Gary Martin Breaks Jim Ryun’s 57-Year-Old Record For Fastest Mile In A US High School Race
by Robert Johnson
May 14, 2022
Earlier today, Pennsylvania high school Gary Martin became a legend by breaking the four-minute mile barrier, running 3: 57.98 at his district meet.
Yes, sub-4 high school miles have become more common recently. While Martin is the 14th US high schooler to break four in the mile, the feat has been accomplished 9 times in the last 7 years.
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The 14 US Sub-4 HS Milers
- 3: 53.43 Alan Webb, 2001
- 3: 55.3 Jim Ryun, 1965
- 3: 57.66i Hobbs Kessler, 2021
- 3: 57.81i Drew Hunter, 2016
- 3: 57.98 Gary Martin, 2022
- 3: 58: 81i Colin Sahlman, 2022
- 3: 59.30 Reed Brown, 2017
- 3: 59.38 Matthew Maton, 2015
- 3: 59.38 Grant Fisher, 2015
- 3: 59.4 Tim Danielson, 1966
- 3: 59.53 Michael Slagowski, 2016
- 3: 59.54 Leo Daschbach, 2020
- 3: 59.71 Lukas Verzbicas, 2011
- 3: 59.8 Marty Liquori, 1967
But Martin’s sub-4 today wasn’t your run-of-the-mill high school sub-4. Martin’s sub-4 came in a high school-only race and without the help of a rabbit. Only five times has a high school athlete broken 4 in a high school-only competition and only one other time before today had it happened without the help of a rabbit. And Martin’s time is the fastest of the five as he eclipsed the 3: 58.3 that Jim Ryun ran at the 1965 Kansas State meet – 56 years and 364 days ago (May 15, 1965) – without the help of a rabbit and on a cinder track in 1965 spikes.
The 5 US High School Sub-4 Milers In HS-Only Competitions
- Gary Martin 3: 57.98 2022
- Jim Ryun 3: 58.3 1965
- Lukas Verzbicas 3: 59.71 2011*
- Michael Slagowski 3: 59.53 2016*
- Leo Daschbach 3: 59.54 2020*
*Aided by a rabbit.
Martin, who is a UVA commit, had come close to breaking 4:00 twice earlier this year in high school-only races. On April 13th, he ran 4: 00.95. Then at Penn Relays on April 19th, he ran 4: 01.05.
Talk about Martin’s race on our world-famous fan forum / message board. Did you know we have an HS-only board?
