The Victory Lutheran College student blitzed the field in last year’s Half Can, and is set to give her all again in a fortnight’s time.

Despite dominating her age bracket and, arguably, the whole female competition in the Half Can and the 5km Fed Hill Run in the past year, Sarah is quick to play down her achievements.

“I just sort of fell into running,” she said.

“I did well at my school cross country and it went from there.

“Running is really fun — it’s not really a difficult sport.

“My coach really pushes me, and I have a lot of fun with all the people I train with.

“There’s always a lot of chatter while we’re running.”

Sarah is coached by Greg Simpson, from the Wodonga Athletics Club, who said Sarah was one of a “fantastic group of kids” under his instruction.

“She’s progressing really well,” Simpson said.

“I’ve been able to keep throwing challenges at them and they always respond really well.

“Depending on how she goes over the next year, we’ll get her doing the full Nail Can Hill run for the first time.”

Mum, Nat, said she was proud of the way Sarah had committed to her sport.

“She’s driven in her approach to her running — you can see that she really enjoys getting out there,” she said.

“It’s been really good for her on a personal level as well.

“Thanks to her long-distance running, she has a unique approach to problem solving and overcoming challenges day to day.

“It’s never been about winning for her. If she finishes a race short of a personal best, she’ll be down on herself.

“Even if she finishes in front by a mile, beating her time is what matters to her.

“Running is helping her mature, I love seeing the way she goes about it.”