While many talented runners have come and gone over the past decade, the 29-year-old shows no sign of slowing down.
For the first time, Centers (nee Hely) is set to compete in all five of the national Classic meets, beginning tomorrow with Timaru’s Lovelock Classic.
It is something she is looking forward to, as it will be her first time competing at both the Potts and Cooks Classic events, in Hastings and Whanganui, respectively.
While it is becoming rarer by the year to see sprinters compete at the top level for as long as Centers, she does not have to look far for her reason to keep going.
"I love it," the Hill City-University runner said.‘‘I still enjoy coming down here every day and training.
"I’ve got a great group to train with and a fantastic coach [Brent Ward], so it’s kind of easy to show up and keep putting in the work."
A data analyst with AbacusBio, Centers grew up in Dunedin and came through Kaikorai Valley College.
Having run her fastest 100m time in eight years — 12.29sec — last month, she is pleased with how the season was going.
It had been a goal to return to what she knew she could do, having battled back from a foot stress fracture sustained in 2013.
Hamstring injuries have also hampered her, before she finally felt last season as though she was running well again.
It is the personal-bests she ran as an under-20 that remain the elusive target: a 12.15sec 100m and a 24.38sec 200m.
She claimed two national 200m titles, as well a third place in the 100m.
She said the Classic meetings could help with getting closer to those times, as they brought strong fields.
On top of that, this year’s Potts and Capital Classics would act as the Commonwealth Games 100m and 200m trials respectively.
They are major events and rated among the toughest in the country.
"Definitely, I think because the Classics can sometimes even be harder," she said when asked if winning a Classic gave a similar buzz to a national title.
"Like at nationals last year there were a couple of female sprinters still in the under-20 grade, but at the Classics everyone runs in one open grade together.
"So they’re generally the toughest and best fields you get in New Zealand.
"They tend to be really good meets, but it’s always one day so the conditions can be variable.
"It should be interesting.
"I think there will be a lot of people there this year because of the trial aspect to it, which is a bit different."
Centers is one of 17 Otago athletes among the confirmed entrants for the Lovelock Classic.
Hill City-University runners Oli Chignell and George Bates are both entered in the prestigious Lovelock Mile, won last year by Otago’s Sam Bremer.
