Running Takes Decorated Bemidji Athlete Hoffmann to Places She Never Expected

Running can take you lots of places, from the track to snow-covered trails, and even to the water. And while it’s taking Bemidji’s Mia Hoffmann to places she never imagined, she’ll never forget how it started.

“If my friend wouldn’t have joined cross country in sixth grade, I would not be running,” she said jokingly. “[My friend] ended up quitting the second day of practice, but my parents made me stay in it. Just, you know, you gotta finish it out. And I’m super glad they did, because it taught me [to] keep going with it.”

And keep going she did – Hoffmann became a three-sport athlete at Bemidji, competing in cross country, Nordic skiing, and track and field. In her time as a Lumberjack, she qualified for nine state meets, won four individual section titles, and was named the 2024 Bemidji High School Female Athlete of the Year. It’s something that didn’t surprise cross country coach Ryan Aylesworth.

“I knew it right away that she was someone that was going to be dedicated and would put in the work,” Aylesworth noted. “But it didn’t always come easy to her. She’s had ups and downs in her career, but the really cool thing is she had the perseverance to go through those low times and [give] attention to the things that mattered to improve herself and stick with it over time.”

“I was not the star runner on the team at all,” Hoffmann added. “I was happy to be in the middle of the pack and I never thought that I would be anywhere near where I am right now. So it’s just really cool to see the progression.”

That progression led Hoffmann to what she considers one of the greatest moments in her career thus far.

“This last year in cross country, when I placed second at the state meet,” she boasted (something she doesn’t do often). “I’ve been moving up in the state my whole high school career, and it was really something that I wanted and I was just proud of all the work that I put in the season and how I was able to put it together that day at the state meet.”

Hoffmann finished her senior season of cross country as the school record holder in the 5K, but her career is defined by more than just individual accomplishments. She’s also a great teammate.

“It’s part of her makeup,” said Bemidji Nordic ski coach Mark Walters. “She became a captain as a junior and she took on the challenge. She gets done with her race. She’s one of the people standing there in the line and cheering on her teammates.”

Next fall, she will have new teammates. All of the hard work put in over her running career resulted in a scholarship to run for North Dakota State University.

“It wasn’t until probably my junior year I thought that, you know, maybe running in college is something I want to explore,” Hoffmann admitted. “Then my senior year, I really started looking into it and the offers came in. The coaches [at NDSU] had a plan that I was willing to buy into and they saw a future for me, and I’m just really excited to see what I can do with the support of my teammates and coaches as well as the facilities that will definitely help me in my journey.”

But before her future as a Bison, Hoffmann had one more mark to leave as a Lumberjack. She qualified to run at the Nike Outdoor Nationals at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, and as a parting gift, she broke her own school record in the 3200 meter run, finishing 10th overall.

“Running at Oregon was something on another level,” she said with excitement. “Their facility at Hayward Field is world class. They’re holding the trials there for the Olympics right now. And just to run on that, you’re automatically going to go faster. It was just super cool to experience that level of competition with girls from all around the nation.”

Now, as Hoffmann prepares for the miles of running still ahead, she reflects on the path she took to get to the place she never imagined.

“I never thought that I would make it this far and accomplish all that I did here. I never doubted it, but I just never thought that it would accumulate to this much success. So I’m really thankful and blessed.”