William Burns of Falmouth sets 6:32 pace
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William Burns of Falmouth Burns crosses the finish line of the Boston Marathon in time of 2:46:27, finishing 833rd overall out of 25,530 entrants who completed the race April 15 in and around Boston. Burn said that the cheering crowds were a great motivator. Photo courtesy of William Burns. -
Pendleton runner conquers Boston -
William Burns, 22, of Falmouth, middle, poses with his aunt, Lesha Munich, left, and his mom, Amanda Fitzpatrick, after he completed the Boston Marathon on April 15. Sisters Munich and Fitzpatrick traveled to Boston to cheer on Burns. Photo courtesy of William Burns.
By Nila Harris
BOSTON — William Burns is all about setting goals for himself.
As an Air Force ROTC cadet, he will be commissioned as a second lieutenant upon graduation from the University of Kentucky next spring.
Through his tenure at UK and involvement with the Air Force program, Burns has set goals for himself to be a world-class athlete, and a leader who inspires others through encouragement and setting examples.
He set a goal to qualify for and complete the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon, which he did a week ago Monday.
The 22-year-old Burns placed 883rd with a finishing time of 2 hours, 46 minutes and 27 seconds, for an average pace of 6 minutes, 32 seconds a mile.
Overall, 29,333 runners between the ages of 18 and 75 entered the marathon, 26,491 started the race, and 25,530 runners finished.
The Boston Marathon attracts both professional and amateur runners.
The top three male finishers in this year’s marathon were Sisay Lemma, 33, of Ethiopia, with a time of 2:06:17; Mohamed Esa, 23, of Ethiopia, 2:06:58; and Evans Chebet, 35, of Kenya, 2:07:22. All were in the Elite Runners grouping.
The top three women were Hellen Obiri, 34, of Kenya at 2:22:37; Sharon Lokedi, 30, of Kenya, 2:22:45; and Edna Kiplagat, 44, of Kenya, 2:23:21.
The last runner to cross the finish line, placing 15,530th, was Gary Weiland, 44, of Texas, at 7:11:06.
To qualify for the Boston Marathon, a runner must meet a specified time determined by the Boston Athletic Association. For his age group, 18 to 34, the qualifying time standard was set at three hours, but the accepted qualifying time this year was 2:54:31.
One must also participate on a certified course approved by USA Track and Field. Burns competed in the Air Force Marathon in the Fall of 2022 and qualified for Boston. He also participated in the Buffalo Marathon in the summer of 2023.
After those two events, he began training specifically for the Boston Marathon.
Burns did most of his training in Pendleton County which he said gave him an appreciation for the county’s beauty and hills.
He admitted that since most of this training was during the winter months, he was not fully prepared for the heat on April 15 in Boston.
And although he practiced running up and down hills, Burns said he did not anticipate the difficulty of four back-to-back hills, culminating in the infamous half mile Heartbreak Hill.
The Pendleton County hills helped, Burns said, but he needed more training on back-to-back hills during a warmer time of year.
During training his heart rate would go up to 150 beats per minute; with the heat and back-to-back hills, it went up to 170.
“Perseverance can apply to daily life,” Burns said. “The only way I got through the back-to-back hills on Heartbreak Hill was the support (cheering crowd/family), consistency, and perseverance.”
Burns said he believes that his running journey started because of his mother Amanda Beagle Fitzpatrick, who trains bloodhounds for search and rescue, and his aunt Lesha Beagle Munich. These sisters who liked to run together “sowed the seed,” according to Burns.
His mom stated that the running bug started because “I used to push him for hours in a stroller.”
Lesha said, “We just do it for fun and to see things pretty in the woods that you can’t see unless you’re there.”
The sisters have participated in half-marathons (13.1 miles) and a 50K (31.67 miles) ultra trail run but mostly run for fun.
For Burns, running is serious business.
This Community and Leadership Development major is striving towards being a part of the Air Force’s World Class Athlete Program and compete in the Olympics.