There are few people more deeply embedded in the local endurance sports community than Heidi Keller Miler. She has worked for the Minnesota Distance Running Association (MDRA) for the past 25 years — officially under the title "office manager," but unofficially the organization's jack-of-all-trades — and recently announced her retirement at the end of November.
Also the head coach of the WEST Express Swim Team in Chaska, Miler decided it was time to invest more effort in the burgeoning club.
Miler grew up in St. Cloud, and was a state competitor in swimming and track and field. At Hamline University, she racked up records as a three-sport athlete in swimming, cross country and track. She blossomed into an accomplished professional triathlete in the late 1980s.
Since then, Miler, 50, has served in a variety of coaching roles within the MDRA and, of course, as a mother to three children, ages 21, 18 and 16. For the largest running organization in the five-state area, she's done everything from directing races, to coordinating and publishing MDRA's magazine, to taking the lead on communications and marketing, to handling membership and community outreach.
During a recent interview, she reflected on her tenure with the organization and why she believes running and endurance sports are so transformative.
On the power of running
Everybody gets some value out of running. I've never seen anybody who has given it enough time and become a runner who didn't end up liking it. Working for MDRA, I see it every day. It changes people's lives — the fitness and the sense of accomplishment. You don't have to be a fast runner. Everybody gets something out of it.
On the running community
I've been to a lot of running conventions, and I'm constantly impressed with Minnesota. It's the best running community in the country, hands-down.
We have the best trails, the best running stores and great races. I can't say enough. There are so many individuals who have risen to the occasion — Pat Goodwin with Team USA, the people behind Grandma's Marathon and Twin Cities Marathon, John Storkamp's trail races, USATF and their youth events, the running store owners — they all love running and support everyone. We're so lucky. There is a sense of community and a feeling that everybody is working together to make it better.
