Daniel\'s Haughey Sets 3k Record at Footlocker South

Daniel eighth grader Sinead Haughey finished first in the girls 13-14 3,000-meter race at Footlocker South Saturday in Charlotte at McAlpine Park. Haughey covered the 1.86 mile course in 10:45, besting the meet record of 10:50.

Sinead Haughey set a Footlocker South 3k course record of 10:45 Saturday at McAlpine Park in Charlotte. (Photo credit: John Olson/Staff file)

"I didn't get that great of a start, but once we reached the 300-meter mark I began to get back into the race," said Haughey. "A man yelled out the first, second, and third places for girls, and I saw that we were neck and neck. The boys were ahead, so I started running up to the first pack. From there, I just tried to pass as many boys I could reach. I went up the hill with several boys and then sprinted down the other side with them to the finish, all the while looking over my shoulder in search of another girl."

"Once I heard where the first three places for girls were, I guess I tried to speed it up a little. It was a little confusing before then because I thought half of the boys ahead of me would be girls. After that I just kind of settled in and tried to pass some of the guys."

Stephanie Schauder (Huntersville, N.C.) was second in 11:34.

"I was actually really nervous (going into the race)," said Haughey. "I raced in the 3,000-meter run last year, but couldn't remember how fast you're supposed to go in a race 1.24 miles shorter than a 5,000-meter race. My friends and teammates, who were also racing, calmed me down a little with jokes. I was inspired by my teammate Stephanie Gammon after she made a huge PR in the seeded 5K race (17:54). I wanted to do as well as her, and I really wanted my race to be over."

"The most challenging part of the course I think for a lot of people was the start," said Haughey. "I tried to go out fast, but I ended up doing a lot of weaving. It was like a stampede with lots of tripping and jumping. Also, in our race, there were a lot of false starts. I feel really sorry for those who fell and/or lost their place in the line. Each time you basically had to sprint back if you wanted your same starting position.

In preparation for a 3,000 race for Footlocker to preparing for a 5,000 during the regular season, Haughey mentioned this about her training. "Our training did change over the few weeks we had to prepare for our races. My dad (Jim Haughey) made workouts for us, and he and sometimes Mr. (Eddie) Pennebaker (my teammate Chris' dad) ran us through them. My mom also gave a lot of advice to us during this training. I think I adapted to this shorter race very easily. I kind of wish I could run it again to see if I could bring my time down. It felt so much shorter than the usual race, but I had fun."