Kathleen Miller’s fantastic season almost got trampled in the
end. Literally.
Fresno
Kathleen Miller’s fantastic season almost got trampled in the end. Literally.
Standing in front of a couple hundred other Division I runners at Woodward Park in Fresno Saturday, Gilroy High’s Miller got out to a fast start at the CIF State Cross-Country Championships before losing her footing and falling to the ground. As Miller – who has a slight frame suited for running cross-country rather than with the bulls – crouched for safety, CIF officials stopped the race and called for a re-start.
“I was in a box full of individuals, we were all kind of pushing to go out,” Miller said. “Falling didn’t help initially, but it made me go even faster (once the race started).”
Taking the adrenaline from the miscue, Miller ran a furious first mile, a subdued second mile in which she was slowed by a pack of fellow runners, and then a focused third mile to finish the 5k in 18 minutes, 38 seconds – good for 31st place.
The final time was an improvement of over a minute from her 75th place showing a year ago.
“It really goes to show how far I’ve come as runner,” said Miller, who is the only female GHS runner to ever compete at state.
Being able to keep a six-minute mile pace in this year’s race was not only a sign of progress made, but also showed Miller’s determination by recovering from the rough start.
“She’s such a strong person and that just goes to show her strength,” GHS Coach Cathy Silva said. “She said [the fall] did affect her in the second mile, but then in her third mile she took off again. For her to be able to think about what she was doing in the middle of the race and refocus again – it just shows her maturity at such a young age. She has so much potential.”
Cheered on by teammates who traveled to Fresno to watch her race, Miller said next year’s goal is for Gilroy’s varsity girls team to qualify for state as a group.
“They probably had more fun than me, dressing up in the body paint (for the race),” Miller said. “But I’d like to see them out there running next year. That would be just as fun (as qualifying individually).”
Note:
Gilroy’s varsity girls cross-country team has again qualified as one of the smartest athletic teams in the state, and will receive notification this week if the squad had the highest grade point average for cross-country teams in California. If the Mustangs do win the award, the ladies will be honored at Friday’s CCS football championship game.
