Run, Mackenna, run!
An avid runner, Balman was named All American for the Junior Olympic program.
RHMS seventh grader, Mackenna Balman, coming into the finish line at the regional meet in Arizona.
Article by Kathy Dunker; photos by Cindy Balman
Rocky Heights Middle School (RHMS) seventh grader, Mackenna Balman, has a passion for running. She began running five years ago and now runs on the Cross Country team at RHMS as well as the Junior Olympics program.
Balman qualified to compete in a regional meet in Arizona last fall with 109 girls and proudly took second place at the event. Balman runs the 3k and finds real joy in running. “My mom was a sprinter in college, and that’s how I started running. I began running distances and like it a lot better!”
Balman was then headed to Veteran’s Park in Hoover, Alabama on December 11 where she competed in the National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. She placed 11th out of 243 runners in her race. She made the top 25 and was named All American for the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic program. Balman did a great job of representing Colorado in the National meet!
