How our Boys Athlete of the Year lived up to his sky-high personal goals at Southern Boone

Marc Burns remembers departing the University of Missouri in November 2021. He wanted to spend more time with his family, especially with his son, Connor.

Connor, a rising talent as a distance runner, didn't waste time showing his dad he wouldn't be too far removed from distance running. Connor's performance at the Iowa State Classic in the mile run proved that.

"By February, he ran 4:02 at Iowa State and kind of burst onto the national scene," Marc said. "Now, he's in rarefied territory."

Since February 2022, Connor has only become better. He's set records and won championships. They all align with the high standard he set for himself when he officially dedicated himself to being a high-profile long-distance runner.

Connor met that standard and more. It's why he's the Tribune's Male Athlete of the Year for the 2022-2023 sports season.

In the past year, it seemed like Connor had taken another step with every accomplishment he could boast.

He was named the Gatorade 2021-2022 Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year. He then won the Class 3 MSHSAA state title, with the next closest finisher being a full minute behind, before signing to run collegiately at the University of Oregon.

In March, Connor became the fifth high school runner to run the mile in under four minutes. In May, he broke Galen Rupp’s high school 5000-meter record. He also earned a second Gatorade Player of the Year award, this time as the 2022-2023 Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

The accolades have been aplenty, but Marc knew Connor was a bit different right before the Iowa State Classic. Right before that race, Marc watched Connor run a two-minute flat 800-meter split, followed by a 58-second 400-meter split.

"That looked a lot different than I've seen him do before, and that usually tells me like, dude, like you're ready to run a lot faster," Marc said. "The very next week he ran 4:02.96, and that was awesome, too, but I already knew he could do that based on what I saw the week before."

Connor has been around distance races for most of his life. Marc has coached distance running at Loyola Chicago, Wichita State and Bradley before coming to Missouri.

Connor was born to Marc and Alana when the family was in Chicago and moved when Marc earned his different coaching jobs in Wichita, Peoria and then Columbia.

"He's just very cerebral and very analytical in his approach to life in general, but definitely as an athlete," Marc said."I think he soaked in more than I anticipated over those years."

Everything Connor soaked in translated to the track. It also allowed him to visualize the kind of goals he would aim to achieve. The first lesson Marc taught Connor was the sacrifices he'd need to make.

With his coaching background, Marc has helped Connor be conservative and realistic with those goals. However, Connor has been meeting most of his goals.

It's not realistic to achieve every single goal that Connor sets for himself; that's just part of sports. These goals stem from a conversation Marc had with Connor early on trying to get an idea of how far Connor wants to take his running career.

Connor said he wants to run professionally. He's on his way there after setting records nationally in the 5K and as the fastest junior to run the mile.

"His career hasn't been all roses," Marc said. "He's had ups and downs. He's had races there were big disappointments for him. But, he's also had really big highs just because he believes that he can do these things and he is not afraid to take a chance to go get them."

By virtue of going to college, Connor's situation will change. It'll be quite a scene shift, though.

In Ashland, the Burns have 10 acres of property that has gravel roads and hills Connor can practice on. Connor and Marc have dubbed one of those hills "Devil Hill," where they've done plenty of training and work.

Soon, Connor will move from practicing on Devil Hill to the running facilities at the University of Oregon, widely considered some of the best in the world.

Getting there was a result of Connor's work and sacrifice. Seeing him accomplish these goals has filled Marc with pride.

"To actually have a son that is doing this well and achieving the things he's achieving is like a dream come true," Marc said.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How our Boys Athlete of the Year lived up to his sky-high personal goals