So in the zone that she didn't notice the timekeeper's final bell, Scotch Oakburn's Sophie Marshall is now the owner of a Tasmanian record.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Eclipsing the previous under-13 1500m time of 4.56.19 by North-West's Frances Lyall in 2013, Marshall ran a 4.52.68 at School Sports Australia's Track and Field Championships in Darwin to put her name on the list.
"I didn't really know [if the run was my best at the time] but I was concentrating so hard that I was really surprised when he rang the bell for the last lap," Sophie said.
"I was really surprised. I beat my PB by 10 seconds as well."
ELSEWHERE IN SPORT
Getting into running after her brother took up the sport, Sophie has been competing for approximately four years, going hand-in-hand with a love of cross-country.
"I still like to do cross-country and my coach [Liz Gray] put me onto it [competing on track] and encouraged me to do it."
Finishing fifth in the long-distance event at the national championships, Sophie also tasted success at the Australian Cross-Country Championships in Woolongong three weeks earlier, something that made training for the Darwin event rather tricky.
I'm incredibly proud [of Sophie]. She works really hard and it's nice to see her make these sort of achievements.
- Ingrid Marshall
The 12-year-old Newstead Athletics member picked up a fifth-place finish at August's cross-country titles, delighting mum Ingrid with her two performances.
"I'm incredibly proud [of Sophie]. She works really hard and it's nice to see her make these sort of achievements," Ingrid said.
Upon discovering the old record on Athletics Tasmania's website, the Marshall family sprung to action to ensure recognition.
"We had some consultation with Athletics Tas, it was a bit of a process but we are through so that's all good."
Subscriptions are available here.
Sign up to our Sport email here.
Know a junior sport star? Make a nomination for our 2019 Junior Sports Awards here.