Is this a good idea for my personal essay?

I have ran crosscountry all 4 years at my high school. (And for many years before that as well) I’m not the best runner on my team but on team of over 70 girls I am seen as a leader and encourager. I had this idea to use a run as a metaphor for my high school experience. Write about the ups and downs of my experience using the ups and downs one has when running. I was also going to talk about how now that high school is almost done I’m ready to run my next race, college. I am applying to very competitive schools like Barnard College, Columbia University and NYU. Will this stand out enough/has it been done a ton before?

P.S. I’m also thinking of being a Journalism/ English major so I know my essay has to really stand out.