Sydney Shaw was running to her beat when she heard first woman being shouted from the sideline.
The Delmar teen didn’t immediately realize that it was in reference to her.
`I ran with headphones in so I didn’t know if I heard him right,` said Shaw.
It was only when Shaw neared the finish line at last month’s Dodge the Deer 5-kilometer cross country race at Schodack State Park that she fully understood that she was the first woman finisher.
`When it was announced that I was the first female, I think many people were surprised, but I got a lot of congratulations,` said Shaw.
Shaw not only won the women’s division, but she did so in style. The 14-year-old Bethlehem Central High School student finished with a time of 21:11, which placed her in the top 25 overall of a race that was predominantly an adult race. The next-fastest woman, 28-year-old Susana Garcia Romer of Rensselaer, trailed Shaw by more than one minute.
`There were a lot of people,` said Shaw. `I don’t know if there were more than last year, but there were some good runners there.`
Shaw ` who plays lacrosse and field hockey at Bethlehem ` said the key to her success was being well rested for the race.
`I ate good the night before, and I slept good the night before,` said Shaw. `So, I came into the race feeling good.`
To set the right pace, Shaw played up-tempo pop in her headphones.
`I think I was listening to a couple of songs by the Black Eyed Peas because they have some songs that have a beat I can run to,` said Shaw.
With the right music in her head, Shaw followed some advice her father gave her before the race to win her first women’s division title.
`My dad said to me that I should try running with the lead women,` said Shaw. `I started passing some women, but I still thought that there might have been more women ahead of me. It wasn’t until I got to the finish line that I realized there weren’t any more women ahead of me.`
With one victory under her belt, Shaw said the confidence she gained will help her in future road races.
`That’s going to be kept in my mind, but for some of the races, it will be tough,` said Shaw. `I’m going to run the Freihofer’s [Run for Women] race, and they have some tough runners there.`
With the right music, though, who knows where Sydney Shaw can finish?“