Not many high schoolers can say they’ve run faster than Galen Rupp. Connor Burns can. The senior broke Rupp’s high school national record in the 5,000 meters on Saturday, running 13:37.30 at the Track Fest in Walnut, California, to dip under the previous record of 13:37.91.
Burns, who was running unattached but attends Southern Boone County High School in Missouri, used a 61-second last lap to break the record that has stood since 2004. He’ll continue his career next year at the University of Oregon, where Rupp (who went on to become a two-time Olympic medalist) also went, and the significance of the record isn’t lost on him.
“Rupp’s one of the best American distance runners of all time, and to take down his record is absurd,” Burns told Citius Mag Super Shoe Trends.
The Track Fest featured a mostly professional field, complete with pacers to set the athletes up to run fast times. Burns was seeded in the second-fastest heat of the 5,000 meters, and he said his legs felt surprisingly good despite the quick tempo.
“Honestly, this is probably one of the easiest races I’ve run,” he told Citius Mag. “For the first two miles, I’ve never felt that good in a race ever, I don’t think. The first two miles felt like I was out there jogging.”
Despite being mostly surrounded by professional runners, Burns was joined by another high schooler: Tyrone Gorze. He finished behind Burns in 10th, in a time of 13:45.81—good for the sixth-fastest outdoor 5,000 meters in high school history. In March, Gorze set the indoor high school record in the event, running 13:56.82 to get under Edward Cheserek’s old record of 13:57.04. He’ll attend the University of Washington next year.
Burns’s record comes after he broke four minutes in the mile in February (he did it last year in June as well), and he’s made it clear that he also wants the national record in that event.
“That’s the cool thing about track,” he said in an interview with RunnerSpace. “There’s always more than one national record to break. So now, eyes on the mile in a month to see if I can get that one too.”
It won’t be easy, considering Alan Webb set the record in 2001 with a scorching 3:53.43 at the Prefontaine Classic. Burns owns a PR of 3:58.83, which he set last year at the HOKA Festival of Miles, and he’ll look to break the record there again—in his home state of Missouri.
Super Shoe Trends Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
