For Matt Malcom, walking through the tunnels of a Boston field house is a lot like being a gladiator preparing for battle at Roman Colosseum.

Separated from friends and family, the athlete must warm up in the back room, away from the main event.

“You literally don't know what's going on outside. It's a very enclosed environment, and the air in there is just humming,” Malcom said.

Next thing you know, you're being paraded past throngs of cheering fans and brought to the starting line.

Ready, set ...

“This is it,” Malcom said. It's the moment of silence he said he relishes. That inexplicable split second when time stands still, and for the moment, the only sound he heard was his own breathing.

Welcome to New England indoor track championships. It's a far cry from his humble home of Boothbay, but it's the season pinnacle for any northeastern high school athlete who means business.

Cool, confident and precocious, Malcom is a junior at North Yarmouth Academy. He's the son of Steve and Martha Malcom of Boothbay.

So far Malcom has made quite a name for himself in the Maine running circuit. As a freshman, he was named the 2012 All Star Athlete of the Year by Falmouth Forecaster. As a junior, he managed to snag a third place finish in the Maine State Cross Country Championships. And during this year's indoor track season, Malcom picked up his pace and knocked out two sub-5 mile splits, which qualified him to race in the New England Championships.

“Sub-5 mile splits” is runner talk, meaning that Malcom is so fast, he can run two miles back-to-back in under 5 minutes for each mile. To put it in perspective, every time Malcom runs a mile in competition, he's running a minute slower than the current world record. While it took centuries for runners to break the fabled 4-minute mile, Malcom's mile split time is as quick as any elite, long distance runner.

And although he can maintain a torrid 4:40 minute per mile pace, Malcom stays humble.

“I wouldn't be where I am today without running,” Malcom said. “I really enjoy the competitive environment because it's so mutually respectful. The competition is not just me versus the other runners, it's me versus myself.”

But part of Malcom's success can be attributed to his stubbornness, which is both a strength and weakness.

“Stubbornness bodes well for a competitor. He definitely doesn't like to lose,” said NYA Coach Chris Mazzurco. “But it also can hurt him when he is convinced that he should run a race at a pace that is faster than he is capable.”

Luckily Malcom's ability to adapt has helped him learn from his mistakes, Mazzurco said. He took all the lessons he learned this season, and with some very impressive hard training, he became one of the best two-mile runners in New England.

Malcom said there is a lot of character in his coastal hometown of Boothbay.

“I like that about this place,” Malcom said. “I like the people who honk at you while you're running on the side of the road just because they know who you are. It's the fact that you know people want to see you do well.”

Malcom runs a lot. For him it's a lifestyle that keeps him balanced. Sometimes when he should be doing homework, he's out running the roads less traveled. Instead of sticking to Boothbay's notorious pot-hole pavement, Malcom said he occassionally likes to train in land trust preserves, because a “good trail run makes things interesting.”

The son of a builder and an artist, Malcom said he wants the best of both worlds, so he thinks architectural design will fit nicely into his college studies. Malcom's not sure yet if he'll pursue any running scholarships for the NCAA, but he said his parents have always supported him and allowed him to explore a lot of areas.

In the high school running scene, there are typically two types of runners in high school track, the skinny pencil-necks and the powerhouses. Malcom is neither. When it comes to sprinting, Malcom is nothing special. But when it comes to hanging back with a consistent pace, that's when Malcom gains his edge — the mental edge.

Picking off opponents one by one in the last couple hundred meters is called a “kick,” and it's Malcom's specialty, especially under pressure.

The pressure peaked at the New England Indoor Track Championships on March 1.

When the starting gun finally sounded, Malcom was in the zone. In the 2 mile race, he was shooting for just under 10 minutes. By the time he crossed the finish line, the clock read 9:46. He placed 17th out of the 27 best high school runners in New England. He ended the season with his personal best record.

“It felt great,” Malcom said. “Well you know, after I quelled the urge to throw up in the trash can.”

With one more year to run for NYA, Malcom is determined push himself even faster and further.

When asked if he would try to run 3,200 meters in 9 minutes 30 seconds, Malcom casually smiled.

“It's definitely within reach,” he said.