2026 – Elisa Sonntag – Maple Mountain High School HS

Finding the good in pain

A grin crept to my face as my mom walked towards me. I had just finished my first cross country race and was ecstatic, I had performed well, especially for someone that had just started running competitively. “Mom! I did it!” I said as she hugged me. I was so excited to continue performing well and making my mom proud. My hopes for that day never truly came to fruition, just a season into cross country I started to deal with stomach problems, something that I still deal with. This challenge has made it incredibly hard for me to progress in cross country and has prevented me from reaching the goals I set for running in that first season. It has also made simple things like going to school and work difficult. When I first started to be limited by my stomach problems – especially in running, I thought that the doctors would easily find a solution and I could get back to feeling good most of the time. I was hopeful about the remaining seasons that I would have in cross country and track – after all I still had seven left, what was one subpar freshmen season to me? However as time went on, visits to various doctors increased, and more and more tests came back with no useful results. I came to accept that this would stay with me, at least for the foreseeable future. After 3 ½ years of dealing with daily stomachaches and constant nausea, I am still hoping to someday find answers that will ease the physical and emotional toll that this trial has given me. In the meantime I recognize that I have learned that even when things are hard, when I don’t feel good, and when I feel like giving up, that I can keep going. I may not be the fastest runner, but I can still push forward and give it my all. I can still show up for class, completing my assignments and giving it my best. I can still show up to work, trying to brighten someone else’s day. It has helped me find compassion for others and realize the many hidden struggles that others may be going through. Even on the really hard days, I have found that I can find a bright spot and focus on the good that is around me.