Marietta’s Miller running with a purpose
MARIETTA, Ga. (BVM) — Becoming the Gatorade Georgia Cross Country Player of the Year was not something Kamari Miller was ever hoping to achieve. At 6-foot-3, the now-dominant runner used to focus his efforts on basketball, using running as an outlet for conditioning. But through that experience, he learned something about himself: cross country should be his priority.
In eighth grade, Miller competed in the Georgia Middle School state meet, one of the most competitive in the country. He earned a top-8 finish, which he took as a sign; there was more where that came from. When he got to Marietta High School and saw that with more training he was cutting his times significantly, Miller made the decision to quit basketball and become a full-time runner.
That decision has paid huge dividends for the Syracuse signee, who is now fully in love with everything cross country provides.
“I like the discipline it teaches you. In cross country it’s a longer race, when you’re in there not every race is going to be the best. Mentally sometimes you’re out of it, physically you feel like crap but it’s those days where you push through that,” Miller said. “I like the grit and discipline, not only in the sport but it teaches you a valuable life lesson. If I can do all this in a race and push through all the adversity in training and racing, I know I can do anything I set my mind to in life itself.”
That discipline has kept Miller consistently successful, so much so that he broke the record on four of the courses he raced this season. The future Orangeman won eight of his nine meets and won the Georgia state championship by a whopping 38 seconds. His time of 15:29.72 comes in at No. 6 nationally.
His running genius validates the prestige of the Syracuse cross country program, which won the NCAA championship in 2015.
“The consistency they showed me throughout my underclassmen years in high school, the relationship I built, I felt like it was the right situation for me,” Miller said. “If I feel that connection talking to the school, my teammates and coaching staff virtually then I can only imagine what the connection would be like in person.”
This having been his senior year, Miller will head to Syracuse in the fall. But they’ll be getting more than just a runner when he arrives on campus. The rankings and the accolades are a nod to his hard work, but it’s not something he hangs his hat on. The standout runner is equally as concerned with his life outside the course.
“My parents always told me after a bad race, they’d say, ‘a race doesn’t define you.’” Miller said. “Running doesn’t define me, it’s just something I do.”
Miller does a lot of other stuff of importance that is well-documented through his Gatorade Runner of the Year page. One of those things is working with the Whisper Youth Group, an organization at his school that centers on bringing together people who are separated from social activities.
For example, they plan school festivities for peers who are not as social, or do not have the opportunity to communicate with as many people or kids their age. Whisper focuses on uplifting others and is now in over 100 schools in Georgia alone.
“We are trying to create new friends, new bonds, limit that social barrier that goes on within a lot of schools. We are bringing people together and helping change things for the better,” Miller said. “I joined because that’s who I am, I love uplifting others, motivating others to go after their goals, meeting new people. Seeing different perspectives of life and new cultures. Whisper was one of my personality traits.”
Miller has used his platform of “elite runner” as a vessel to help others while bettering himself. The road ahead looks promising for Miller, perhaps good karma for helping so many others. With some NCAA-level training and experience, maybe he can get Syracuse back into national title contention.
