Burns primed to join elite in mile

In decades past, IU's strength in track rested with the distance program. But over the last half of the 1990s, the program's luster faded, with the team finishing no higher than fifth in the Big Ten from 1993 to 1998. \nThe resurrection of its traditional strength began in 1999 and has accelerated each year. One factor in this rejuvenation has been one of the team's pillars of consistency, senior Tom Burns, who came to IU as a walk-on. This past weekend, Burns made a monumental career breakthrough, running a 4:07.23 in the mile at the Tyson Invitational, which shattered his previous personal best by five seconds. \n"At Arkansas, Tom was the slowest guy in a field that included six sub-four (minute) milers. Yet he goes out there calm, confident, relaxed and beats half the field," said IU coach Robert Chapman. "Another thing that really helped him there is the maturity and experience he gained last year at NCAAs and USAs."\nIn many ways, Burns is a metaphor for IU's distance program- standing on the precipice of greatness, fighting each day to reach the next level. Until last weekend, most of Burns' successes came outdoors, where he narrowly missed earning All-American status in the 3,000 steeplechase and also ran in the USATF Championships. A dedicated, hard worker, Burns takes pride in IU's storied tradition. \n"IU is right now reverting to the distance powerhouse it once was," said Burns. "The combination of a great coach and training group has affected me tremendously. Running with Sean and John (Jefferson), (Eric) Redman, (Stephen) Haas and (Chris) Powers has sharpened my abilities to the point where I believe I could be one of the best distance runners in the country, not just a good steepler."\n"Burns took advantage of a great meet and a great track," said senior All-American Chris Powers. "Our program has evolved to where we flat-out expect to run fast and win races, and he showed that last weekend."\nBurns' recent breakthrough in the mile makes him a candidate for the mile leg of IU's NCAA-bound distance medley relay and alters his training plan slightly. \n"I think we could potentially get him down to 4:02 or so for the 1,600-meter leg," said Chapman. "Since he's redshirting outdoor, we have a bit of a luxury since we can focus on speed work." \nHigh mileage to a distance runner can mean 90 miles per week. Tom attributes most of his success to logging these weeks, which often include 18-mile Sunday runs. Since he has already run 8:50 in the steeplechase, his goal is within reach. \nA disciplined athlete, Burns doesn't view his running commitment as a sacrifice. \n"We're trying to be elite, and we handle our lifestyle accordingly," Burns said. "Sure we miss some of the social events, but those can't compare to national and international competition."