Sophomore Shira Wenthe broke GDS’ record in the women’s 1600-meter race, often referred to colloquially as the mile, on May 2, at the Draper Invitational hosted by St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes. She earned first place in the race with a time of 5:05.79. A week later, at the ISL championship meet on Saturday, May 10, she beat this record with a time of 4:58.35.
The record is the fourth one Wenthe has broken at GDS, meaning she has now broken the school record in every event she regularly runs.
The previous record holder was Katherine Treanor ’16 with a time of 5:06.44, whose 5K record Wenthe beat in the cross-country season.
“Sub-five [minutes] has been a goal of mine for a really long time,” Wenthe said. She said she felt that the environment of the Independent School League (ISL) and the turnout fueled her to run even faster. “During the race, there was never a point where I felt like I was alone, because there was always someone cheering me on and encouraging me,” she said.
Wenthe had been sick the entire week leading up to the Draper Invitational and said she was anxious to compete. “People encouraged me before [the meet], even though I was doubting myself,” Wenthe said. She recalled that Anthony Belber, head coach of both the women’s and men’s track teams, told her not to focus on the time, but instead to focus on competing well. “Each lap I was getting encouragement that helped me keep going,” said Wenthe. “It was a mentally tough race, but having those people around the track encouraged me to keep going even when it was tough.”
“It’s exciting; we’ve been working very hard, and it was gratifying to see a result that validates all the work she has put in,” Belber said of her performance at Draper. “She competed very well despite not feeling her best, and her desire to race well and beat the people lined up next to her is an important factor in that.”
“A lot of people don’t know how much dedication people put into track because it isn’t something that you see everyday,” sophomore Eva Vinik, Wenthe’s teammate said. “But behind the scenes [Wenthe] is always working; she’s always thinking about what she can do better, but you never hear her talk about it in a way that is selfish.”
Vinik highlighted how Wenthe attended the women’s junior-varsity meet the week before Draper and stayed the entire time to support her teammates. “She was ecstatic during the meet, whether someone broke a two-second or an eight-second personal record,” Vinik said. “She’s truly an amazing person, on and off the track,”
Belber emphasized how being a part of the track team isn’t just about where you place on the podium. “Individual improvement and that desire to make your contribution is a big part of the sport,” Belber said. “It’s why you can be satisfied even if you don’t have the fastest score in the city.”
“I really admire her versatility; something a lot of people don’t know about her is that she’s one of our most competitive sprinters too,” Vinik said. Wenthe, typically a distance runner, has competed in typical sprint events like the 4×400. “Her ability to just be there whenever the coaches need her, whoever needs her, is really inspiring.”
“Shira is in the midst of a remarkably strong season, which is due to her consistent hard work, patience when she races, poise, and competition instincts, along with the fact that she loves running on this team,” Belber said.
Vinik said Wenthe is “not just the fastest person that we have, but the center of our team culture and what this team represents in terms of character.”
As the season comes to a close, Wenthe said she feels she is only racing against herself instead of specific times. “It’s daunting but exciting to navigate that,” Wenthe said.
The track and field team finished their season on Saturday, May 10, at the ISL/MAC championships. The men’s team finished second of six schools and the women’s team finished fifth of 13 schools.