A string of podium places highlighted her obvious talent, but the maiden win was proving elusive.
On January 17 at the Frankston Gift, however, Barry would finally claim her sash with a dominant showing in the 70m women’s event, winning both her heat and semi-final by a decent margin before storming to victory in the final, crossing the line two-tenths of a second ahead of second to finally break the drought.
It was a win a long time in the making, and a popular one among the VAL community as a whole, with Barry admitting she was overwhelmed upon crossing the line.
“I was very emotional that day,” she said.
“It was just a big fat relief, really, because I’ve been competing in the VAL for, I think this is my fourth year now, and I’ve had many close calls.
“It was teasing me for so many seasons, so to finally get the win was so exciting, and to have the support from not only my teammates, but a lot of the people in the VAL community coming and congratulating me made it even more special.”
It is a win that has come at the perfect time for Barry, too, with the Kelfit stable set to make the three-hour trek to the Stawell Gift this weekend, as athletes chase victory at arguably the most prestigious — and richest — running event in the country.
Since triumphing at Frankston, Barry has been on a tear, and while a second win is yet to come, she has recorded a pair of runner-up finishes in the 120m women’s finals at both Shepparton and Bendigo, as well as two third-place finishes in Wangaratta and Geelong.
It’s a form line that rivals almost anyone in the VAL, with six finals appearances in her past seven events, walking away with four podiums and a win, and is exactly why she should be considered among the crop of Kelfit stars who will challenge at Central Park across the Easter weekend.
But for Barry, finding her way back to this position hasn’t been easy.
Two separate abdominal surgeries last season added to an already extensive injury list, cruelling her VAL campaign and proving more of a setback than she expected.
But the hard work is finally paying off, and while she can’t quite put her finger on exactly what has sparked the uptick in performance, Barry is “pretty proud” of the effort she has put in to now be enjoying success.
“I would say I’ve definitely been more consistent with my strength and rehab side of things,” she said.
“That’s definitely gotten me back to peak strength again, I lost a lot of that from my surgeries and my injuries, so being able to prioritise that this year on top of the running (has really helped).
“I would say consistency is key, and it just takes time, so I don’t really know exactly what we’ve been doing on the track, but whatever it is, it’s been working.”
The biggest take away from her purple patch, however, has been self-assurance.
Every athlete competing at Stawell will have circled the meet before the season began, with a sash from the VAL’s marquee event the most coveted on the circuit.
Heading there with a win already under her belt this season, and the knowledge that she has what it takes to get it done, is an invaluable edge for Barry.
“It definitely does (give me confidence),” she said.
“I think the first half of this season was a little bit touch and go; you kind of run a few races here and there, feeling good some weeks and not so good other weeks.
“But I’ve been feeling really really strong and consistent in all of my races in recent months, so that does put a little bit of confidence behind me.
“I’m just feeling a lot more confident in my body’s ability to stay strong and finish a race really well, so I’m hoping it all comes together at Stawell.”
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