Larry Marshall Jr. is putting his best foot forward as he takes the fast track towards success.

A virtual unknown going into last month's Marathon Derby, the 17-year-old shed the cloak of anonymity with a startling performance that saw him place sixth overall in an impressive time of one hour, 21 minutes, 12 seconds.

Yet there was no surprise at all etched on the faces of either the young runner, or his father -- and coach -- Larry Marshall Sr. In fact the pair thought the younger Marshall could have made an even greater impression.

"It didn't really surprise me, because when me and my daddy sat down and looked at the field we felt we could get in the top five or six,'' explained Marshall, currently in his final year at Cedarbridge Academy. "And, looking back, the only thing was that we thought my time could have been better.

"I made a few mistakes in the race.'' Making his performance all the more pointed was the fact that up until recently Marshall was not even the best athlete in his own house. That honour went to younger brother Lamont, who Marshall grudgingly admitted beat him repeatedly.

Finally the older sibling had had enough and delved into a training regimen devised by his father and the results have been nothing short of stunning.

"I was always running in school, doing cross-country and all, but my brother Lamont used to always beat me and that made me want to become more competitive,'' explained Marshall.

"So I started training and got better and better at it.

"I'm very pleased with my running and my training because I put a lot of time into it, and now I'm reaping the benefits of my training.'' Asked about his favourite runner, there is no hesitation. His idol is no other than the diminutive giant Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, the 10,000 metres world record holder.

Like the African, Marshall shows great versatility, able to run effectively over various distances, both on and off the track.

Yet his father is careful not to overindulge his son in too many events.

"I can run a lot of different distances, whether it be cross-country, road running or track, but my main distance is something like a 5K -- 5,000 metres,'' said Marshall, who does most of his training at the Arboretum in Prospect.

"My daddy trains me and the main thing he's concerned with is not burning me out, that's why a lot of people don't know too much about me.

"I only train three days a week, but it's quality workouts.

"I find running relaxing... plus it keeps me out of trouble.'' Away from the running scene, Marshall plays a bit of cricket for Devonshire's under-18 squad, batting in the middle order, while opening the bowling attack.

His career ambition is to become involved with computers and to that end intends to spend two years at the Bermuda College before travelling overseas, hopefully on the tails of an athletic scholarship.

And there is also the dream of running on the world stage, something that may have seemed remote a few years ago, but now appears a distinct possibility.

Fast tracking: Larry Marshall Jr. has opened more than a few eyes with his performances over the middle and long distances.