PARIS, France — Some of the best long distance runners in the world run for the Brooks Beasts – and a few of them will soon hit the purple track at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Seattle-based Brooks Beasts is a professional running team that’s had a lot of success over the years, building world champions and Olympians.
"The thing I love about running, I'm a competitor and just to go out and test my body against other opponents is what I live to do,” runner Brandon Miller said before heading to the Summer Paris Games.
Miller was the NCAA indoor champion in the 800-meter in 2022, but he's been dreaming about the Olympics since he was a kid in St. Louis, Missouri.
"When I was sitting down in my living room, watching the 2012 Olympics, I must have been like 10 years old at the time. I told my mom and my parents, ‘I want to do that someday,’” he said. “So it will mean the world to me and I will be very happy if [I] was able to achieve that goal."
At the U.S. track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, last month, Miller qualified for Paris by finishing third in the 800 meters – and posting his fastest time ever at 1:43.73.
His success on the track is a direct result of running with the Beasts, 22-year-old Miller said.
"Brooks Beasts has helped me so much, all the resources," he said. "It's just been a great team that’s been surrounding me this year that I can attribute to the success I'm having this year."
Sponsored by Brooks Running, which is headquartered in Fremont, the Beasts train in the Seattle area.
Coach Danny Mackey said the runners share a common goal, which allows them to push and cheer on each other every step of the way.
"When there's a common goal that all of them are sharing, which is they're trying to improve and they're trying to make Olympic teams. So when they have that common goal, they feed off each other and it makes the hard days easier," Mackey said. "Think of a rainy day and it's in the middle of the winter and nobody's watching the workout. That helps them get through it because they have the person next to them, trying to achieve the same thing."
Miller will run in the men's qualifying 800 meters on Wednesday, Aug. 7.
He isn’t the only Brooks Beast competing in Paris.
Nia Akins, a 26-year-old from Seattle, is running the women's qualifying 800 meters on Friday, Aug. 2. Josh Kerr, a 26-year-old competing for Team Great Britain, is in the men's qualifying 1,500 meters also held Aug. 2.
The first track and field events - the men's and women's 20km race walk - will take place on Thursday, Aug. 1. On Friday, a full slate of events are on the schedule, including women's 100m heats, the final of the men's 10,000m, and the start of the decathlon competition.