Madeleine Burns is gearing up for a busy senior season with high expectations in both cross-country and track and field for Durango High School. But before her season commences, she will have to make a brief but important pit stop in Italy.
Burns, the reigning Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 4A 3,200-meter champion, was selected to represent the USA Track & Field team in the World Mountain Running Association’s Under-18 Mountain Running Youth Cup next month in Italy. She will be one of six runners, with five from Colorado and one from New Mexico, who will compete Aug. 24 in Susa, a village in the Piedmont region of Italy.
Burns, daughter of Andy and Emily Burns, had heard about the race through fellow in-state runners and decided to apply.
“It seemed like a really cool opportunity, and I thought, ‘Why the heck not go for it?’ I applied at the end of Ma, and then heard back in the middle of June and was really excited for it.”
She was in the car with her parents when she got the call from Team USA.
“I remember I was driving with my parents and saw that they were calling me,” she said. “My dad was sitting next to me, and they told me that they had good news, and it was a huge relief. I feel like I had a pretty good shot of making it just based on who has been on the team in years past, but, still, it was something that you never really think about until it actually happened and I got the call. It was kind of unbelievable.”
Burns said growing up in Durango and running local trails has prepared her for Susa. She frequently likes running the Colorado Trail as well as Goeglein Gulch.
“When running in Durango, it’s pretty hard to find anywhere flat. ... I feel like we’re always running on hills, and when I saw the application, I thought, ‘I think I’m prepared for this; I run a lot of hills on a daily basis.’”
Burns’ training program has not changed since being selected to Team USA, and while she is looking forward to competing in USA colors, she has bigger goals once she returns for cross-country season.
“I am definitely still focusing on October, the state meet and beyond that,” she said. “Pretty much focusing in on getting some consistent mileage, throwing in some faster stuff with a strides workout or two, but really, I’m trying to keep up the consistency and build for cross-country season.”
Burns knows the Italy course will be unlike anything – or anywhere – she’s ever raced before. The 5-kilometer race includes running on pavement, cobblestone and single-track mountain paths which are highlighted by steep climbs and rapid descents. She should have an advantage though, as the mountainside village of Susa sits at an elevation of only 1,650 feet.
The Americans had success at the same event last year, as Eagle’s Joslin Blair won the race in 23 minutes, 50 seconds. On the girls side, Team USA took third with 29 points, edged by Romania and host Italy, who won with 17 points and three runners in the top 10.
Burns’ teammates also double over as her competitors during the cross-country and track and field seasons. Samantha Blair of Eagle and Maggi Congdon of Steamboat Springs will train with and compete alongside her. All three have extensive experience in big-name races, including the Nike Southwest Regional Cross-Country meet, the Chandler Rotary Invitational and Desert Twilight, three of cross-country’s biggest showcase events. On the boys side, Fort Collins’ James Gregory will run, as will William Ledden of Lafayette, who attends Peak to Peak Charter High School, and Rafael Sanchez of Los Alamos, New Mexico. They will be coached by Nancy Hobbs and Mark Weeks, both of Colorado Springs.
Besides Team USA, 12 other countries will attend the race, all coming from Europe.
Burns said her footwear might have to change before heading overseas. She wears the same shoe for both cross-country and trail running, but when she will be in Italy, switching things up could lead to another successful race.
“I don’t have two separate pairs, and it’s a question I have been wondering about,” quipped Burns. “What shoe I’m going to wear, and how the terrain is going to be are big factors, but I don’t know right now. I will make a call as the race gets closer.”
While she knows that she has a big season ahead of her, Burns is well aware of how big a chance it will be to get her season off on the right foot, regardless of what shoe she’ll wear come race day.
“It’s a huge honor and I can’t quite believe it, and am excited to represent Team USA in the best way possible, athletically and in every other manner,” Burns said. “It’s a huge confidence booster for cross-country season, especially seeing how some other Colorado athletes have gone and have been really successful there.”
bploen@durangoherald.com
