5 Questions with Noah Clemens '26

As a member of UD’s cross country team, Noah Clemens runs. A lot. He also knows a lot about running; this past summer he did research on it funded by UD’s Berry Summer Thesis Institute. And he says he knows the best food bargain on campus.

1. What’s the story about you keeping shoes?

I think I have every pair of running shoes I’ve used since I started cross country my sophomore year in high school except for a couple I didn’t like and gave away. A pair lasts maybe 300 to 500 miles. I figure I’ve run about 10,000 miles. I have shoes in my locker, a pile on top of it and a bunch stored under my bed.

2. What’s attracted you to long-distance running?

My first sport was hockey; I played from fourth grade through high school. My freshman year in high school I was in marching band and concert band. I wanted to stay in concert band and quit marching band, but I wasn’t allowed to do that without joining a fall sport. So, I ran cross country. I’ve learned there’s no better feeling than a good run. You get to run and talk with your best friends for a couple of hours. On the best days, my mind goes completely blank; it’s like I’m floating.

3. What are you researching?

We’re researching highly trained distance runners, trying to determine what their optimal cadence is. It’s a popular belief that everyone should be running near 180 steps per minute. So far, it seems that individuals vary. Our summer pilot study had five participants; this fall we collected and are analyzing data from 20 individuals. I’m working with professors Matthew Beerse, whose research focuses on the biomechanics of children with intellectual differences, and Lauren Miutz, who studies the physiology of brain injury. They have been willing to step outside of their typical research areas to lend me their expertise in biomechanics and exercise physiology.

4. What are your plans after graduation?

Possibly physical therapy. I had a semester’s experience in a PT clinic and enjoyed it, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that level of financial commitment. Maybe grad school to study biomechanics or physiology. I’ve also picked up a data analytics minor, and it would be fun to use that.

5. Outside of classes and running, do you have other activities?

Freshman year I joined the math club; my roommate told me they had free pizza. I’m secretary now. I’m one of the co-founders of the sport science club and a member of a kinesiology research group with professor Beerse. I play guitar, badly. I represent cross country on the Student Athlete Advisory Council and am on its executive board. I like to read. If I find a book I think I’ll like, I’ll buy it and put it on my bookshelf. If there’s a running book, there’s a 50/50 chance I’ve read it. I try to avoid reading during the school year because if I start a book, I want to finish it. Homework would suffer. And I like spending time with teammates; we have a tradition of breakfast at Spice in Kennedy Union. Spice’s breakfast burrito is the best food bargain on campus. —As told to Thomas M. Columbus

A version of this article appears in print in the Spring 2025 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 13. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE