Gabe Martin
Out of all the distances to run, the marathon can be one of the trickiest to master.
Many choose to conquer the 26.2-mile distance after years of gradually increasing mileage, but Anchorage’s Gabe Martin celebrated success at just 22 years of age at the California International Marathon.
The Grace Christian grad and former collegiate runner has taken on the demanding distance, training the past few months along the trail systems and at The Dome for this opportunity.
In just his second marathon, Martin stopped the clock at 2 hours, 28 minutes and 4 seconds to place 152nd overall, averaging 5:39 per mile. Even more impressive, Martin finished ninth in his age group (20-24 years) out of 154 competitors.
At CIM, Martin also sliced more than 20 minutes off his previous time of 2:48:56, set at the Anchored Marathon in 2020. He ran commendable splits of 1:13:15 and 1:14:49, which included 700 feet of elevation gain. Additionally, Martin ran 12 seconds quicker in the first half than his half-marathon personal best, set earlier this fall.
The 39th annual race featured more than 8,000 runners, doubling as the USATF Marathon Road Championships.
Reflecting on the race, Martin believes it could not have gone much smoother.
“The goal going in was sub-2:30, so to come away with anything under that was a win,” said Martin. “It takes a lot of things to go right to put a good marathon together. I’m just happy to make it to the start line, let alone the finish line healthy and happy.”
After running at Northwest Nazarene University from 2019-2020, Martin returned to the 49th state, joining a training group with athletes focused on long-distance events. When he began training, the miles increased, as did the races.
“Everyone that I train with is 27 to 38-plus years old and are already competing in marathons,” said Martin. “I can handle the volume and the mileage fairly well so it only made sense.”
He credits his training partners, coaches, and supporters for helping him reach such a high level.
“There were a lot of people that helped run workouts or bike workouts with me; I don’t think I could name all the people who helped me get to the start line,” said Martin. “But some big ones were my main training partner Chris Osiensky and coach Ryan Cox.”
Osiensky, formerly of Palmer High, and Cox, a Grace Christian and Liberty alumnus, are both 2:26-marathoners with an abundance of marathon experience. Add in his shiny personal best, and Martin fits right in.
While Osiensky had a strong first half at CIM, coming through in 1:13:57, he ultimately slowed after halfway, finishing in 2:48:54. Regardless, he was happy to share the race with Martin and a few friends, also in the race.
Soldotna’s Megan Youngren was the top Alaskan on the women’s side, clocking 2:55:55 to place 199th.
Other Alaskans at CIM: Ryan Fox, Nome, 3:07:52; Megan Murphy, Anchorage, 3:20:21; Heather Helzer, Anchorage, 3:32:06; Rachael Gano, Anchorage, 3:34:52; Rebecca Paradis, Wasilla, 3:40:07; Jocelyn Kopsack, Palmer, 3:54:29; Nicholas Case, Anchorage, 3:55:02; Laura Grossman, Anchorage, 3:57:17; Edward Wickham, Anchorage, 4:30:58; Ross Martin, Anchorage, 4:57:45; Jennifer Schmidt, Anchorage, 5:17:10; Natalie Bickers, Palmer, 5:17:20; Eric Wuttke, Anchorage, 5:18:41