By Stephen Henderson
Macie Rogers has been working a long time in hopes of accomplishing a lifelong dream—competing in the State 3A Cross Country Championship. The dream came true after last week’s Class 3 Region D Cross Country meet. Rogers placed eighth with a time of 20:31, guaranteeing her a spot in the State 3-A Championship race Saturday, at Great Meadow, The Plains.
This has been something Macie has been striving for for years—since the eighth grade.
According to Macie, she had butterflies and felt nervous before the race. “At the same time I was very excited because I knew I was ready to run fast,” she said. “I had been building up my confidence all season, focusing on putting in quality training and just being happy and healthy,” she said.
Macie had had some disappointments in years past, dealing with injury and the pressure she put on herself. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to be perfect at whatever I do,” she said.
This season she started to realize that focusing on the process of getting better instead of just the main goal—what she needed to do. “I didn’t necessarily do anything special for regionals; I just made sure to follow my usual pre-race routine, and I wore my lucky socks,” Macie said.
The race started very fast; “I expected that—our region has amazing competition,” she said.
She stayed calm and settled in with the main pack through the first mile. “Then I really had to focus on staying strong mentally,” she said.
“I was physically ready to run the pace that I was running; it was all about knowing that I could do it mentally,” she said. “When I crossed the finish line, I was beyond happy. Everything hurt because I had never run a time that fast, but it was honestly the best feeling I’d ever experienced,” Macie said.
“It was definitely a dream come true; I’ve been working for that moment for so long,” Macie said.
“I’m truly grateful for all of the love and support I’ve had over the years from my family, teammates, and, of course, my coaches. As a great coach always tells me, things worth doing seldom come easily,” she concluded.
