Having already broken multiple school records, sophomore standout track and cross country runner Cameron Collier is making his mark at Midtown, impressing students and faculty with his speed and persistence.
Collier has been running since he was 8 years old, developing a strong passion for running over the years, with both cross country and track. In track, Collier competes in a variety of races, but specializes in the 3200, which is the distance that Collier once held the fastest time in the nation for his age group.
“Running was something I started doing recreationally when I was younger,” Collier said. “When I started looking at professional running and realized I was pretty good, I just fell in love with the sport and became obsessed with running very quickly.”
Some of Collier’s greatest accomplishments include breaking school records, as well as becoming one of the highest ranked sophomore runners of the 3200 nationally.
“I broke the school record for the fastest indoor 1600 meter race [with a time of 4:43], the fastest 3200 meter race [with a time of 9:44] for a sophomore, the fastest 5k [with a time of 16:05] for a sophomore, the fastest 1600 meter race [with a time of 4:26] for a sophomore and then I helped get the fastest time in school history for the distance medley relay [with a time of 11:01],” Collier said. “And, then, I recently just had one of the most perfect races I’ve ever had, ending up with a 9:44 time for the 3200 meter race, which pushed me up to the number one spot nationally for sophomores, but I’ve dropped down to the number five spot as the season’s gone on.”
Boys track coach Delbert Ellerton first met Collier when he was in eighth grade, and recognizes his commitment and passion for the sport.
“Cameron is a student of his discipline,” Ellerton said. “He does a lot of training on his own, and he deeply understands the modalities of training. He’s almost like a coach out there himself.”
Collier trains consistently and in high volume outside of high school track, in order to become the best he can be.
“I run 50 miles per week and do 30 miles per week cross training on a bike,” Collier said. “It’s all about consistency. Everything adds up, so I push myself to train as much as possible so that I can build confidence and skill.”
Junior Cate Barton is a friend and teammate of Collier on the track and cross country teams. Barton said Collier’s determination and commitment inspires the team.
“Cameron’s always trying to be the absolute best, no matter what it takes,” Barton said. “His persistence and strength in races pushes the team to strive to be better.”
Ellerton recognizes that both track and cross country include large mental components. He believes that Collier’s mentality is a primary factor in his success.
“He just has a desire to excel and push himself because of his mentality,” Ellerton said. “Track is a very mental sport; it doesn’t necessarily have to do with your physical abilities, but it’s more about how you’ve built your mindset. Cameron never gives up and pushes himself beyond what he thinks he’s capable of.”
At the Minority Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches of Georgia Invitational at McEachern High School earlier in the season, Collier placed third with a time of 9:44 in the 3200 meter race, which caused Collier to be ranked as the fastest sophomore in the nation for some time. Collier’s strategy for winning is focused around maintaining a similar pace for most of the race, and then pushing himself to run as fast as he can in the last laps.
“It was my first 3200 of the season, and it was a really good race,” Collier said. “It was the most focused I’d ever been in a race. It came down to who could push themselves past the pain threshold the most, so I just did what I usually do: I went to sleep and let my mind take over.”
Collier’s performance in this race, which set the school record for the fastest 3200 time as a sophomore, was acknowledged by Ellerton as a symbol for Collier’s mental and physical tenacity.
“When we ran at McEachern High School, Cameron ran the 3200,” Ellerton said. “At one point near the end of the race, he was in fifth place with probably 100 meters left. Something clicked, and he just started sprinting as fast as he could. He was determined that he was going to leave that meet with a medal to show for his efforts.”
Collier has faced many challenges throughout his track career, including several injuries. Another teammate, senior Cash Bluestone from cross country and a former track runner, appreciates his ability to be persistent.
“Prior to his freshman cross country season, Cameron broke his shoulder severely and was unable to walk for a while,” Bluestone said. “If that were me, I would have quit running rather than having to deal with the loss of so much fitness, but that’s not what Cameron did. He returned to running, worked very hard, and became one of the team’s fastest guys.”
Collier wants to continue to improve over the years and bring more success to Midtown track and cross country.
“I need to keep the same consistency,” Collier said. “That way, I can hopefully break a few more records and maybe even help win a state championship for the team.”
Bluestone thinks Collier’s prowess will reflect on the team in the generations to come.
“Cameron will leave a lasting impact on athletes at Midtown by showing them what they can achieve with hard work, consistency and discipline,” Bluestone said.
Ellerton agrees with Bluestone and believes Collier’s discipline is one of his greatest strengths.
“He trains in the morning on his own; he trains on the weekend when nobody’s out there but him,” Ellerton said. “He understands how to push himself. He doesn’t need someone with a stopwatch telling him what to do, and that’s rare in high school athletes.”
