The calendar says spring, but it's all the same to Tyler Wirth.
"Training through the winter, this is kind of a nice day to me right now," Wirth said on a cold afternoon.
Cold never bothered the Wallenpaupack senior, but now that the track season is ready to start, he's ready to run. That dedication is a result of his motivation, after he rolled his ankle a week before last year's state meet.
"It was kind of like I didn't believe it happened at first," Wirth recalled. "Last year, I thought was my chance and this year is really my last chance."
"He doesn't really talk about it much," Wallenpaupack distance coach Steven Brown said. "I think it's something that boils underneath the calm coating of Tyler Wirth."
The stoic Wirth runs both track and cross country. He ran a 4:14.80 mile last season, breaking the school record, a record Colby Dunn set in 1995. Dunn was so impressed, he reached out.
"Colby Dunn actually sent me a letter after the meet," Wirth said. "Seeing that letter and kind of hearing his perspective of it, him doing it over 20 years ago, it was really cool to see that and see how much it actually related to me."
Dunn, Corey Smith, Kevin Sives, Wallenpaupack has had some good distance runners over the years, but they're all rooting for Wirth.
"These are guys that are great runners that have called me and asked me about how Tyler's doing, what I think he can do and they're all excited," Wallenpaupack head track and field coach Mark McHugh said. "The history is rich, the history's alive and Tyler now, he's the next kid in line for that."
"The distance running in this school is -- it's just very powerful and it just kind of affirms what he's done and what the community around the sport is like," Brown added.
So what does Wirth have planed for his senior year?
"The ultimate goal is to be that state champion that I've always aspired to be," Wirth said. "Time-wise, probably just get to that 4:10 barrier."
"I honestly think he can break 4:10 and I think to break 4:10 in high school, that's spectacular," McHugh reiterated. "I think he's the best around. So, it's going to be special to see what he can do this year."
Only time will tell if Wirth can reach his lofty goals, but he's already left his mark at Wallenpaupack and he's already committed to run in college at Cincinnati.