Former High Point University runner and soccer player Cole Atkins has joined the ZAP Fitness training center, a professional running organization for elite post-collegiate distance runners based near Blowing Rock, N.C.

"The resources here are fantastic, and the faciilty is amazing," said Atkins, who joined ZAP Fitness two weeks ago. "We have a chef who cooks most of our meals, and they're the right type of meals. We can recover and rest after our workouts. They have an Alter-G treadmill we can use. The team is sponsored by Reebok, so we have the gear we need, and travel is taken care of."

As a post-collegiate runner, Atkins' racing schedule is less rigid, so he will take a very gradual approach to training. He ran around 60 miles last week and will eventually run over 100 miles per week. Atkins said he will most likely run marathons after a few years of training with ZAP Fitness.

After completing a four-year soccer career at HPU, Atkins spoke with track & field coach Mike Esposito and joined the HPU track & field team in 2008. By the 2008-09 season, Atkins placed third in the 3,000-meter (8:30.24) and sixth in the 5,000-meter (15:06.40) at the Big South Indoor Championship. He ran one race during the outdoor season, recording a time of 14:30.08 in the 5,000-meter at the Raleigh Relays, before injuries kept him out the rest of the season.

Since he sustained multiple injuries during his athletic career at HPU, the NCAA granted Atkins a sixth year of eligibility to compete during the 2010 outdoor season. He competed unattached during the 2009-10 indoor season, recording a career-best 14:17.66 in the 5,000-meter at the Washington Husky Classic. He opened the outdoor season with his debut 10,000-meter race at the Stanford Invitational, coming in at 29:20.77. That time made him HPU's No. 2 all-time 10,000-meter runner behind only Jesse Cherry. Atkins placed second in the 10,000-meter (30:20.70) and third in the 5,000-meter (15:13.28) at the 2010 Big South Outdoor Championship.

"I'm really lucky that Coach Esposito was the first track coach I ever had," said Atkins. "He uses a slow, progressive approach and didn't rush me into anything, even though he didn't have much time with me. But Coach Esposito still got me to run pretty fast in that short time. The coach here at ZAP Fitness has a similar approach, so I thought it was a really good fit for me.

A member of the HPU men's soccer team from 2004-07, Atkins played in 76 games as a midfielder. He recorded three goals and seven assists. He was a Millis Scholar-Athlete and a member of the Big South Presidential Honor Roll every year.

Atkins earned his undergraduate degree in International Business from HPU in 2008 before earning his Master's of Business Administration in 2010.