about me

My name is Gianna. I am 12 years old, and I love Cross Country, road racing, and trail running. When I'm not running, I also love reading, writing, and art.

Before running, I tried T-ball, soccer, gymnastics, cheerleading, Taekwondo, horseback riding, and tennis, but I usually lost interest before the season was even over.

In fourth grade, I joined a club at my elementary school called Girls on the Run (GOTR). At first, I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest. I wasn't very fast and couldn't run for very long, but for some reason, I loved it.

I am the youngest of four kids and the only girl. I have three older brothers, Elijah, Braxtyn, and Brysen. Elijah wrestled, and Braxtyn and Brysen are both current Division 1 linebackers. Braxtyn is a linebacker at UAB, and Brysen is a linebacker at Marshall University. You can follow their football journey at Davies Backers. They are always training, eating, and recovering. Growing up with three older brothers has definitely made me competitive. When I get the chance to train with them, I want to keep up. They push me to work harder and be better. 

After my GOTR season ended, my parents found a new XC club called the Coweta Comets. I started practicing twice a week and met some amazing coaches and friends. After lots of practice, we started traveling to XC meets and competing against other teams. That's when I really started to love racing.

This season, I started working with a trainer to improve my speed, running fundamentals, agility, and endurance. I really like learning new drills, working on my form, and finding new ways to become a better runner.

In November 2024, I qualified for the USATF Junior Olympic Cross Country Regional meet in South Carolina. I remember crossing the finish line and finding out that I had qualified for Nationals. I had never been so happy. That made me want to train even harder for the 2024 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships in Indiana. A year later, I qualified for Nationals again in 2025.

Over the last two years, I have run more than 50 5K races. I also completed the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, the world's largest 10K with more than 50,000 runners. Running 6.2 miles was a huge accomplishment for me and made me more confident about running longer distances. I'm also a member of Atlanta Track Club and love getting to be part of Atlanta's running community.

Running has also made me want to try new adventures and challenge myself in different ways. Right now, I'm training for my first GORUCK 12 Miler in Atlanta, part of the 25th Anniversary 9/11 Commemorative Event. I'll have to ruck 12 miles carrying weight and finish within five hours to earn my patch. I've never done anything like it before, which is one of the reasons I wanted to try it. I love finding new challenges, getting outside, and seeing what I'm capable of doing.

I love running because it makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. I love challenging myself, running somewhere I've never been before, and seeing new things along the way. Sometimes I race to see how fast I can go, and sometimes I just love the adventure.

My next goal is to keep lowering my 5K PR, getting faster, and building the endurance to run longer races. I also want to keep improving my running form and become a stronger, smarter runner.

I still get nervous before races sometimes, but I've learned that being nervous can also mean I'm about to do something important.