Dr. David Edward Martin

David Edward Martin, 78, of Decatur, Georgia, died February 28, 2018. Son of Edward Henry Martin and Lillie Luckman Martin and originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, “Dr. Dave”, passed away on February 28 after a decades long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Preceded in death by his parents and one nephew, David is survived by his sister, Kathleen (Kay) Strey, nephew John Little, niece Deb Makovsky, great-niece Krissy Sandley and god-daughter Zoe Sandley.
Martin, a Regents Professor emeritus at Georgia State University, was internationally recognized for his interdisciplinary contribution to distance running. His professional activity as a researcher, coach, statistician and advocate provided him with an amazing breadth and depth of focus that enabled him to impact the sport in profound ways. For almost two decades Martin was simultaneously an active member of USA Track & Field (marathon development chair), the American Physiological Society, the International Society of Olympic Historians, the Track and Field Writers of America, the Association de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the Association of Track and Field Statisticians (chief compiler), the Association of International Marathons (chief statistician) and the International Marathon Medical Directors Association (IMMDA).
David authored five books [The Marathon Footrace (1979), The High Jump Book, (1987), Training Distance Runners (1991), The Olympic Marathon (2000), Better Training for Distance Runners (1997)] and over a hundred articles in the area of athletics, exercise science and sports medicine. His expertise has enabled scores of coaches and athletes to better understand the science of human athletic performance in order to improve training and racing strategies. His most coveted achievement was a research program he created for the 2004 Athens Olympics that helped propel Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor to a silver and bronze medal in the Olympic marathon.
“Dr. Dave” will be forever remembered by his friends for his wit, wisdom and infinite modesty. He is an unsung hero of US distance running whose legacy will live on for any marathoner asking themselves, “Just how fast can I run?”
Services for Dr. Martin will be held Sunday March 4, 2018, in the chapel of A.S. Turner & Sons, Decatur Ga. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Atlanta Track Club: Dr. David Martin Memorial Fund.