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. 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.
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