my goal.
1:32.5	I want to create great impact in the sport and in the world.
1:35.5	And you guys can help us do that by doing those three things, which take less than a minute combined.
1:39.9	So with all those notes aside, I hope you'll enjoy this inspirational conversation with
1:44.6	The Man the Midd the Legend, Mr. 348, Mr. 333, Gary Martin.
	...

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