St Mary’s Gunnedah’s Sarah Schiffmann is lacing up her running shoes for the School Sport Australia Cross-Country Championships.
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Bronze in the secondary girls 14/15yrs event at Friday’s State All Schools at Eastern Creek, earned the 13-year old a spot on the NSW team to compete at Hobart next month.
“I’m excited for that,” Schiffmann said.
“I wanted to qualify for the nationals, which I did.”
It won’t be her first time competing in Tasmania.
“I went to Launceston for the nationals in 2013,” Schiffmann said.
Representing Combined Catholic Colleges and competing against girls in some cases a year older than her, Schiffmann was the first catholic system runner to finish. Stepping up to 4km this year, she completed the course in 14.51minutes.
“I was really happy with that,” she said.
She said her plan was to try and get out with the leaders and stay with them, which is how the race pretty much panned out.
A regular qualifier for the state championships, it was Schiffmann’s best finish.
“The best I’d finished before was sixth, but that was a while ago,” she said.
Schiffmann moved to Gunnedah - from near Scone - with her family last year, and trains six days a week for around an hour/hour and a half. Much of it she does by herself, following a training program set out by her coach Guy Creber, who is based in Sydney.
Mixing up longer runs, with some hill work and shorter distance runs, she averages around 20km a week.
Also a handy campdrafter, Schiffmann hasn’t been competing as much with running taking a priority.
She was one of several north west runners to make the podium.
Quirindi High’s Lacie Quigley made it back to back state titles by winning the 12/13yrs girls, while Binnaway Central’s Marcus Nolan Nolan won silver in the 12/13yrs multi-class after being first across the line.
Glen Innes High’s Matthew Campion finished fourth overall in the 18yrs boys but picked up silver as the second Combined High Schools (CHS) runner home, while Tamworth Public’s Williams was fourth in the primary boys 12yrs race.