Runner chases Olympic dream
Invercargill’s Hannah Miller has a goal in sight and she’s prepared to go the extra mile to reach it. Mary-Jo Tohill reports.
From the time she was year 13 at Southland Girls’ High School, 10,000 and 5000 metre runner Hannah Miller knew she would have to go the distance to be a success at her sport, even if it meant leaving home and family and going to the United States.
Now 20, and in the third year of her sports scholarship to the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, she has a clear goal in sight.
‘‘I still have another two years at college, so a lot can change in that time but at this stage, I’m aiming to train and target 2020 Olympics or the next IAAF [International Association of Athletics Federations] games [2021].’’
In the meantime she is enjoying a full-on thoroughly allAmerican education at the university, and loving it.
‘‘Being at Texas uni, we have some cool quirky traditions, that resemble aspects of home and ‘‘Southland pride’’, like wearing all white clothes and boulevarding [street party] before home football games.
‘‘The uniqueness makes it feel a bit more special and provides plenty of school spirit which I love. I think that was bred into me with my red SGHS shoes.’’
A sport scholarship had been on the cards ever since she started training with Lance Smith and saw athletes like Invercargill triple and long jumper Greer Alsop going off to Washing State University.
She worked hard and kept at it but hit a brick wall midway through year 13 and, as a backup, registered for first-year law at Otago, while still applying for scholarships in the US.
‘‘I was still contacting colleges and I had a few offers but they were from smaller schools that I didn’t think would provide the right opportunities.’’
She had more or less put the idea on the back-burner until a week before the American university deadline, when she was contacted by SMU.
Her Kiwi teammate Anneke Grogan had shown her coach Cathy Casey, now also Miller’s, a video of her running.
‘‘We clicked on Skype right away. She’s so passionate about the sport and I loved seeing a female head coach.
‘‘I thought it was unique and would give my training a new spin.
‘‘So I remember going on a long run with my sister and talking about the two unis I was tossing up. By the end of the first hill, I turn to her and said I think SMU and she said OK, I think SMU too. And that’s about it.’’
Miller is doing a double degree in journalism and political science, as well as a selection-only honours minor in public policy and international affairs, which could lead to a job ‘‘on the Hill’’.
‘‘Lots of graduates get jobs in Washington straight out of college so that would be phenomenal.’’
Her highlights have been the World University Games held in Taipei last year, and her biggest success would probably be winning the Stanford invite – an international level race where she ran a personal best.
‘‘My ultimate goal has always been and always will be the Olympics. But over the next few years, I am aiming to target the world university games for my second time, and to just hit good solid times for both the 10 and 5km, showing a good progression in training, enjoying the process of working towards bigger things.’’