Talk to Jake Martinez long enough, and the topic of running is bound to come up during the conversation.

And when the subject does arise, it’s hard for the Palmerton senior to contain himself.

It is, after all, his passion.

Why else would he push his body to extreme limits and sacrifice time with friends to train?

“I lace the shoes up every single day because I love it,” said Martinez. “I’ve had so many incredible opportunities and have met some really cool people through the sport, so every single day I go out I’m happy and excited.”

Martinez had his share of favorable moments this past cross country season, but he also suffered some that were not so pleasant. The Lehigh-bound athlete suffered an injury during the campaign and had sub-par runs (by his standards) at both leagues and states. He did, however, win races during the regular season, place second at districts, and cap his high school career with a stellar showing at the Foot Locker Regionals in New York.

Those performances helped him earn the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year for the second straight season.

“It’s really an honor because there are so many great athletes in the area and in the district, and to be able to be named one of the best in the area is really exciting and a testament to the work we put in,” he said. “There are so many people that I could thank along the way.

“To go back-to-back is hard. It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of miles. Many people don’t see all the work we put in, but I’m OK with that and I’m just really very grateful that I’ve been given this award.”

So how many miles is a lot? How about 70 in a week.

“He goes beyond the normal athlete’s work ethic,” said head coach Josh Nenscel. “I’ve been teaching 13-14 years now and was involved in sports when I was in school, and I don’t think there’s anyone that compares to him. He has a drive and a perseverance that I haven’t seen before.”

“This summer we hit our highest mileage ever,” added Martinez, who did 15-mile elevation runs on mountains in Emmaus. “ ... You just have to stay focused. When people are going out or doing other things, you need to make training a priority ... to be able to do something that I love and I’m passionate about, and to have success is really cool.”

Martinez, who actually admits he likes track more than cross country, was fearful he might have to miss the biggest meets of the year after he suffered an injury early in the season.

Fortunately, he was able to rest and his body healed in time for the postseason.

“This was the first real legitimate injury I’ve ever had,” said Martinez, who comes from a family of runners (his parents both run marathons). “I had an inflamed sacrum ... and I was out for three weeks with no running. I didn’t run for 22 days. And it was very frustrating, because it wasn’t an overuse thing. It was a just a freak thing, I just tweaked my hip at a race and it kind of threw me out of whack.

“I just had to be patient and take all the steps necessary to get healthy again. I was a little worried that I’d have to throw the towel in on the season. My coaches and parents were so vital to (me staying calm and focused).”

While Martinez placed third at the Colonial League meet, he wasn’t satisfied with his 17:21.55 time that left him 26 seconds behind the winner. He made up for it, though, at districts, running a 16:46.30 to finish second in the Class 2A field.

“Going into leagues, we knew it was close after the injury and it reflected,” said Martinez. “I got third ... but I just got dropped in the last mile. It was not my day. I was pretty disappointed with how I ran there. We refocused for districts and it was another week of training, another week of good workouts. I was healthy again. And I would say districts was one of the best races of my life in cross country.”

Martinez placed 42nd at states with a time of 17:52, but finished 11th in the Junior/Senior Boys Division at the Northeast Regionals.

“States was the same as leagues,” he said. “I didn’t have my day ... I didn’t perform to my max and that’s frustrating ... We moved on to the Foot Locker regionals, and I was able to end my high school career on a high note. I made First Team all region for seniors, and for me, just to go out there and have one more amazing race, I was very content to end my season like that.”

While there will be no more cross country seasons at Palmerton for Martinez, his legacy of hard work will continue.

“He showed how the work can pay off and the guys (he trained with) cut time off their 5Ks,” said Nenscel. “He really put a statement on the junior high program. A lot of guys came out. He really wanted to make a statement of what cross country should be, and numbers-wise our program has increased, and a lot of that is due to him.”