Kiwi runner Hannah Miller is taking the world on at great speed. She’s only run two marathons in her life and after winning both, she’s already the fastest woman in the sport in New Zealand.
“It’s always really special to win a national title,” says Hannah, who finished first at the New Zealand Marathon Championship in May.
It’s been a busy year for the inspirational 24-year-old, who switched disciplines from middle-distance running to marathoning in March. She returned to Aotearoa in April after six years living in the US on a college scholarship, then promptly kickstarted her career as a policy advisor for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Not one to slow down, Hannah now has her sights set on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In pursuit of this epic goal, Hannah carefully schedules her days making time to run between 190km – 200km every week around her full-time public service job.
“It’s up early and to bed late but at the moment I have a manageable balance,” says Hannah. “I love the work I’m doing and I love training – it’s a nice reprieve from the mental load of work.”
This dedication is nothing new for Hannah, who grew up on a Southland farm and has run competitively since her early teens.
“Running felt natural to me. I’m such a type-A personality, and I really loved that the more work and effort I put in, the more positive the results.”
In March, Hannah won the Woodlands Marathon in Texas.
While her talents are evident, Hannah insists it’s grit and determination that has led to her success. “I’m not naturally really gifted, but if you have to work hard, that’s not a problem for me and I’m happy to do it.”
But it hasn’t always been easy wins for Hannah, who tells in her earlier years, fear and low self-confidence held her back.
“I was so afraid of failure and putting myself out there in a race,” she shares. “But I got to a point where I was sick of missing the win. I’d got fourth so many times that I thought nothing could sting more than another fourth place. I was always fit enough but I didn’t believe I was good enough to do it.”
With the tireless support of her coach, local legend Lance Smith, Hannah pushed through the mental barrier and caught the attention of prestigious private school Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
The scholarship she accepted covered her housing, travel and four years of tuition, which is normally $107,000 a year, while she studied political science and journalism.
Then followed a masters in public policy and international affairs at the University of New Mexico – also on a scholarship.
Hannah has always thrived in busy environments, and says she’s incredibly grateful for her international education and experience, but in the first months abroad, she struggled greatly as she slipped into the grips of an eating disorder.
“I think it’s really important to talk about it because for so long I thought I was the only one,” recalls Hannah.
“I wanted to get better and be the top runner when I got to the US. Initially when I dropped weight, I got faster and that’s what hooked me. But I always knew that I was riding the edge with my health.”
While racing in the US, Hannah’s health became at risk.
Hannah will be forever grateful her coach noticed and forbid her from racing until she got professional help. “It was a heartbreaking and horrible process, but I’m extremely thankful to have had people on my side looking out for me.”
Now in a much healthier place, Hannah shares it was a combination of stubbornness, sheer willpower and some much-needed support from her coach, teammates and professionals that helped her recover.
There are still days where critical thoughts creep back in, but Hannah always reminds herself how important it is to fuel her body so she can run and achieve her goals, like qualifying for the Paris Olympics as a marathon athlete.
She’s still new to the sport, but in May she ran the 42.1km marathon distance at the national champs in just two hours and 37 minutes.
“Marathoning is very methodical. You can’t do it well unless you break it down kilometre by kilometre,” says Hannah, who’s confident she can shave eight minutes off her time to qualify for the Olympics.
“Having gone through everything that I have, I’ve become very good at looking at one moment at a time instead of getting worried about what’s ahead. I’m super-excited to put all my eggs in this basket.”
