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Liam Collins

Read Liam Collins's Blog

Meet Liam Collins: Watch the video!

Where do you live?: Princeton, NJ

Day job: Special Forces Officer (Major) in the U.S. Army and first-year graduate student at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for International Relations.

When did you become a Brooks I.D. Member?: c. 2000

Date of birth: 29 December 1970

High School: Appleton High School West, Appleton, WI

College: United States Military Academy at West Point

Personal Record(s): 4:09 mile; 9:00 3000m SC; 2:23 marathon
Also 1st place in the Army's Best Ranger Competition in 2007 (it's on the Military Channel)—it's a 2½ day non-stop competition consisting of over 30 separate events, including: running, swimming, obstacle courses, marksmanship, orienteering, first aid, and so forth.

Events Currently Training For: The Army 10-miler and the Marine Corps Marathon (both in October 2008).

Miles run/week: 70-80 per week

Favorite Brooks shoes and apparel?: Adrenaline shoes & Revelation shirts in the summer and VaporDry² (gloves, headband, shirt, pants) in the winter.

Why do you run?: I run because I like to compete, I like being active and I enjoy training with friends.

The best thing about being an I.D. Member (besides the discount): I like inspiring and coaching less experienced runners.

When did you start running?: As a junior in high school (in 1986).

What challenges do you face as a runner?: The biggest challenge is trying to maintain a high level of fitness with the constant deployments that I face in the military, which have been fairly constant since 1998.

What do you like to do when you're not running?: I like to play with my 1-year-old daughter, Kiera, or my dog Molly—she’s a Weimaraner. Sometimes I take one or both with me running. Between school work, being a dad, and running, I don't seem to have much free time.

Favorite type of event: I like team races, either relays or events that are run with cross-country or cumulative type scoring. I like these events best because I enjoy competing as part of a team.

Favorite race: The Army 10-miler (largest 10-mile race in the US). I've run it every year but once since 1993. It's a great race because of the team competition and the fact that it's like a reunion. Military bases from all over the world send teams to compete in the race for the "Commander's Cup" which is awarded to the top team (based on the total time of the top four runners on each team). It is fun to train as a team to get ready for the race. I also enjoy coaching my team and seeing most of my runners PR every year. Finally, it is a lot of fun because it is like a reunion every year. I get to see my friends that I haven't seen since the race the previous year (or longer if they were deployed overseas). The race itself, however, is not the best organized race you'll ever run.

Favorite run: My favorite run (in Princeton) is on the tow path along the canal. I like it because I can avoid the roads, run on a softer surface and run forever (the trail goes 20 miles in each direction).

Favorite pre- and post-race foods: Pre-race: pasta and Gatorade; Post-race: a burger and a beer.