CLAYTON, N.C. — CJ Martin, a graduate of Clayton High School, has laced up his cleats more times than he can count before running a race. He's won most.
The small-town kid is on his way to one of the premiere conferences in college sports, moving to Bloomington, Indiana to run track for the Hoosiers in the Big 10 on a scholarship. However, earning glory in the college ranks isn't his only goal.
Martin wants to run in the Olympics and has his eyes on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He's a sprinter and long-distance runner, who owns more than 10 track records at Clayton High. He's a multi-state champion and an All-American, yet, if he eventually runs in the Olympics, he won't be wearing red, white and blue. He'll be representing his mother's heritage and home of the Philippines.
"Pan-Asians, we stand out in these types of sports, football and track," Martin said. "So I just wanna show them that you can do it too, don't look down. I always had a chip on my shoulder, and looked over for so many years, and I'm on top now. And I just want to represent a country that doesn't get as much spotlight in sports."
The feeling Martin gets when he runs is unlike anything else he's ever felt. He's run thousands of miles and races with a feeling of euphoria, but he also feels something else when running.
"When I run, I just black out. I don't think about nothing, to be honest. There's no thinking when I run. I don't see a point in thinking. I just, there's only one thing to do is to run. And that finish line," he said. "My whole life, I've been the smallest. I've looked different. I've been overlooked."
Whether it's because of his size, background or geographical location, Martin has had to overcome a lot, but he's done it. His current 400-meter race times for example, are already better than those of the current 400-meter runners for the 2024 Philippines runners in this year's Olympics in Paris.
"Records only last for a little while, but I'm trying to make mine last forever. So I'm trying to make my name embedded in a school. No one can break it, that's always been my goal. I want my name down in history forever.," Martin said.
Luckily for Martin, he has the footprint for success in running on the international stage. He's not looking at runners like Quincy Hall, Michael Norman or Chris Bailey. He's looking right in his own backyard, at Clayton High School, where over about 14 years ago, American track star and silver medalist winner at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Kenni Harrison went to school. Martin hopes to become the second Olympic champion to attend Clayton High School, a town of around 30,000 people.
"A lot of people know me here and watched me grow up and become who I am, so I just wanna go and make them proud," Martin said. "It's a small town. We haven't really been out on the map like that. I feel like we deserve to be on a bigger platform than we already are. So it's cool, it's better to be an underdog. You got something to prove. Got a goal to achieve. I'm just trying to make that goal easier for everyone else to get in that spotlight."
Martin's coach, who has coached seven different athletes to North Carolina state championships, was also around when Harrison was a student dominating track and field at Clayton. Kesrick Frazier is a sprint coach at the high school and coached Harrison when she was just beginning her journey. He sees many of Harrison's characteristics in Martin and says it's a recipe for success.
"I think CJ, he kind of reminds me of Keni, as far as work ethics, he put a lot into his craft by, by trying to be the best," Frazier said. "Right. every day, in and out, when he comes to the track, he tries to work to become somebody great. Ever since he was a freshman, I saw that trait in him. I saw him as an athlete, that he's a leader. He comes out every day ready to run, ready to compete. And that shows on a track."