Offroad Racer a Modern Superwoman

While chatting with female offroad-racing phenom Emily Miller, I kept seeing images of Superwoman running through my head, accompanied by the melody of Alicia Key’s latest hit song, which shares the name. Moms, grab your daughters. This is a tale you will want to share with them.

Miller recently broke a record in the TSCO Vegas to Reno Race for Rod Hall Racing’s Team Hummer. She took third place in her class (more than 330 teams entered the race) and became the first woman to achieve the “Ironman” title. While many drivers compete as teams or at least use backup drivers during the 457-mile race, only those who pilot their vehicles for the entire race earn “Ironman” status. Not bad for a 41-year-old who just started racing two years ago.

Prior to racing, Miller was busy keeping pace with her successful product- and sports-marketing business. It was through this business that Miller stumbled upon her racing career.

Miller’s accomplishments in the Vegas to Reno race are particularly inspiring when you consider the challenges she faced throughout the competition. About 20 miles into the race, Miller’s Hummer suffered a hit that required two hours in the pit to basically rebuild the entire right front end. Having lost valuable daylight, Miller now faced the course in the dark, with malfunctioning lights that barely led the way.

“We encountered a bit of a sandstorm,” she said. “There was so much silt … it got into the connectors for our lights, so the lights would flicker every time we hit a bump kind of hard.”

Despite the rough start and having to drive the rugged terrain literally in the dark, Miller endured. Talk about a great role model!

The hard work is just beginning for Miller, as she continues to juggle her business and racing careers. She will compete in the Baja 1000 in November, then in an all-women Rally Race in Morocco next March.

“The Morocco race is special because it is all women,” she said. “It is also a humanitarian event because the medics that follow our teams will go out into the surrounding villages to provide healthcare to the women in those areas.”

Considering all the time that goes into training for each race, it’s safe to say that Emily Miller is successfully maintaining two full-time careers: Running her marketing firm and racing. Phew! Can somebody get me a coffee, please?