In the bygone age of black-and-white television, there was a dime-store comic book superhero whose feats of derring-do eventually made it onto the modern day movie screen.
Newspaper reporter Clark Kent would duck into a nearby phone booth, remove his thick-framed eyeglasses and emerge as Superman, ready to solve crime or save someone in distress.
It was a perfect disguise because no one could have dreamed of such a transformation.
Currently, a real-life version of that story is sort of being played out right before our eyes.
The only big difference? Gary Martin, a one-for-the-ages runner from Archbishop Wood High School now competing for the University of Virginia, doesn’t bother with the split persona. He just wears his specs all the time, runs like a blur and lets everyone judge for themselves about his feats of speed.
Nowhere was this more evident than on Feb. 8 in New York City (Metropolis, if you will). In the 2025 Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games, the 21-year-old Martin ran the N.Y. Track & Field Armory oval in three minutes, 48.82 seconds.
Stunning to say the least.
It was the fastest indoor (200-meter track) mile ever recorded by a Pennsylvania-born runner, the second-fastest in the history of U.S. collegiate running and, drumroll please, the ninth-fastest ever in the history of world indoor track.
For Martin to finish fifth in a race as prestigious as the Wanamaker on a national stage is what caught so many people by surprise.
“I’ve gotten the Clark Kent thing a few times,” admitted Martin in a recent telephone interview. “I think it’s funny because I do think it kind of adds a layer of not being intimidating until I get out there and run. Maybe catch you off-guard. I’ve always kind of leaned into the glasses and all that. So I think it’s fun.”
In the race itself, the winner was American runner Yared Nuguse in a world-record time of 3:46.63. Martin’s time of 3:48.82 was barely two seconds behind. Of course, just five days later the record was broken again by Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen in 3:45.14.
Nuguse and Ingebrigtsen have a good rivalry going, both on and off the track. They can trade verbal barbs with the best of them.
On the other hand, Martin is hardly like those two at all.
“If you’re someone who knows me, I don’t present myself as a super-intense person,” the Warminster resident said. “But I think underneath it I’m pretty competitive in everything I do. I’m always going to try to win. I definitely mask it a little bit. I’m pretty competitive in how I approach everything.”
Martin served notice he was bound for greatness during his days at Wood when he became the first Pennsylvania high school runner to break the legendary four-minute mile mark (3:57.98).
Since then, he had excelled at Virginia and had gotten his best time down to 3:54.73 before Wanamaker.
Six-second improvement? How did that come about?
“To be honest, I don’t think it’s anything that different,” he said. “It’s been a lot of consistency. I’ve been lucky enough to have not been hurt in my college career, but I’ve had a couple instances where I’ve gotten sick for an extended period of time. I had to take some time off from training.
“I think just having consistent training for over a year now had kind of paid off.”
Martin is taking advantage of every tool available for these dramatic improvements.
“It’s crazy I’m running so fast,” he said. “It’s definitely a combination of training, good coaching, improved technology and nutrition.”
Speaking of coaching, his mentor at Virginia, Vin Lananna, deserves much credit for Martin’s success as does Wood head coach Ed Clark.
Now here’s the kicker: Martin is a media studies major at UVA and has hopes of possibly getting into sports journalism someday.
In other words, following that old axiom: Write what you know. Explore the lives of runners both on and off the track.
Martin was born in Philadelphia but his parents, Rob and Heather, moved to Bucks County when he was still an infant.
So any glory he achieves belongs to Bucks County culture.
“I think it’s super cool because the running community here is really supportive, really positive,” he said. “People are nice enough to come up to me and say hi. You meet a lot of different runners and people.
“I feel very lucky to be in this spot. Maybe it puts Bucks County on the map a little bit with running. There’s a lot of really good running in Bucks County and the Philadelphia area. Hopefully people start paying more attention to that.”
By this time next year, Martin could be thinking about signing a pro contract.
“That’s definitely the goal I’m trending in,” he said. “It’s a dream I’ve been working toward. I’ve had a little bit of a taste with these pro races now. You get to run against some of the best guys in the world. I would like to keep it going after college.”
Plus he’s even thinking ahead four years to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He will be 25 then, right in a miler’s prime age.
“I feel like I want to go all in as long as I can and just see how good I can be,” he said. “That’s what really drives me in the sport. Challenge myself, pushing my limits.
“I think it’s super-exciting to have the opportunity for another five to 10 years to push myself to my limits. Perhaps leave a legacy and see how good I can be on the track. I’d like to go all in for as long as possible.”
Was the Wanamaker Mile the crowning achievement of his career so far?
“I think so,” he said. “I’ve had other breakthrough moments in my career, like in high school, but this is probably the biggest thus far.
“Hopefully it just sparks bigger things.”
Race calendar
Sunday
BCRR Winter Series Staggered Start 4.6-Miler, 9 a.m., Tyler State Park, Newtown-Richboro. Contact www.bcrrclub.com.
