Junior Mackenzie Foy sports maroon and gold as she zig-zags through the winding trails at Kensington Metropark on Saturday morning. Leaves crunch with each step as she darts toward the finish line in the breezy autumn weather for the cross country Catholic League Championships.

Being one of the first 20 runners to finish the race with a time of 21:58, 30 seconds shy of her personal record, Foy placed All-League. This is an impressive award for the tough competition among other Catholic schools such as Marian, Regina, Divine Child, and more. Foy’s outstanding performance helped Mercy’s team place sixth in the meet. Being on the cross country team for her third year encourages Foy to stay fit and healthy, but she is still recovering from a battle that pushes her to extreme limits.

When Foy was in fifth grade, she was hospitalized for a week and a half due to an eating disorder. Her battle began when she wanted to be healthy, but then her calorie count and physical activity began to consume her life.

“It slowly turned into being very obsessive,” Foy said. “I would obsess over calorie amounts and working out to the point where it got very unhealthy.”

Her hospitalization allowed her to begin the long road to recovery. Not only did she have to nurture her body back to a healthy state, but she also had to mentally re-evaluate her worth and value as a young girl.

“My eating disorder, in a way, brainwashed me and stole my personality,” said Foy.

Foy is still in recovery today, but it is not as intense. She said her eating disorder can push her too far, and she has to continue to be conscious of it when it comes to physical activity. As Mercy’s cross country season winds down, Foy will continue to give it her all, despite the battle she is fighting within.

“I am still learning to love my body the way God made me,” said Foy.