Sacred Heart College student wins tenth consecutive Cross Country
A Sacred Heart College student has crowned a remarkable achievement by winning her tenth annual cross country in a row.
What first began as a passion for Emily Kelly-Lowe quickly turned into a goal three years ago when she realised just how many events she had won.
The run, in Year 11, saw her not only beat the other girls in her year but those in Year 12 and 13 too.
“I didn’t think I would win it because I was going to face all the senior girls but then when I won, I realised that it was my eighth year and if I won the next two years, it would be a decade,” Emily said.
While she didn’t win in her first two years of primary school, she believes she managed a podium finish.
Now in Year 13, she says it’s nice to have capped off the decade during her final year of High School. Not only that, but she set a record of 13.11 for the 3.2km course at Park Island – 26 seconds ahead of second place.
She credits the support from her family, namely her dad Richard Kelly-Lowe, who helped her train each year and pushed and supported her.
“I couldn’t have done it without him.”
The school’s sports teachers, particularly HOD Health and PE Mrs Kate Coker (née O’Malley) were also pivotal in her success.
“Mrs Coker has been a huge support. She always tells me when competitions are coming up, pushes me to really give it a go and gives me advice so I know how I should train for it.”
Although she puts a lot of pressure on herself to do well, Emily says she enjoys how running gives her time to think.
“And you can kind of go at your own pace. You know your own body and your strengths.”
The 17-year-old aspires to study sports at university next year but believes she will continue to run in some form.
“Hopefully I can get a sports scholarship to do that, and I will continue to do running, probably not professionally, but on the side like marathons etc.”
Mrs Coker says Emily is a great role model for the junior students.
“It's fantastic to see Emily's determination over the last five years in the school's cross country.”
Mrs Coker says changing the course from Pandora Pond to Park Island in 2019 provided much incentive for the girls to become record holders.
“Each year the girls are determined to break each age group record. We have many up-and-coming runners in the college, and I look forward to seeing their progress.”
Principal Mrs Maria Neville-Foster congratulated Emily on her achievement.
She says it shows that by setting goals along with hard work and dedication, you can achieve your personal best.
“Emily is a role model for her younger SHC sisters.”
