Mary Ella Bichey '24 Recruiting Profile

When I first started running my 8th grade year, I didn’t know the amazing impact it would have on my life. Back then, I believed I was going to be a competitive swimmer in college until one day I decided I wanted to try running. After my first cross country practice in 8th grade, I was hooked on the euphoric feeling running brings and the mental toughness it creates. I also found out that I did not want to be a college swimmer anymore. Throughout the years, running has brought me closer to my family and overall given me a better mental attitude about life, but what really motivates me to run is how it makes me feel. When I run I feel so motivated and like I can accomplish anything, it also helps me clear my head. The mental challenges of running are also like a fun game that I play when my brain tells me to quit and my body tells me to keep going on those long hot summer runs. Furthermore, cross country and track people are the nicest people on the planet which makes it even easier to love running. The overall goal I’ve set for myself is to be a happy runner because I believe that happy runners run well and if I didn’t love what I was doing then I wouldn’t be the runner I am today; I would love to take my running abilities to the limit!