Holley’s Martin eager for senior year as college long-distance runner

Photo by Tom Rivers – Kristina Martin, 21, competed in today’s 5-kilometer race in Bergen, which drew elite runners from across the state. Martin finished in 18:45, a blistering pace.

BERGEN – Before her final season as a long-distance runner in college, Kristina Martin wanted to see how she fared against some of the fastest women in the state.

Martin didn’t win today, but she ran a fast 5K in Bergen, finishing the course in 18:45.

The 21-year-old is a captain of the cross country team in Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. She is one of the school’s top runners. She wants to see the team reach Nationals this fall.

“I want to give it my best because it’s my senior year,” Martin said today after the Jenny Kuzma Memorial Run today. The race has become one of the premier 5Ks in the state.

Martin’s team has been close to qualifying for Nationals. She believes the team has a good shot this year with a strong returning corps, plus some newcomers.

She played soccer in Holley before switching to cross country her junior and senior years. She emerged as a star and went on to Allegheny, where she was Newcomer of the Year for the Division III North Coast Athletic Conference as a freshman. In college, the course is 6 kilometers and she runs it in about 23 minutes.

Kristina is majoring in history with minors in political science and American studies. Her parents, Jeff and Clara Martin, have both started running in recent years.

“It’s a nice way to spend time by myself and forget about the stresses of school,” she said.

Kristina was picked as Allegheny’s athlete of the week in January. To read that article from the college, click here.