Liam Clemons
"font-size: xx-small; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">Running is my life, well maybe not my whole life, but a significant part at least. I started running my freshman year in high school and almost 20 years later, I am still running. I am originally from Sacramento, CA and I am a NorCal guy, or so I am told. I graduated from Del Campo HS in 1996 where I was the Captain of our 1995 Div. 1 State Championship Cross Country Team. I attended American River College for two years where I did my best running in the 3000m Steeple Chase and 10K. At ARC I recorded times of 9:20 and 32:20 for those two events. I also captained the 2007 Cross Country team that won back to back BVL Conference titles.
In the Fall of 1999 I met my wife, Melissa, on the cross country team at Humboldt State University. I think that was pretty lucky considering that was the only season I competed for HSU due to injuries. I graduated from HSU in 2001 with a BA in Journalism and began working for a newspaper in Eureka, CA as a Photojournalist and Graphic Artisit.
Melissa and I got married in 2002 and soon after, relocated to Orange County in search of better employment opportunities. Melissa introduced me to her high school coach, Jack Recla, at the Sunset in the Park race in August of 2003. He said he needed a coach, I said I would like to try it, and I was hired on the spot.
I began coaching in September of 2003 and took on the training of all the freshmen who were not considered to be "talented." (Two of those kids later helped me win a State Title their senior year.) I stayed on for track and took over the boys and girls distance programs. We were not very good that year, but I saw potential and, I was hooked.
I was hired as the boys' Head Cross Country Coach in the summer of 2004 and I enrolled at CSU Fullerton to get my teaching credential in Biology of all subjects. I was hired at Trabuco as a Biology teacher in 2006.
2006 was a landmark year for me and the Mustangs. The boys Cross Country team won the CIF Div. 1 State Championship with a course record team time and finished 9th at the Nike Team Nationals. That year we also won league and county titles, all in record team times. I was named the California Coach of the Year, Southern Section Coach of the year, and Orange County Coach of the year for my role in that team's performance.
I am now the Boys' Head Coach for Track as well. I oversee all of the boys' and girls' distance runners in track and I manage the other event areas for the boys. I am lucky to have to have an excellent staff of coaches in both sports and I attribute a lot of our success to their contributions.
Family is a big focus in my life, both at home and at work. Melissa and I have two boys, Micah and Lucan, who were both born around my coaching schedule. We consider the running teams and all those involved in both programs our extended family. It is a wonderful thing to get to live and work with family every day.
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