Karrie Baloga Found Strength When It Mattered Most

Dec 12, 2022

* Karrie Baloga crosses the line in first at the Champs Sports XC Championships on Saturday.

Photo Credit: Raymond Tran/MileSplit

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SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Moments after earning the first national cross country title of her high school career, a grinning Karrie Baloga found herself enveloped in embraces, high fives and cheers from members of her inner circle.

But perhaps no one had a bigger smile on their face than her father, Barry, who yelled out to his daughter as she quickly made her way over to the fencing outside the finishing chute at the Balboa Park course.

"Yes! Yes!" he shouted.

All of the excitement and celebration for Baloga's dominant win on Saturday at the Champs Sports National Cross Country Championships may be best summed up in a simple phrase screen printed on Barry's black sweatshirt.

"Karrie 3:16," read the front while "Cause Karrie said so" was printed on the back.

It's a reference to former WWE wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who coined the phrase "Austin 3:16" in 1996 after a match. It referenced the Bible verse John 3:16, which Karrie has often said characterizes her strength in this sport, while Austin's quotes usually centered around his fight in the ring.

Baloga was born in 2004, and so her knowledge of Austin was largely based on her father's fandom, not to mention some YouTubing of Austin's matches. But Barry, who used to coach at North Rockland High School, would later see similarities between Austin and his daughter and this particular phrase, leading to his cherished sweatshirt. It helped that Barry had his own screen printing business, he said.

3:16 has, in some ways, come to define Baloga's season. It's a personal and racing mantra that Karrie has adopted as her own.

What exactly does it embody for the star talent from Cornwall High School? Ask Baloga or any of her family members, and they'll give you the same answer -- it represents toughness.

"Pretty much just fight," Baloga said. "It's fighting and the grit that you have during the race. It's 'cause Karrie said so."

And at Balboa Park on Saturday, that's exactly what Baloga did -- fight.

* Baloga speaks with MileSplit's Olivia Ekpone following her race win.

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On the challenging course against 38 of the nation's best distance talents in the country at the Champs Sports XC Championships, Baloga led for large stretches. A final push up the grueling hill just past the 2.5-mile mark sealed the deal as she ran her way to the win.

She crossed in 16:49.2, good for the eighth-fastest performance at the meet in its history at Balboa Park.

That's not only good for a massive 5K personal best, but it's also her best finish at the meet over four years, as she finished 11th as a freshman in 2019 and fourth during her junior season in 2021 -- Foot Locker Nationals did not take place in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Baloga said she knew she had to channel the utmost strength in the last cross country race of her high school career.

"Like everyone says, last one, best one," Baloga said.

Perhaps it's the perfect way to cap off a storied cross country career, one that's included a plethora of accolades, including a New York Class B state championship, three additional top-five state finishes and three trips to San Diego for the national championships.

"Crossing the tape, I feel like I did it for myself and for them as well," Baloga said. "I worked really hard for it, so I definitely deserve it."

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Essentially, every aspect of the race went according to the aggressive plan Baloga mapped out prior to race day. That included setting the tone early, packing up with leaders Ciara O'Shea, Ellie Shea and Paityn Noe through a fast 5:17 first mile.

As the race drew on and the lead group dwindled, Baloga held strong as the frontrunner, entering the second 1.5-mile loop in the lead.

Even with Shea -- the only competitor to beat Baloga in a cross country race this season -- jockeying with her for position in the middle mile, Baloga kept her eye on the prize.

As she made her final ascent up the infamous Balboa Park hill less than half a mile from the finish, perhaps the most demoralizing phase of the race, she knew it was time to make the definitive move.

That grit, that drive, is what "Karrie 3:16" is all about.

"Going up (the hill), I was like, 'This is my moment. This is my last one, so I have to make the most of it,'" she said.

Now Baloga looks ahead to the track season, where she's had a storied career with indoor and outdoor state championship wins at 3,000m and an elusive trip to the World U20 Championships in the 3,000m steeplechase.

Then, it's off to the University of Colorado where she'll join fellow Champs Sports champion Kole Mathison among other top distance racers next fall.

As she closes out her final cross country season on the highest of notes, though, it's not the last we'll see of Baloga on the national stage, she said.

"Going up (the hill), I was like, 'This is my moment. This is my last one, so I have to make the most of it.'"

In fact, with her "Karrie 3:16" motto held close to her heart, she truly believes there's even better accomplishments ahead of her beyond the dreamlike moment at Champs Sports.

"I've still got things that I can accomplish, little things here and there," Baloga said. "Nothing too specific, but I like to get better as I go every season and be ready for races like this towards the end of the season. Just keep getting better."

There's more to come in the final year for one of the all-time New York distance greats and gritty

"It really does show my potential later in my running career," Baloga said. "It's really awesome and I'm just so excited moving forward."

And that's 'cause Karrie said so.

Photo Credit: Raymond Tran/MileSplit California