Between UCA and Germany, Max Nores has about 35 pairs of sneakers.

Nores, a sophomore, is from the small town of Aachen in the western part of Germany. He’s a runner for UCA’s cross country and track team.

“I started running when I was 12 or 13 years old, a little child in an athletics club in Germany,” Nores said. “I didn’t even have the ambition to be good or do anything good, but it really started when I was about 15, my coach started focusing on me. I went to the Olympic Training Center in Germany because I wanted to move forward and see what the world was going to do with me.”

Nores doesn’t have much of an off-season during the school year.

“I’m basically a three-season athlete,” he said. “I’m running cross country in the fall, usually, if there is no COVID. Then indoor season in the winter, and then I’m running outdoor track in the spring.”

Nores typically runs the 1,500 meter, 5k, and 10k races. During the indoor track season, he also runs the 3k, which is his favorite.

On Jan. 16, 2021, The University of Arkansas hosted the Arkansas Invitational where Nores won the 3,000m run. He finished the race with a career-best time of 8:21:52. This time also placed him as a UCA record holder.

“I think I could have been a lot faster, but it was really nice, the facility and having the opportunity to run there and show yourself a little bit,” he said. “I took a win there, so that was nice.”

Before an important race Nores likes to try to “go into a focus and blur everything out.”

“You need to focus on yourself and not on everything else,” Nores said.

After a meet, and especially after a win, Nores likes to “celebrate with the team.”

“Being together with the people you’ve trained with, you’ve worked hard every day and this work pays off at some point,” he said.

Nores is currently majoring in Psychology. He isn’t sure exactly what he would like to do in the future, but he’d “really like to work with professional athletes.”

Coming from Germany, Nores finds Arkansas “completely different.”

“The people are completely different and it’s a really different culture, mentality, everything,” he said. “But I like it because people are so friendly and nice. They always help you out with whatever you do. I really appreciate being here.”

Nores had several offers from colleges when considering a move to the U.S. But he chose UCA “because of the coaches and the environment.”

His advice to athletes looking at colleges is to “consider the place that makes you the happiest and where you feel most comfortable.”

No matter what, Nores believes that “you just have to trust the process and trust what your coach says. They will bring you forward. They are there for everything. They will help you out in every situation of life, academics, athletics and everything else.”

He hopes to one day represent his country in a national competition.