Penn. high schooler breaks Jim Ryun’s mile record that had stood since 1965

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A 17-year-old runner in Pennsylvania broke a record set by a Wichita native that had stood for nearly 60 years. Gary Martin, a senior at Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Pa. ran a mile in 3:57.98 without the aid of a pacer. Martin narrowly broke Ryun’s high school record of 3:58. 3. Ryun, running for Wichita East, set his record at the 1965 Kansas High School state meet.

CBS Sports reported that Marin is the 14th American high school athlete to break four minutes in a mile run, but noted that before his record Monday, Ryun had been the only athlete to do so in a high school competition, without a pacer. Upon graduation from high school, Martin plans to attend the University of Virginia and hopes to become an Olympic athlete, CBS Sports reported.

“I’d like to think that it’s not crazy for me to say that it’s a dream now,” Martin told CBS News. “Obviously, I’m still a long ways away and have some work to do, but I’m confident in my ability. I have the dream, now I just have to put the work in and chase it.”

Ryun was an Olympian who ascended to holding world records in the indoor half mile and the outdoor mile. Ryun’s post-athletic career included a national political run, serving Kansas’ Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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