Analytics empowers Bombers’ Martinez

Hours before he was running over the hills and through the woods, Jake Martinez was aware of what he needed to do to win the District 11 cross country championship.

While lacing up his running shoes at the Bethlehem Golf Course minutes before the race, the Palmerton junior reviewed in his mind his study of the course and the race strategies of his opponents.

His calculations, combined with his athletic skill, rewarded him with a first-place finish, and earned him the 2017 Times News Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

“I love numbers and data,” he said. “I like to predetermine my pace times for each mile of a particular course. I also watch film to study my opponents’ strategies and to find out if they are front-runners, pack runners, or stretch kickers and to see where their weaknesses might be.”

Coming from a family of runners, including his father, who recently ran a 100-mile super marathon race, Martinez first ran competitively when he was just 3 years old. In middle school, he began his first structured training program that has now advanced into a regimen that has him running up to 13 miles a day several days a week.

“I wasn’t happy with my season last year, so my coach and I figured I need to amp up my running program.”

“Jake is a very dedicated athlete who demands a lot from himself,” said Palmerton cross country coach Josh Nenscel. “He’s running 13 miles a day beginning at 7 a.m. in the summer, and he works on running hills as well.

Neschel noted that Martinez studies cross-country running online, and can calculate his pace times for each mile of a 5K race almost to the second.

“Jake always has a game plan. He’s not a pace setter, so he’ll know ahead of time at what stage of the race he’ll make his move. He won’t go out too fast. He’ll have an idea when the competition will blow up, usually early in the third mile.”

That’s exactly what he did to win the district championship. Before this year’s race, he studied last year’s times and watched video of the competitors. At the start, he reminded himself to stay calm, but he found himself running so slowly that he was in 10th place and 15 seconds behind the leader after the first mile.

“I’m pushed by my competitors,” Martinez said. “I knew that the main runner to beat was Wayne Reilly from Tri-Valley, and I have the utmost respect for him, so I kept him in my sight.”

Martinez and Reilly moved to the front alongside each other with a mile-and-a- half to go. “There was absolutely no separation between us.”

With 150 meters left, Reilly ran past Martinez, but Jake sprinted past him at the finish line with Reilly a step behind.

Despite finishing in the top three in most races, this was his first district title.

“I had such raw emotion when I knew I had won. It was pure elation, and actual agony at the same time. I was totally spent. I struggled to get my breath back.”

Martinez is fully aware that no matter how much he calculates and trains, he’s not a robot.

“Sometimes, my legs are just not there, and my breathing is out of rhythm.”

He was disappointed in his performance at the state meet, but then he rebounded to finish seventh and make the All Regional First Team for Juniors at the Footlocker Invitational in New York.

Martinez is also an accomplished runner for the Palmerton track team, as last year he won the 1,600-meter district title.

He credits Nenscel and his track coach, Fran Gough, for his abilities to excel in both short and long distance running.

Before he starts his early morning hot summer runs, he reminds himself what Coach Gough told him. “Only the best runners are training today.”

Martinez also credits his Palmerton teammates who he said, “Push me to be my best.”

During his training runs, he enjoys his awareness of the natural surroundings, and especially delights when he runs with the sunrises at Blue Mountain. Yet, he always keeps his eye on the prize that he has wanted since he was in middle school.

“Next year, I want to win the districts again, but my ultimate goal has always been to earn a medal in the state championship race.”

Two things are guaranteed before he runs that race: He will have studied every detail about the terrain of the course, and he will know the abilities and strategies of many of his opponents.

After he fully prepares himself, Martinez will only have to rely on his superb athleticism in his quest to achieve a medal in the state meet.