High socks, hurdles help define runner

Who wears short shorts? Well, most of the track team. Freshman Reilly Kiernan, however, is the only one who runs in high socks. She estimates that she has over 50 pairs — enough to fill an entire drawer — though her most prized pair may be the orange-and-black striped knee-highs that her sister gave to her upon her acceptance to Princeton.

Kiernan started this tradition back in high school.

"I have this weird form thing where I clip the inside of my shin while running," she explained, "and so I began wearing high socks to protect my legs."

She got a reputation for wearing the socks during races, and it became her trademark look in high school.

Her success at racing has certainly lived up to the attention her attire attracts. She characterizes herself as an endurance runner. This past weekend at the Penn Relays, she competed in both the 3,000 m steeplechase and the 3K, a double she will repeat this weekend at the Heptagonal Championships in Princeton.

"It was nice to run the 3K after the steeplechase. I was thinking, this is so easy — there are no barriers in my way," she said.

This Sunday, Kiernan will be running in bare legs during the steeplechase — she forgoes the knee socks since they get waterlogged — but she'll don them for the 3K later that day.

"I have to stay true to my superstitions," she said.

Kiernan's idiosyncrasies are certainly working in her favor here. Off the track, she writes for The Daily Princetonian, volunteers with OXFAM and Community House, is an Orange Key tour guide and serves on the Forbes College Council. The Pelham, N.Y., native was initially interested in finding a school to fit her academic interests and eventually decided to apply early decision to Princeton.

"I found the perfect combination of high-level academics and high-level athletics," she said, noting that her recruitment experience was atypical because she only started running her junior year in high school, and much of her improvements came in her senior year or later.

Kiernan started out as a soccer player. After participating in a few triathlons, she decided to join the cross-country team and then continued on to run indoor and outdoor track, eventually giving up soccer to pursue running. Since matriculating, she has already made tremendous contributions to the Princeton cross-country and track teams.

During last fall's cross-country season, Kiernan distinguished herself from the start. She looks back at the Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet, held at Franklin Park in Boston, with particularly fond memories.

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"I ran well personally, and we ran well as a team. It was a good victory and a cool rivalry," she said. "The first time I really felt [conscious that I was a part of a team] was at HYP and leading up to Heps both indoors and outdoors. There's so much camaraderie."

Kiernan certainly hasn't disappointed. She finished the fall with a stellar race at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Cross-Country Championships, winning the 5K in 17 minutes, 56.9 seconds as the only racer to cross the finish line in under 18 minutes.

Her winning streak has continued with few setbacks, unless you count the fact that Kiernan is still learning how to hurdle.

"Most people hurdle all the hurdles except for the water barrier," she explained. "I step on all of them, [not just the water barrier], losing at least a tenth of a second each time."

Perhaps this unique style comes from her first attempt at the steeplechase in high school. During the 2,000 meter-long race, she managed to fall down on every one of the five water jumps.

"[Essentially], I baptized myself in the steeplechase," she said, laughing at the memory.

This spring, she's been luckier and hasn't had any bad falls during races. Kiernan is only a tantalizing nine seconds off breaking the school record of 10:21 in the steeplechase.

"It's certainly something at the back of my mind," she said. "My fastest is currently 10:30; hopefully that'll change after this weekend."

There's no doubt that she'll successfully hurdle that barrier.