When Bill Collins of Houston, the world's fastest human for his age, shows up for track practice, his middle-aged teammates call out, "Here comes Superman!"

But when Collins, 52, lines up to compete, at first glance he looks like a novice. Instead of using a crouched start for maximum speed, Collins races from a standing position. While his opponents wear brief, skin-tight uniforms to shave precious fractions from their times, Collins wears leggings as though out on a winter training run.

Collins holds world records for age 50 and up in the 100 meters (10.95 seconds), 200 meters (22.78) and indoor 60 meters (7.tk), running almost as fast now as when he starred at New York's Mount Vernon High, in Westchester County, at 18. He has won seven world masters track titles, for runners 40 and up, and will be favored to win at least three more gold medals in the 2003 World Masters Track & Field Championships, July 1-13, in Carolina, Puerto Rico.

However, like an aging pitcher throwing fewer fastballs to protect his arm, Collins trains at a slower pace than in his younger years to protect his legs. "I don't do a lot of speed work," he said in an interview. "Because of previous injuries, I never train in spikes. I save my sprinting for the meets."

In competition, Collins accepts his concessions to age, even if it compromises performance. He eschews starting blocks because the coiled release stresses his scarred hamstring muscles. He wears leggings to keep those same tender muscles warm.

According to researchers, Collins' wisdom, as much as his speed, has sustained him into his fourth decade of sprinting. The key to athletic success in mid-life is long-term consistency, especially in explosive events like the sprints. Avoiding serious injury and the resulting training breaks, said the University of Colorado's Robert Mazzeo, professor of kinesiology and applied physiology, has enabled Collins to continue producing sufficient human growth hormone to stimulate muscle mass and the high percentage of fast-twitch muscle fiber needed in sprinting.

"Studies that we've done, and other studies coming out," said Mazzeo, "show that if you train from a young age on, the rate of decline of human growth hormone is markedly reduced. HGH stimulates protein synthesis, which includes skeletal muscle mass."

The average person has equal amounts of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fiber, said Mike Stone, head of physiology for the United States Olympic Committee. Stone said that while marathon runners have a preponderance of slow-twitch fiber, sprinters like Collins have up to 80 percent fast-twitch. But most top sprinters, like former world 100-meter world record holder Leroy Burrell, are too war-torn to maintain consistency beyond their early 30s.

"Considering all the bumps and bruises I have left over from my day," said Burrell, who retired in 1998 at 31 and is now head track coach at the University of Houston, "it's amazing to see Bill still go at it. As you age, you don't recover as well from workouts. You lose flexibility and get injured, a death sentence for a sprinter."

Collins, a rock-solid 5' 11 ½ inches and 160 pounds, said hard work more than anything explains his remarkable success. He trains on the Rice University track three days a week with teammates from the Houston Elite Track Club, which he coaches on a voluntary basis. Another two or three days a week he does weight training. Collins bench presses up to 325 pounds but emphasizes 100 repetitions a day of lighter weights to mirror the body's fatigue during running. He also does up to 2,000 sit-ups a week.

"He's maintained a tremendous fitness routine," said Dave Rider, Collins' high school coach at Mount Vernon who is retired and a masters athlete himself in the 70-and-up pole vault. "It blows my mind that Bill can maintain that kind of speed for a man his age."

Collins traces his work ethic to high school in 1969 and 1970 when, as a four-time state champion, he got up at 4 A.M. to catch the first bus to school for Rider's fall conditioning program. "Since then, I've always the first one on the track, and the last to leave," said Collins, whose Mount Vernon teammates included national hurdles champion Fred Singleton, whose brother, Ken, played for the Mets.

At the upcoming world meet, Collins will defend his titles in the age 50-to-54 100, 200 and 400 meters, events he won by wide margins two years ago in Brisbane, Australia. In 2001, Collins captured the 100 by .45 seconds, 200 by .86 seconds and 400 by 1.06 seconds, making him the Michael Johnson of masters sprinting. Collins will also compete in Puerto Rico in the two relays, 4 x 100 and 4 x 400, and, counting qualifying rounds, will run as many as 15 races in the course of a week.

Masters track and field, which usually begins at age 40 and is structured in five-year age-groups, is growing. In Brisbane, almost 5,000 athletes from 80 nations took part-a startling entry considering how far most performers had to travel to the event.
American meets have also grown, in size and status, and at this year's U.S. masters indoor meet in Boston in March, marathon greats Bill Rodgers and Joan Samuelson brought in fans by competing in the 3,000 meters. But it was Collins who brought down the house at Reggie Lewis Center with his 22.99 world-record victory in the 50-54 200 meters.

"I feel I can run a lot faster," said Collins, who earns a living as a speed consultant for the Texas Southern University football team, as well as advising athletes in a variety of sports. "Possibly under 22 seconds."

Collins improved his Boston time with a world outdoor record 22.79 in Austin, Texas, in April. His recent training included a few 400s for stamina or a series of 100 meter runs but not at maximum pace. After practice, Collins sits on an icepack to cool his hamstrings, which have seen little down time since his high school first strides in 1967.

After Mount Vernon, Collins went to Texas Christian University on a track scholarship. He picked up two bronze medals in the 100 at the NCAA Championships, graduating TCU in 1975. The next two years were Collins' best. He placing eighth in the 1976 Olympic Trials 100, earning selection for the 4 x 100 relay, but an injury forced him off the U.S. team. In 1977, Collins ran his career bests of TK in the 100 and TK in the 200. He also got back on an American relay squad, leading off the 4 x 100 team that set a world record (38.03) at the '77 World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Track turned professional a few years later, and Collins would spend an entire outdoor season on the European circuit earning a modest living in second-string meets. "I ran three times a week from April to October and came home with $30,000," said Collins. "It was like the 'chitlin' circuit."

Collins said he has more fun competing today than in his prime. "Back then, athletes from different clubs didn't talk to one another. Now everyone hugs and when we get off the track we sit down to dinner together."

Who would turn down an invitation to dine with Superman?

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This story was published in The New York Times on June 30, 2003