Gary Martin's terrific month of November continued on Saturday. The Archbishop Wood junior ran a time of 14:52 at the RunningLane National Championships to finish 24th in a field of national-caliber talent from across the United States.
Saturday's performance follows up Martin's Class AA state title that he won in Hershey on Nov. 7.
Martin's time is the fastest time by a PA boy this year and, more importantly, it is the fourth fastest XC 5K in Pennsylvania state history, per the MileSplit database, trailing only Paul Springer (14:47 in 2006), Noah Affolder (14:47 in 2016), and Mike Connelly (14:49 in 1982). It's also Martin's fastest XC 5K time by one minute, 19 seconds.
Martin ran 15:08 for 5,000 meters on the track on Nov. 14 to win at the Garden State Track Club Showcase in Edison, NJ. Martin flew under the radar up until his state title earlier this month, but his three races this month have solidified Martin as a distance star in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Watch a video of the race from the lead cart. Martin can be seen in the yellow top.
