Ben Collins (triathlete)
Ben Collins (born June 27, 1983) began his career as a professional triathlete in September of 2007. His rookie year will follow a well publicized amateur record, including two national titles and an Amateur World Title.
Ben began racing triathlons as a hobby in 2006 while working in Honolulu for a small engineering firm where he designed autonomous underwater vehicles. It was there that he met his coach, Dr. Michael McMahon, who had previously coached an Olympic champion and other elite athletes. The direction of a knowledgeable coach turned triathlon from a local hobby to an international career for Ben. In just over a year Ben has been named All-American, and Best Amateur Triathlete under 30 by USAT and Inside Triathlon Magazine, respectively. In 2006 Collins finished second at Nationals, and a crash at the World Championships took him out of the competition after he established more than a two minute lead.
Collins, was also an Ivy League Champion swimmer, who was twice named Academic All-Ivy, proved he was still a scholar-athlete. Before winning both the 2007 National and 2007 World Championships, Collins finished the school year with a nearly perfect GPA.
Ben Collins has been featured in Inside Triathlon and Sports Illustrated magazines.
Bio data
DOB: June 27, 1983
Height: 5'9"
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Education: Garfield High School, BS in Mechanical engineering, Columbia University
Other places lived: New York, NY; Honolulu, HI; Tiburon, CA;
Results
2007 US National Overall Amateur Champion 1 2007 World Overall Amateur Champion 2
Awards and notables
2006 Best Amateur Triathlete under 25 by USAT and Inside Triathlon Magazine In October 2007 Ben helped Aaron Scheidies to become the first blind triathlete under 2 hours for an Olympic Distance triathlon.
Current sponsors
TYR , Beyond Fabricatios , Garmin , Northwave Cycling, Blue Seventy Wetsuits, Endurance Performance Training Centers , Taigraphx