Greg Avery has always been a hard worker.

Whether it is in the classroom or on the bike trail, Avery’s dedication, discipline and work ethic has led to many outstanding achievements.

After graduating valedictorian of Northwood High School last year, Avery has quickly become involved with Triathlon Club at the University of Michigan and has enjoyed every minute of it — except some of the biking.

“I’ve always loved to run and swim, although, I’m not the biggest fan of biking.”

It’s easy to see why Avery would rather trade in his bike for a pair of running shoes.  The engineering major has had his fair share of accidents behind the wheel of his bike, including a collision with a pickup truck a few years ago and an accident at the Michigan State Marathon this year — which, because he was still able to finish a respectable 47th, he said was one of his greatest accomplishments.

“It took a lot to finish that race because my bike was a little banged up,” said Avery jokingly.

Avery continues to train on a daily basis around campus and is looking forward to competing in the upcoming Maumee Bay Marathon in June and the Detroit Marathon in October.

Triathlon is a multiple-sport event that involves running, biking, and swimming in succession over lengthy distances and all types of terrain.

If anyone can handle this rigorous sport, “its Greg,” said his father, Mike.

“Running is his passion, he loves to run.  He ran his first marathon in 2007 and it really put the fire in his stomach to continue doing this.  He works hard at it, trains everyday at Michigan and is looking forward to those upcoming marathons.”

You’re probably wondering how Greg finds time to train each day while balancing the difficult academic load at Michigan.  Despite his rigorous academic schedule, Greg said, “It’s easy to find time to train,” but still says academics and engineering are his primary focus.

“It’s been a wakeup call from high school.  The classes are much harder here.  I spend a lot of time studying, reading, and doing homework, but enjoy triathlon because it serves as a much needed break from academics,” Greg continued.

“I love this sport because it is actually a combination of three sports.  It’s fun and challenging — a real stress reliever.”

His father said Greg has always loved running, swimming and biking from an early age, but was adamant that, “academics come first and training comes second.”

And wouldn’t you know, much to his father’s delight, Greg made the Dean’s Honor List for Academic Distinction last fall and will surely find his name on the list again this spring.

“I take pride in academics,” said Greg. 

Greg said he plans on pursuing a career in engineering, but is not completely sure what his future holds.  He is unsure of what type of engineer he would like to be at the moment, but is leaning towards chemical engineering.

“Oh, and I also want to continue running marathons,” added Greg.

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