Brooks: Burroughs Adds Special Touch To CU Track/XC

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BOULDER – There’s a time in nearly every race Emma Coburn runs that finds her head on a swivel, scanning the crowd and straining to make eye contact with one particular person. The search usually isn’t too difficult; Coburn’s target is in a prearranged spot on a curve or backstretch and is expecting to briefly lock eyes with Coburn.

It’s been a race-day ritual since Coburn was a freshman at the University of Colorado and Heather Burroughs began coaching her. The short visual exchange means nearly as much to Burroughs, CU’s associate head track coach since 2011, as it does to Coburn, who enjoyed a stellar college career and last month added the USATF 3,000 meter steeplechase title to her brilliant resume.

For elite runners like Coburn, Jenny Simpson and Shalaya Kipp – the latter pair also has concluded their CU careers – Burroughs is often the match that starts the fire, the fast-forward button for a blossoming career. A former Buffs runner herself (1994-95, 1997-98) who was the school’s first three-time female All-American, Burroughs genuinely relates to her runners and brings elements of leadership and trust to Mark Wetmore’s coaching staff.

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