If you search “all time best high school runners in South Carolina”, more often than not, David Adams’ name will appear on the website. David started running at the age of nine, when he ran a PE (gym class) mile in six minutes something, in his words, he “smoked it” and in the summer his dad got him involved in USA Track & Field.
His first formal training was in 7th grade, when he was allowed to train with the Hilton Head High School cross country team. When he finally was old enough to compete on the varsity level, he quickly became a standout in the program. Adams recorded outstanding times in every event that he competed in. In track; 1:53 in the 800, 4:14 in the 1600 and 8:57 in the 3200. He still holds the state record in cross country with a time of 14:37 for 5,000 meters. David graduated in 2000 and was elected to the school’s hall of fame in 2006.
After graduating, he attended Clemson University, and in his first three meets, he had two first places and a second place and had a PR of 24:56 for 8,000 meters. David finished 13th in the ACC Cross Country Championships as a freshman. During track season his freshman year, he developed a stress fracture and was out the entire spring semester. During the summer before his sophomore year, he over trained and achilles tendinitis resulted, that hampered him his entire sophomore year. As a junior, he was finally healthy, but, decided that college should be fun, and in his words; beer, classes and running at a high level didn’t mix.
After his time at Clemson, David came back to Hilton Head and worked in the food and beverage industry for three or four years until starting a career with the Bluffton Fire Department. He didn’t run for eight or nine years until he started running again in 2011.
David Adams was the first runner I was introduced to in the summer of 2019. We met before a Thursday night 5K and ran all 3.1 miles together (19:05) talking the entire way and after the race, we exchanged contact info. We have trained together a few times, when our schedules will allow.
David is married, has four children and maintains a healthy lifestyle which revolves around running. When I asked David how he does it, he said, “You might have to pull back your fitness goals from time to time in order to deal with life’s responsibilities. Even so, only you are responsible for you. This means finding a way to maintain a routine that keeps you healthy and sane”.
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