Buri in hurry at SOSSA
Carolyn Buri didn’t need beginners’ luck to win the junior girls 800-metre race at Day 2 of the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association track and field meet held Thursday at Welland Centennial.
The Grade 10 student at Lakeshore Catholic led from start to finish and her 2:26.4 time was good enough to win the race by more than two seconds.
“It is only my second time racing it outdoors and I think that it is my favourite event,” the 15-year-old Port Colborne resident. “It’s like a pain game. It is two laps and it is a sprint.”
Like most distance runs, the 800 metres is not easy.
“For the first 200 (metres), you have to see where everyone is going to be and their position and then you just have to fight for it.”
The Zone 3 champion has a goal this spring of making it to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships and/or improve her time at South Regionals next week at Welland Centennial.
“Today (Thursday) was the fastest time that I have ran so far.”
Buri started running in Grade 7 after quitting gymnastics.
“I had done well in my Grade 7 track and field meet and I thought that it was a good challenge and I liked it,” she said. “I train with Edge Triathlon and have been building up since then. I did some swimming and biking too which I think really helps.”
She trains every day except for track season when she takes Sunday off.
“It is different every day and it is always fun,” Buri said.
Getting motivated to train is never an issue for her.
“It’s fun, it keeps my day structured and it is something to do every day.”
Buri has not set any long-term goals for her running career.
“I think it is just to continue enjoying running and see where I can go.”
Enjoying the sport is important for her.
“That way, you keep wanting to wake up every day, train and work hard,” she said. “It is more of a race against yourself.”
Buri, who finished third at SOSSA cross country last fall and placed 10th at the OFSAA cross country championships, was third in the 1,500 meters at SOSSA Wednesday.
The top five athletes from the SOSSA track and field meet advance to the South Regionals next Thursday and Friday at Welland Centennial. The first OFSAA track and field championships in three years are scheduled for June 2-4 at the Toronto Track and Field Centre at York University.
