With a new law practice and three young boys, it’s astonishing that Hall
of Famer Liz Allen Starks ’02 has time to run at all. But for this
record-breaking athlete, running is an integral part of a well- balanced
life.
A double major in political science and American studies,
Starks came to Dickinson with some experience in track and cross
country, having run competitively since seventh grade. Training with
Cross Country and Track and Field Head Coach Don Nichter took her sport
to a new level, however. “He loved running so much, and he was truly
invested in us as runners,” she says. “His enthusiasm was infectious,
and I started to learn the things I needed to do to really succeed.”
Specifically,
she learned that if she wanted to see top results, she had to run
farther than the 30-40 miles she’d been completing weekly in high
school. That lesson quickly paid off.
A McAndrews Award winner
and Centennial Conference (CC) team champion in indoor track, outdoor
track and cross country, Starks broke the school records for indoor and
outdoor track (5,000 meters at 18:07.90 and 10,000 meters at 36:30.09)
and was NCAA conference champion for the indoor-track 4x800 relay in
2001. In cross country, she was a first-team runner for the All-Mideast
Region in 1998 and was voted the team’s most valuable runner that year.
Starks
was named to the cross-country All-CC team in 1998 and 2001; to the
All-Mideast Region team in 1998, 1999 and 2001; and was part of the
Mideast Regional championship team in 1999.
Both the indoor and
outdoor track and field teams captured the CC championships during
Starks’ four years at Dickinson. Starks made the CC academic honor roll
in 2000 and 2002, was CC champion for the 4x800 relay in 2001 and was
named to the indoor-track CC academic honor roll in 2000 and 2002.
Starks
says that the time- and stress-management skills she acquired as a
student-athlete remain vital in her life beyond the limestone as well,
as she works to meet the demands of family, work and a healthy
lifestyle.
After graduating magna cum laude, Starks got married
and moved to Washington state, where new husband Jason, a Naval Academy
graduate, was stationed. She continued to run during law school and
throughout her first years as a public defender for the local municipal
courts.
It was a great stress reliever for Starks, but when it
came time to plan a family she needed to cut back on running,
particularly when expecting twins. “It was definitely worth it, but it
was a hard thing to do; I had never stopped running for more than a few
weeks,” she says.
Happily, last year, when oldest son Kyle turned
4 and 2-year-olds Joshua and Noah got onto a regular sleeping schedule,
the mom of three began to run seriously again, steadily whittling down
her times.
Today, she competes in half-marathons and local races
and enjoys the quiet and solitude of her weekday-morning runs, all while
heading a family-law practice she opened last April. To her delight,
her sons enjoy participating in kids’ runs, and occasionally her
5-year-old will accompany her, on his bicycle, during her morning run.
Starks
is grateful for the experiences that have inspired her to seek an
active lifestyle both for herself and her young family. “I joke that
running was my first love, because I was running long before I met my
husband or had my children. But I don’t know if I would have continued
[running] if I hadn’t stayed with it in college,” she says. “I don’t
know what kind of person I would have become, because running has always
been important to me. It’s always provided balance in my life.”
Published October 1, 2012