HOW CAMERON COLLIER RAN THE ATLANTA MILE FOR “FUN,” AND STILL WON.
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY MAURICE GARLAND. PHOTOS BY CHAD PRICE AND LAMAR ARRINGTON.
IN THE MOMENTS LEADING UP TO THE START OF THE 2025 ATLANTA MILE ELITE DIVISION RACE, YOU COULD FEEL THE HAPPINESS IN THE AIR DESPITE THE HUMIDITY. RUNNERS WERE STRETCHING, LAUGHING, AND WEARING SMILES BRIGHTER THAN THEIR RUNNING SHOES. WHILE SOME POSED FOR PRE-RACE PHOTOS WITH RUNNING INFLUENCER MATT CHOI, OTHERS TOOK THEIR FINAL SELFIES BEFORE LINING UP. YOU COULD EVEN HEAR SOME OF THEM SHARING THEIR MILE-RACE PR TIMES WITH THE EVENT'S EMCEE, EXPLAINING WHAT THEY WOULD DO WITH THE $1,000 PRIZE IF THEY WON.
THEN CAMERON COLLIER SHOWED UP AT THE START LINE, AND THE MOOD CHANGED.
HIS REFLECTIVE SUNGLASSES PREVENTED ANYONE FROM MAKING EYE CONTACT AND MAKING SMALL TALK. HE MOSTLY KEPT HIS ARMS FOLDED, HIDING HIS HANDS FROM FRIENDLY FIST BUMPS. HE DIDN’T BRING A PHONE EITHER, SO NO SELFIES FOR HIM. COLLIER JUST STOOD THERE SILENTLY UNTIL THE EMCEE APPROACHED HIM WITH THE MICROPHONE AND ASKED HIM THE QUESTION OF THE DAY: “WHAT’S YOUR MILE PR?”
“4:14,” HE SAID BLUNTLY, FACIAL EXPRESSION NEVER CHANGING.
THE NUMBER ECHOED LOUD ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE TO TURN THEIR HEADS, THEN LOOK BACK DOWN. THE START LINE CHATTER FADED UNTIL YOU COULD HEAR A VOICE FROM THE LINGERING CROWD SAY, “OH, HE GOT IT BRAH. IT’S OVER WITH!”
ONCE THE RACE STARTED, THE NEXT TIME ANYONE WOULD SEE COLLIER’S 17-YEAR-OLD FACE AGAIN WOULD BE AT THE FINISH LINE, WHERE HE WAS WAITING FOR EVERYONE ELSE. HE WON THE RACE WITH A TIME OF 4:34. IT WAS FITTING THAT HE FINISHED FIRST. HIS BIB NUMBER WAS 001.
“I WAS JUST HAVING FUN,” SAYS COLLIER, LOOKING BACK AT HIS PERFORMANCE ONE YEAR LATER.
TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS QUALIFIES AS “FUN” FOR COLLIER, YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHAT ACTUAL WORK LOOKS LIKE FOR HIM. AS A STAR CROSS-COUNTRY AND TRACK ATHLETE AT MIDTOWN HIGH SCHOOL, COLLIER TRAINS YEAR-ROUND. IN ADDITION TO PRACTICES WITH HIS TEAM, HE HAS HIS OWN REGIMEN THAT INCLUDES RUNNING AT LEAST 50 MILES A WEEK, STRENGTH TRAINING, AND 30 MILES A WEEK OF BICYCLE CROSS-TRAINING.
SO BY THE TIME HE ARRIVED AT THE ATLANTA MILE, HE WAS READY FOR SOME LIGHT WORK.
“WHEN I SIGNED UP FOR THE RACE, I WAS PLANNING TO USE IT AS A TUNE-UP BEFORE NATIONALS,” SAYS COLLIER, WHO WAS JUST RETURNING TO RUNNING AFTER TAKING WEEKS OFF FROM TRAINING AFTER HIS SPRING TRACK SEASON ENDED. “I WAS LIKE, OKAY, LET'S JUST WIN THE RACE AS EASILY AS POSSIBLE. NO POINT IN GOING ALL OUT AFTER HAVING A GOOD, LONG SEASON. SO YEAH, I WAS JUST MOVING THE LEGS A LITTLE BIT.”
COLLIER HAS BEEN MOVING HIS LEGS SINCE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. HE ENTERED HIS FIRST RACE, THE PEACHTREE JUNIOR RACE, WHICH IS A 3K, THE DAY BEFORE THE PEACHTREE ROAD RACE, WHEN HE WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD. AFTER HEARING HIS PARENTS TELL HIM THAT HE DID “FAIRLY WELL,” HE FELT ENCOURAGED TO KEEP GOING.
“IF YOU GET TOLD YOU’RE GOOD AT SOMETHING, YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO KEEP ON DOING IT, ESPECIALLY AT THAT AGE,” SAYS COLLIER, ADMITTING THAT BECAUSE OF HIS POOR HAND-EYE COORDINATION, RUNNING FELT LIKE THE BEST SPORT FOR HIM. “I TRIED CHURCH LEAGUE BASKETBALL FOR A YEAR, AND I WOULD BASICALLY JUST RUN ACROSS THE COURT TRYING TO RACE PEOPLE.”
“EVEN AS PART OF A TEAM, HIS SELF-DETERMINATION ALWAYS MADE HIM STAND OUT. AFTER HIS FIRST SEASON, HE HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE TOP RUNNERS AT SCHOOL.”
GROWING UP NEAR ANSLEY MALL, COLLIER STARTED VISITING THE NOW-DEFUNCT ATLANTA RUNNING STORE PHIDIPPIDES TO PICK UP FLYERS ADVERTISING LOCAL 5KS AND ASK HIS PARENTS TO SIGN HIM UP. AFTER A COUPLE MORE RACES AND MONTHS OF RUNNING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD, HE RAN HIS FIRST 10K AT AGE 9. IMPRESSED WITH HIS PROGRESSION, COLLIER ENTERED A TRIATHLON AT AGE 11 AND ENDED UP RUNNING A 6:01 MILE. NOTICING HOW MUCH TIME HE WAS SPENDING RUNNING RECREATIONALLY, HE DECIDED TO JOIN ATLANTA TRACK CLUB’S YOUTH TEAM FOR STRUCTURED TRAINING. THIS LED HIM TO JOIN BOTH THE CROSS-COUNTRY AND TRACK TEAMS WHEN HE STARTED HIS FRESHMAN YEAR AT MIDTOWN.
EVEN AS PART OF A TEAM, HIS SELF-DETERMINATION ALWAYS MADE HIM STAND OUT. AFTER HIS FIRST SEASON, WHEN HE HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE TOP RUNNERS AT SCHOOL, HE HIRED A PRIVATE COACH, TIM GOLDSACK OF CCG, AND BEGAN TRAINING MORE ON HIS OWN.
“I LOVE MY TEAMMATES, BUT,” HE PAUSES. “WHEN YOUR GOALS AND DEDICATION TO THE SPORT ARE A LOT HIGHER, AND YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE TRYING TO GO, YOU CAN'T BE DOING THE SAME THING AS THEM. RIGHT?”
THAT PLAN WORKED.
THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL, HE POSTED FASTER TIMES EACH YEAR AND RACKED UP ACCOMPLISHMENTS ALONG THE WAY. HIS PERFORMANCES EARNED HIM A NATIONAL RANKING OF #1 IN THE 3200M AMONG HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORES. IN FALL 2024, HE WON THE ATLANTA PUBLIC SCHOOLS XC CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS HIGH SCHOOL BOYS 5K AND WAS NAMED APS RUNNER OF THE YEAR DURING HIS JUNIOR YEAR. IN 2025, HE WON BOTH THE GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATION (GHSA) CLASS 4A STATE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE APS HIGH SCHOOL BOYS XC CITY CHAMPIONSHIP. IN FEBRUARY 2026, HE WAS NAMED GATORADE GEORGIA BOYS CROSS COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE YEAR.
THAT CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT CAPPED A STELLAR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER AT MIDTOWN, WHERE HE COLLECTED NUMEROUS FIRST-PLACE FINISHES AND SET SEVERAL SCHOOL RECORDS.
“PEOPLE THOUGHT I WAS A LITTLE WACKY BECAUSE I'D RUN AT FIVE IN THE MORNING BEFORE SCHOOL, AND THEY'D SEE ME BACK AT PRACTICE RUNNING AGAIN,” SAYS COLLIER, WHOSE INSTAGRAM HANDLE SPELLS HIS NAME “CAMRUN.” “FRIENDS WOULD ASK ME TO HANG OUT ON FRIDAY NIGHTS, AND I WOULDN’T BECAUSE I HAD A RACE IN THE MORNING OR NEEDED TO STRETCH AND REST AFTER TRAINING ALL DAY.”
ALSO EXCELLING IN THE CLASSROOM, COLLIER MAINTAINED AN A AVERAGE THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL. FOR HIS EFFORTS, HE’S BEING REWARDED WITH BOTH ATHLETIC AND ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS AT VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY, WHERE HE WILL JOIN ITS STORIED CROSS-COUNTRY AND TRACK TEAMS THIS FALL.
WILL HE STILL HAVE TIME TO ENTER NEIGHBORHOOD RACES TO WIN SOME EASY MONEY? WHO KNOWS? EVEN IF HE DID, HE’S NOT REALLY TRIPPING ON THE CASH. HE DONATED THE $1,000 FROM HIS GATORADE AWARD TO THE ATLANTA TRACK CLUB FOUNDATION THAT GAVE HIM HIS START. AS FOR THE OTHER $1,000 HE WON AT LAST YEAR’S ATLANTA MILE, HE GAVE IT TO A WORTHY CAUSE AS WELL.
“I JUST GAVE IT TO MY MOM,” SAYS COLLIER. “SHE USED TO HAVE TO BUY ALL MY SHOES AND GEAR. THANKFULLY, SHE DOESN'T REALLY HAVE TO DO THAT NOW.”
