8th GRADER DOMINATES THE COMPETITION
A couple weeks ago, Gianna Rahmer won the Class 5A race at the Albuquerque Academy Cross Country Extravaganza by an amazing two minutes over the next closest competitor. It was a margin of victory even she didn’t expect. “Not at all,” replied Rahmer. “I expect to be in the top five in most races, but I definitely did not expect to win and not by two minutes.”
No one should be surprised when she wins at this point. Rahmer has won every varsity race she’s run this season, and she’s only an 8th grader at Hoover Middle School in Albuquerque. “My parents are both runners, and got my sister and I into cross country and it kind of went much better than we all expected it to go,” said Rahmer.
“I like everything about it,” she added. “I like the adrenaline, I like the people and the places you get to go and it’s just a fun environment and I love running.”
Is she intimidated being an eighth grader and running against high school competition? “Oh, definitely for sure, but my teammates are really friendly and welcoming, and my coach is amazing,” she explained. “I think it helps having an amazing team to run with.”
You can tell Gianna loves what she does. She always seems to have a smile on her face. “I have so much fun running and I love seeing my teammates and my parents and friends out supporting me, and it’s just so fun,” she said.
Gianna is hard to miss on the course. If you don’t see her at the front of the pack, just look for the bright pink headband. “I got it from my grandma when I was, like, 8, and the tag is worn down because I wear it at every race, but now the boys are asking me where I got it because they want one, too,” she joked.
Rahmer will run in the Class 5A race on Saturday at 11:35am.
