Sports
Framingham Youth, 10, Qualifies for National Track Meet
Sam Burgess qualified for not one, but 2 events, for the National USA Junior Olympic Competition to be held in Florida later this month.
When Sam Burgess was in kindergarten at Stapleton Elementary School, he trained to run the Golden Eagle 5K.
That began his love for running.
Over the weekend, Burgess qualified for not one, but two events, for the National USA Junior Olympic Competition to be held in Florida, later this month.
Find out what's happening in Framinghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Burgess, 10, competed in the Northeast Regional Junior Olympics track meet at Coolidge Park at Fitchburg State Universty Saturday and Sunday, with runners from all over the Northeast, including New England, New York, and New Jersey.
On Saturday, Burgess finished in third place in the 1500 race to qualify for the national competition.
Find out what's happening in Framinghamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On Sunday, he finished in second place in the 800 race to qualify in his second event.
His time in the 1500 was 5:28.55. His time in the half mile was 2:44.57 on Sunday.
The National USA Junior Olympic Competition which will be held July 27 to August 2 at University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
Burgess said he loves to run because he likes to stay active.
His favorite event is the 1500 because he likes to run long distance.
Burgess will be a fifth grader at Stapleton Elementary in August.
One could say running runs in the Burgess family. Mom Lisa is an active runner, and so are her children.
Sam was one of three Burgess family members, who competed this weekend at the regional track meet.
Older brother Ben, who will be a freshman at Framingham High, ran a person best in the 1500 and finished in 11th place with a time of 4:47 minutes, in the 15-16 year old age group. He was a member of the Christa McAuliffe cross-country and outdoor track teams.
Ben also competed in the long jump and finished in seventh place overall in the 15-16 year old age group.
Only those who finish in the top 5 qualify for nationals.
As Ben turns 15 in August, U.S. Track & Field had him competing in the 15-16 age group and not 13-14, said Lisa.
His time in the 1500 would have qualified him for nationals in the 13-14 age group, said Lisa.
Sam’s sister Abby ran a personal best in the 1500, over the weekend; and finished 12th in her age group. Her time was 6:04 minutes.
***
Photo of Sam Burgess, courtesy of Lisa Burgess
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
