Father's memory inspires Framingham High School track star Sam Burgess on way to Harvard
FRAMINGHAM - When it comes to cross country, Framingham High School Senior Sam Burgess leads the pack. "I don't think freshman year I would've imagined where I would be right now," Burgess said.
The 17-year-old is setting and breaking his own records in the 2-mile and 5K. He's won a number of state championships, a three-time All-American, and two-time cross-country Gatorade Player of the Year.
He says the sport has taught him a lot about life. "It's taught me a bunch of resilience. I feel like track is such an input-output sport. The more you put in, the more you are going to get out of it," he said.
While his passion for running has earned him accolades and success, it's not without struggle. He's dealt with physical injuries and the unexpected death of his father a few years ago. Sam now runs in his memory. "It gives me a reason of why I am doing it. He used to love to watch the local 5Ks that we'd run so just to keep that going is nice," he said.
His cross-country coach says watching him overcome adversity and pursue his passion is inspiring. "Sam is right now hands down the best runner I've ever had the chance to coach and work with," coach Ed Crowley said. "He's a fantastic student and excellent teammate."
Running has never been foreign to Sam. In fact, he comes from a family of great runners. But it wasn't until 2020 when COVID hit that he began to take his craft and love for the sport to a different level. "I feel like over COVID I just started training a lot more because I had nothing else to do," he said.
His hard work has paid off. Now he's on his way to pursue his academic and athletic career at Harvard University. "I am very excited. I'd like to make it onto the varsity team either this year, or if I can't, next year," he said.
He credits his family, teammates, and coaches for his success. "I've had the support of my brother and my mom and sisters. Team is huge. As much as it seems like an individual sport, just having guys to train with and be around so you can have fun while you're doing it, it's awesome," he said.
Life lessons he will run all the way to the Ivy League.
"The harder you work the better you are going to get at whatever you want to be at," he said.
