At a meet April 7th in Ft. Lauderdale, FL she ran a 2-mile (3218m)
in 10:03.5 (10:00.00 converted to 3200), and 15 days later in College Park, MD
a 5,000 in 16:13.7 (4/22).

And on June 15th in Walnut, CA Mary ran a 10,000 in 32:52.5 (equivalent
to two 16:26's back-to-back!) to break the National High School and
Junior (19 & under) records (6/15).

It was the fastest 10,000 in the world for 1979. Her US Junior Record
lasted 26 years and as of January 2019 Mary still holds the National HS
10,000-meter record. (almost 40 years!) .. Girls HS Records

Photo of Mary Shea while at NC State (from the Oct '83 issue of Racing South)

In the 1979 NCHSAA State Meet, Mary won the Mile (1609m) in 4:58.0,
the 880y (804.67m) in 2:13.2, and the 2-mile (3218m) in 10:08.4.

Photo ...Julie Shea (L) and Mary Shea (R) - NCSU.edu

In 1980 Mary was 2nd in the 5000 (16:07.50) at the U.S. Olympic Trials,
earning a spot on the team scheduled to compete in the Moscow Olympics.

Mary's younger brother, Mark, won the 3200 at the 1982 NCHSAA Championships (9:19.7).

In 2019 Mary Shea was inducted into the inaugural class of the
North Carolina High School Track & Field/Cross Country Hall of Fame.

Mary Shea Interview, January 2019 - NCrunners.com

Below is a photo (from January 2009) of Mary, a nun working at
a Catholic School/Community Center in Kenya, at an elevation over
7000 feet, near the Rift Valley.  Mary's dad, Mike, 80, of Raleigh
(former track/x-c coach at NC State) is on the far right of the photo.

Photo courtesy of Mike Shea

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