Out of Nowhere, Vinny Mauri Became the 4th-Fastest American Marathoner Ever. Could He Do Even Better in Chicago?

Vinny Mauri’s Strava became a source of fascination for the running community during his buildup to the Chicago Marathon on October 11.The training has been epic: Weeks of more than 120 miles, with some approaching 140. At least 11 runs longer than marathon distance. And a single day, September 8, really drew attention.In the morning, Mauri ran two sets of 50 minutes, averaging 5:00 per mile for 20 miles. “Getting after some big mileage today,” he captioned the workout.In the afternoon, he went four sets of 20 minutes at 4:59 pace for a total of 16.2 miles. Add in a warmup and cooldown for both workouts, and he hit 45 miles on the day. The aim of all the work, he said, is to make a marathon distance itself seem less daunting.Many of Mauri’s miles are on treadmills at Planet Fitness, the budget gym with a $15 monthly membership fee. (The PF Black Card, for $24.99, allows holders to use any gym.)Mauri, 25, burst onto the scene in April, when he won the Glass City Marathon in Toledo, Ohio, in 2:05:54. He became the fourth-fastest American in history on a record-eligible course, averaging 4:48 per mile and winning by 15 minutes.Few people had ever heard of him. Injury prone in college, he had a frustrating career and sustained close to 10 bone stress injuries, which would take him out of training for at least eight weeks at a time. His best NCAA finish was 18th in the 5,000 meters outdoors in 2022 for Arizona State, where he studied biomedical engineering, and 68th at the NCAA cross-country championships in 2023 for Notre Dame, where he earned a master’s degree in management. He finished his eligibility in 2025.He tested the job market and instead decided to move home to Warren, Ohio, where he lives with his parents, Magda, a nurse, and Jim, a polymer engineer, and spends time with his girlfriend, Mel Lowe, who makes frequent appearances in his Strava notes.Mauri also got a job at a local running store in Youngstown, Second Sole, where he worked about 30 hours per week during his Chicago build, with Tuesdays and Sundays off for his hard workouts. On September 24, he announced he had signed a contract with Asics. Mauri spoke to Runner’s World on October 6. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.Runner’s World: Did you know when you were in college that the longer stuff was better for you?Vinny Mauri: I always wanted to run the 10K in college. I never was healthy enough to really get the opportunity to do that. I always knew I was pretty good at long runs and longer workouts. I didn't know quite when I would get into the marathon or the longer events, but I guess it just naturally happened. And it looks like it's working out pretty well.What has gotten everybody's attention is your Strava. But if you were so injury prone in college, why go all in on this extreme mileage?It's two key sessions throughout the week that are very intense and carry almost 50 percent of my mileage. A lot of it's on the treadmill. For me, it works because I'm very mindful of the effort that I can put in. The treadmill keeps me in check. I don't get super excited on it.MarathonFotoMauri crosses the finish line at the Glass City Marathon. His time of 2:05:54 is the fastest American debut marathon by two minutes.Are you dead tired all the time? Later in the block, it would be a little bit harder to wake up in the mornings. That’s also the reason I have my day job and go work at Second Sole. It gets me up, forces me to be on my feet, be around people, be a functioning member of society.Back to college. Were the injuries because you were doing a lot of shorter, intense stuff?I wish I knew. If I knew, I would probably not have gotten injured as much. It probably came down to fueling and recovery. I was pushing the envelope of intensity too much without a lot of base behind it, and the recovery and nutrition standpoint in the background really was a recipe for disaster in college.Did you finish your grad work and your eligibility at Notre Dame and say, “Look, I'm going to give myself a certain number of months or years to try running, and then if it doesn’t work out, I'm going to go find an engineering job?”I actually tried to find an engineering job right out of college. I didn't really find anything I was super interested in. The job market didn't seem super favorable at the time.Were your parents okay with it? They love having me home. They were very supportive of having me back at the house and spending time with them.Do you have siblings? I actually have a twin brother, Angelo. We are not identical. He lives in Arizona. He’s probably the more charismatic out of the two of us. He can talk to anyone.Now that you have signed with Asics, will you cut back your hours, or will you keep working?I’ve cut my hours back quite a bit these past couple weeks, but right after the marathon, I’ll have a lot more availability, and I'll be able to work a lot more. I can’t really ever sit still. I don't want to not work and just sit around all day. I'm still very committed to Second Sole, and I don't think I'd be here without them.You're fitting people coming in for running shoes. Is it a lot of beginner runners? High school kids? A lot of healthcare workers and retail workers, people who are on their feet a lot. During the cross-country and track seasons, it's going to be a little bit heavier on the high school and middle school demographics, but the whole wide range of people.Is it hard for you to relate to what they’re coming in for? Do you have to put yourself in their mindset?I’m never going to go out and say that I’m a 2:05 marathoner or anything like that. I think it’s a little bit disrespectful. They’re coming in for a reason. Whatever reason that is, I want to figure out how to help them.Are you an insanely competitive person? Like if you lose a board game, you won't talk to anyone for a week? I would say to an extent, yes. Funny enough, board games I almost stay away from.With the taper, are you climbing the walls? How much have you cut back? It will probably be no more than 70 or 80 miles this week. I’m going a little bit crazy. But I’m keeping my mind busy. I’m probably going to golf later today or go get some dinner with my parents.Is there anything people are missing in your story in terms of focusing on the treadmill and the high mileage? Is there anything you want people to know?I don't think there's really much that people are missing. Other than: Nothing’s changed. This has always been what I've been doing. Just keep getting back up. Other than that, I'm just me. I've never really been anyone else other than Vinny.Find Your Next Running PlaylistSarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!