For the second year in a row, the fastest 3200m in Arkansas history has been run by a Bentonville Tiger at the Arcadia Invitational. After most Arkansans were asleep last night, Brian Burns was competing against the nation's best distance runners just outside of Los Angeles.
He finished sixth in the fastest two-mile race in meet history with his time of 8:41.38.
"Arcadia was a great opportunity for me to test my range and step out of the comfort zone a little bit," Burns said. "It was an awesome atmosphere and race to be a part of and I was able to execute the race plan and book a great season opener. We are excited to see how this fitness will translate into some other distances this season."
Jackson Spencer broke the meet record with a time of 8:31.80 and Marcelo Mantecon ran the second fastest time ever by a high school junior finishing as the runner-up with a 8:35.33.
Burns' performance bumps his former teammate Matthew Shelly from the top of the state's all-time best and school record.
"I'm incredibly proud of Brian and his state record 3200m performance," Bentonville head coach Mike Power said. "He's put in a tremendous amount of work to expand his range on the track over the last 12 plus months and this performance is a direct result of well-planned training, focused self-belief, and a well-executed race plan. I'm looking forward to seeing what he continues to achieve this senior season."
Before Burns ran on Saturday night, the fastest time in Arkansas this season belonged to Mountain Home's Garrett Barr, who ran a 9:20.22 at Friday's Fayetteville Bulldogs relays. Barr's teammate, Jackson Free, finished right behind him at 9:20.79.
For the second year in a row, the fastest 3200m in Arkansas history has been run by a Bentonville Tiger at the Arcadia Invitational. After most Arkansans were asleep last night, Brian Burns was competing against the nation's best distance runners just outside of Los Angeles.
He finished sixth in the fastest two-mile race in meet history with his time of 8:41.38.
"Arcadia was a great opportunity for me to test my range and step out of the comfort zone a little bit," Burns said. "It was an awesome atmosphere and race to be a part of and I was able to execute the race plan and book a great season opener. We are excited to see how this fitness will translate into some other distances this season."
