Colts Neck NJ Junior Found Love For Track Before The Pandemic, But Then Dug Into It With Uninterrupted Training

Editor's Note: Natalie Shapiro is a freshman on the Dartmouth College track and cross country teams and is a freelance writer. Here, she writes about her up-and-coming younger sister, Lilly. 

By Natalie Shapiro for DyeStat

The 2021 spring track season has risen from the ashes of the previous year’s COVID-19 cancellations.

Along with it a new group of high school track stars, built in the pandemic-fueled training block, have risen to power.

After breaking the New Jersey 1,600-meter state record in her first ever outdoor track season, Lilly Shapiro of Colts Neck High has quickly emerged to the forefront of this group. While the name Lilly Shapiro is only beginning to gain relevance in the world of high school track and field, it's one that I am well acquainted with. I am likely the best source of information on this unlikely star and wearer of the most intense race face to grace the track -- she's my little sister. 

This season, Lilly ran a 4:40.1 1600m in the Holmdel Twilight Night of 1600s meet to break the New Jersey state record formerly held by Josette Norris. The performance earned her a US#2 ranking in the event. Still, the running world is largely unfamiliar with the junior whose rise to national prominence was, quite fittingly, too quick to catch. 

Like many successful distance runners, Shapiro’s roots are in soccer. Her commitment to playing soccer at a high level prevented her from competing in cross country and spring track her freshman year. She competed only in indoor track that year as a way to “stay in shape” (and spend time with me, of course). 

The season catalyzed Lilly’s love for the sport of track and field. While her first season PRs of 2:16 in the 800 and 5:09 in the mile were impressive considering her very minimal experience and training, they paled in comparison to Shapiro’s potential as a runner. No one would have expected her to run a 4:40 for 1,600, 2:09 in the 800, and a 10:18 3,200 in her first outdoor season. This range suggests that Lilly may be one of the best overall distance runners to come out of New Jersey.

She hopes to expand upon this range with a 2-mile PR, which awaits her at the Brooks PR Invitational in Renton, Wash. on Friday. Then, Saturday, she will run with her Colts Neck teammates in two relays at The Outdoor Nationals, presented by Nike, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

WATCH THE BROOKS PR INVITATIONAL LIVE ON FRIDAY

WATCH THE OUTDOOR NATIONALS, PRESENTED BY NIKE (June 30-July 3)

Without knowing the full story, Lilly’s humble start to the sport makes her an unlikely candidate for such an impressive season. Even she recalls being shocked she was even invited to the Brooks PR meet despite her nationally competitive times. Her gradual introduction to success may have been the best thing that happened to her running career so far. 

Before there was success, there was love. Instead of switching from soccer to track for the glory that came with winning races, Lilly was able to fall in love with the sport first. She committed to distance running long before any suggestions of her potential to be of national caliber. 

This young excitement for the sport is one of the greatest catalysts in her rapid development as a runner. With the advent of running clubs for elementary school age children, many of today’s high school distance runners have been in a cycle of training, racing, and winning since middle school or earlier. There is nothing like fresh love for a sport and Lilly has been heavily advantaged by hers. What Shapiro lacks in experience is made up for by her love for competition.

Everyone wants to know the secret. Who is Lilly Shapiro and where did she come from? How did she get so much faster so quickly?

The answer is that Lilly loves running more than anyone I know. 

For Lilly, the distance running lifestyle was not something that was inflicted upon her at a young age, but rather a choice. Coach Jim Schlentz reminded me of a conversation we had together after my first summer training with my sister. “You said something like ‘I now feel like I hadn’t really known my sister for the first 14 years of her life.’”

It was true. My sister has always been my best friend by default, but running had brought out a side of her that no one really knew existed.

I watched my sister develop not only as a runner but as a person. Her intense love for the sport ignited a sort of lightness within her. Quickly, her shy and closed-off demeanor was replaced by a happier and more energetic one. Running makes her a happier person. 

Lilly’s rapid and unprecedented development as a distance runner can’t be documented in workouts or race results. Rather, the leap from good to great and beyond is reflected in our car rides home from practice, windows down, blasting songs by Rainbow Kitten Surprise. 

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Shapiro’s love for running maintained her motivation to train through the empty time. Without the pressure of races, she was able to get in consistent training without injury over a long period of time. As every distance runner comes to know, this sort of uninterrupted training is the stuff PRs are made of. 

Coach Schlentz jokes that the pandemic worked out in Lilly’s favor in a way. When asked about Lilly’s seemingly sudden improvement, Schlentz refers to the pandemic, saying “Here is a period where everyone can sit around and feel sorry for themselves and she turned it into a great thing.” 

Without a doubt, there were many motivated runners who got in great training during this period. It is reflected in the breakout races and monumental upsets that this 2021 spring track season has witnessed.

“She went from lost time to more than enough time. She had started her career being far behind everyone because she only ran winter track freshman year. Went into her sophomore year behind having only run winter track. She just used that pandemic year to make up for all that was lost and move ahead,” Schlentz said. 

As Lilly prepares for the Brooks PR invitational, the love for racing that has fueled her career may ultimately be her greatest advantage. Because of her quick introduction to the national leaderboard, her name doesn’t produce the same awe as some more well-known competitors. She isn’t some character or big-name icon. She is just a down-to-earth runner whose only secret is the love for her sport and the articles written about her by her sister.