Paige Mills

Head Coach/Founder

I fell in love with competing at the age of five when my parents got me into mini triathlons through our local YMCA in Keene, NH. Throughout the years I chased after my big sister Julie, a standout runner at Keene High School and a New England Champion. I found success in high school cross country right away, placing 3rd at the NH freshman state meet at Derryfield Park. I wasn’t as fast as my sister in high school, but I ended up with two state championship titles in the mile and two mile. Doubtful if I was cut out for collegiate running, when I enrolled at Keene State College the head coach urged me to come out for the team. Long story short, I thrived as an athlete and grew as a person when I committed to myself and my team. During my junior year my coach suggested that I consider a career in coaching, and that he believed I could be great. I’ve been trying to prove him right ever since.

After spending almost 10 years coaching at the collegiate level with two of those years serving as head cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field coach at my alma mater during the covid-19 pandemic, I decided to pivot and start my own club and coaching business where I could work with athletes across all levels while also pursuing my own dreams of becoming a semi-professional runner. Having been proudly representing the original Valor Track Club in California for a few years, a team that became a family and supported me so much, it only felt right to stay loyal to them and spread the love. I asked Coach Jorge if I could start my own branch of the club and he gave me his full blessing to bring Valor to the east coast and make it my own.

February of 2022 my fiancé and I moved to Portland, ME to take a chance on building this dream and it’s been a real journey starting something out of nothing. We hosted our first open practice with just a few people in attendance that April and since then the growth has been rapid as we built a home for over 160 youth through masters athletes from beginner to elite. From little moments at practice, to big ones like qualifying 5 men to the Olympic Marathon Trials and winning USATF NE Cross Country Championships fall of 2025, we cherish this story we are writing with you all.

Thank you for running with Valor!