Fox Chapel graduate takes pride in qualifying for U.S. Olympic marathon trials

By: Josh Rizzo
Saturday, October 7, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Colin Martin has all the gizmos and gadgets to properly track his pace, but the Fox Chapel graduate also utilized his intelligence to know if he was on the right track to qualify for the U.S. Olympic marathon trials.

Running in Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn., Martin had an idea he was moving at the right speed.

“I knew what pace I needed to have,” Martin said. “I have a GPS watch that is tracking my speed in real time. I was also surrounded by 30 or 40 guys that were trying to run as fast as I was.”

Martin finished the race in 23rd place with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 31 seconds. That time met the qualifying threshold for the U.S. Olympic trials Feb. 3 in Orlando. Conner Mantz has the top American qualifying time so far. Mantz qualified on Oct. 9, 2022 in Chicago with a time of 2:08:16.

Due to the covid-19 pandemic pushing the Tokyo Olympics back a year, the qualifying window for the Olympics is shorter than previous years. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge won the gold medal at the Tokyo games by finishing with a time of 2:08:38, while Galin Rupp was the top American finisher by placing 2:11:41.

The next Summer Olympics is set for 2024 in Paris.

Martin has set a realistic goal at the qualifiers. He is a candidate for a PhD in chemistry at Carnegie Mellon and is also planning a wedding with his fiance, Sara Bradley.

“It’s important to set a realistic goal for yourself,” Martin said. “You don’t want to aim too high. You want something that is lofty and obtainable. Do I think I can qualify for the Olympics? No. In my development, the best thing I can shoot for is to outpace my current ranking. (That) would be a great goal.”

Running during his post-collegiate career has provided Martin with some feeling of validation. After graduating from Fox Chapel, Martin went to Michigan and competed on the track and cross country teams. Martin’s time with the Wolverines didn’t go as he hoped.

Nagging injuries limited his time with the team. He graduated in 2018 with a degree in biomolecular science. Martin then attended the Citadel to earn his master’s degree and competed on the cross country and track teams there.

Post-college, Martin got involved with The Pittsburgh Track Club, which is owned by North Hills graduate Juris Silenieks, who encouraged Martin to try to make the Olympic trials.

The training Martin did for the marathon gave him a new perspective.

“It really has to do with listening to my body,” Martin said. “One of the reasons I was injured and my collegiate career came to an end early at Michigan was I didn’t listen to my body. When you are being prescribed training, you are listening less to your body. I think to myself, do I have to do this workout today? I have the flexibility to do it tomorrow. It’s about being older and wiser and knowing it’s not the end of the world to miss a workout. It’s made me more consistent and healthy.”

Training at the club has provided Martin with an opportunity to build a team to run with.

Nick Wolk and Alex Archer work out with Martin. He hopes they are also able to hit the qualifying standard to join him in Orlando.

Martin, who finished fifth in the Pittsburgh Marathon with a time of 2:23:36, is excited for the challenge at the time trials.

“It’s validation that I belong here,” Martin said. “For a long time, I didn’t think I was a good runner.”

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