Madeleine Burns always knew she would be a runner. Few knew how impressive she would be at a young age.
At the 2016 Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A Cross-Country Championships, Burns finished 13th overall as a freshman. She finished the race in 19 minutes, 49.6 seconds, signaling a bright future ahead. As only a sophomore, the future is now for Burns, who has already achieved her individual goal of breaking 18 minutes in the 5-kilometer distance.
“Going into the year, I wanted to go sub-18,” Burns said. “I did that. I also was looking forward to state and wanted to place top five at state. I think that is even more reinforced now.”
That belief comes after Burns finished sixth in the girls sweepstakes race at the Desert Twilight XC Festival on Friday night in Casa Grande, Arizona. With many of the top teams from around the region attending the event and 193 runners in the girls sweepstakes race, Burns shined with a personal-best time of 17:52.
“Madeleine has the confidence to be in position to contend for the individual state title this year,” DHS head coach David McMillan said. “She ran just incredibly. 17:52 is the fastest I’ve had for a Durango woman. I don’t know if Laura Thweatt even ran that fast in high school.”
Burns’ parents, Andy and Emily Burns, ran in college at Notre Dame. With that in her blood, Burns said she always expected to run in high school. She first participated in youth races as a sixth-grade student at Miller Middle School. Back then, running was more about socializing for Burns. When she got to high school in 2016, the competitive spirit inside her blossomed.
“I knew I was going to run. My parents did, and I never had any doubt I was going to run,” she said. “Last year, I really fell in love with racing, running and laying it all out there.”
Burns has left it all on the line in both of her big races this year. She finished second at the Joe Vigil Open in Alamosa before taking a few races off with a sore ankle. Healthy again, she toed the line in Arizona with no nerves.
“I went into it planning to go out conservatively,” she said. “It’s a really fast course, so it’s easy to go out too hard. I kind of chilled behind the lead group for the first mile and then went hard. It ended up working out really well; one of the best races of my life.”
Burns even fell during the opening mile and recovered well enough to post the best time of her career. The fall only fueled the fire burning inside her from the start of the race.
But what Burns said she will remember more than each individual race is the time she spends on road trips with her team and coaches. McMillan plans camping trips leading up to big races to help build cohesion and preaches a team-running mentality in an individual sport. When the team bus broke down in Payson, Arizona, on the way back home, Burns and the team made the best of the situation by laughing and singing until the problem was resolved.
“When I’m older, I’m definitely going to remember the racing, but I’m always going to remember spending time with my friends and doing all kinds of fun things even more,” she said.
Burns and the Demons may have many more memorable moments in 2017 and until she graduates in 2020. The Demons are now ranked 13th in the nation as a girls varsity program on MileSplit.com and are second in Class 4A in Colorado behind only Battle Mountain, a team McMillan expects to give a run for its money at this year’s state meet.
“For me, seeing kids like Madeleine come on and see the environment change is one of the coolest things I’ve ever been part of,” said DHS senior Abby Scott, who has seen the program grow exponentially in four years.
If the Demons get on the top step of the podium Oct. 28 in Colorado Springs, Burns will lead the charge with a slew of young talent right behind her.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
Behind the scenes
What music do you listen to when you run?: My race song is “Wolves Without Teeth” by Of Monsters And Men.
What is your favorite movie?: “Harry Potter”
What do you like to eat after a race?: Chocolate is always good, and Zia Taqueria burritos.
Who is your favorite athlete?: Olympic medalist Emma Coburn. She went to CU-Boulder and grew up in Crested Butte. It’s really inspiring for me. She’s from another small town like ours and won the steeplechase world championship a couple months ago. It’s special to see someone from a place like ours can do that.
Do you have any hidden talents?: I figure skate. I started in first grade and really loved it. I still do it on occasion and am going to try to get the rest of the team to come with me this year.
If you could pick any superpower, what would you pick?: I’d probably pick flying. It sounds so fun.
What is your favorite outdoor activity?: I really enjoy skiing and mountain biking.
What events do you run in track and field?: The 1,600, 3,200 and then the 4x800 relay
What do you want for your first car?: I don’t know honestly. I bike around everywhere.
What teacher has had the biggest impact on you?: Chad MacCluskey. He wasn’t my teacher, but he coached the middle school cross-country program. He encourages people to love running and helped me enjoy it and keep doing it until high school.
What do you want to do after high school?: I want to go to college and run. I’m not quite sure what I’m into academically, but something math or science related.
