Brian Burns competes at the 2025 Brooks XC Championships
Brian Burns continues to elevate Arkansas distance running into rare territory. The Bentonville standout ran 4:02.12 in the mile at the ASICS Sound Running Invite at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, finishing seventh in a loaded professional and collegiate field. The race was won by Shane Streich in 3:58.55, followed by Clay Pender (3:59.67), with Texas high school star Caden Leonard also breaking 4:01 in 4:00.07. Burns more than held his own against seasoned post-collegiate competitors, and in doing so, he became the fastest Arkansas prep indoor miler in history.
Burns entered the meet already in strong form after running 4:04.17 for third place at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and posting a sharp 1:50.81 indoor 800m victory at the Mizzou HS Distance & Sprint Elite. His 4:02.12 represents another significant drop and firmly establishes him as one of the nation's premier high school milers this season. The performance also places him in elite company within his own family; his older brother, Connor Burns, ran 3:59.11 indoors in 2023, making him the No. 7 high school indoor miler of all time. While Connor broke the four-minute barrier as a senior in Missouri, Brian is now within striking distance of that milestone himself.
Burns' rise has been building since the fall. He was recently named the Gatorade Arkansas Player of the Year for the 2025 cross country season after winning the Arkansas state title in 15:31.47 and going on to compete nationally, running 15:44.10 at Brooks XC Championships and 15:23.80 at Nike Cross Nationals. With his cross-country strength now translating seamlessly to the indoor oval, Burns has solidified himself as one of the country's most complete middle-distance runners. After this weekend's breakthrough, Arkansas owns a new indoor state record - and Brian Burns is trending toward even bigger history.
