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Jocelyn Burke on her way to a fifth-place finish at the 2007 USA Junior Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colorado.

Interview with Jocelyn Burke

Posted on February 28, 2007, Interview conducted February 20, 2007

By Madeleine Marecki

After a 20th-place performance at last year's USA Junior Cross Country Championships, Jocelyn "Jolly" Burke made a huge leap and finished in fifth at the 2007 event in Boulder, Colorado. The freshman at the University of Iowa stamped her ticket to the World Cross Country Championships with her 22:16 effort over the 6k course.

Although battling sickness during her first collegiate cross country season, the Waunakee, Wisconsin native mustered solid performances, notably her 10:43 3k at the Hawkeye Open, 16:59 5k at the Auburn Invite, and 22:10 6k at the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet. She also served as Iowa's fifth scorer at the NCAA Championships, helping the Hawkeyes to a 17th-place finish. It was Iowa's first appearance at the national championship in 14 years.

Burke is not only fast on her feet but is quick in the classroom as well. The 2006 valedictorian and National Merit Scholar at Madison Edgewood High School plans to major in Psychology and Sociology.

Congratulations on a great race. Can you talk about your goals going into it?
I was kind of just focusing on making that top six and qualifying for Worlds.

Were you confident that you could do so?
I had really good training leading up, so I knew if I ran a good race then good things could hopefully happen.

What were your key workouts leading up to your fifth-place performance?
Well, I think it helps because we did a lot of base work in building up and strength work, but then also I did some indoor track races so that had helped my speed too, so I had both components.

Last year you competed in the same championships and you came in 20th. Have you changed your training over the course of the year? What sorts of things raised your running to a new level?
I think just coming to college and starting to train with other people, having my teammates push me and work with me in practice and workouts has helped so much.

How has the transition from high school running to college been?
It's been a really good transition because Coach [Layne] Anderson is really careful to make sure that he doesn't add too much too fast, and that you can handle whatever.

How has your training changed from high school?
I'm definitely doing more mileage but I think the biggest difference is just the workouts are more intense, because I have people to push me, and so I think that really is more effective.

Did you ever have anyone in high school to help you out that way, or were you basically running alone?
My first two years I went to high school in Minnesota and Bria Wetsch was on the track team. Sometimes we would do stuff together, but I was also playing soccer, so sometimes I had to work out at different times. When I moved to Wisconsin, I didn't really have anybody.

So you were a soccer player too?
Yeah.

Did you give it up once you went to Wisconsin?
I started cross country actually my junior year when I moved to Wisconsin. [Soccer] was in the spring, so I could do cross country too. But then I decided I was just going to focus on running.

How do you like cross country compared to track? What season do you like better?
Well, in high school, I definitely liked cross country better because it was farther. I liked the longer distances and the nature of cross country, I guess.

How about on the track? Do you consider yourself more of a long distance runner?
Yeah, I'm definitely looking forward to running the 5, and 10k outdoors.

Can you tell me how your race at the USA Junior Cross Country Championships played out? How did the race progress?
I got out and I think I was in second and third for the first 2k. And then the pack kind of came by and I hung with them a little bit and then they kind of went by me. I was in seventh going into the last 2k. Then right after that last 2k loop started I got into sixth, and then coming down the home stretch, I kicked it in to fifth.

So you saw Aislinn Ryan on the final straight, right? Were you feeling good? Did you think you could get her and come in fifth?
Yeah, because I just wanted to make the team and then I saw her and that helped me get to the line faster, just working on catching her.

When you saw the pack go past you, were you ever worried or panicked that you let them go?
My coach told me going in to just keep the pack in sight, just keep sixth place in sight so that when you get to the 4k you can make your move, because he said you don't want to go too early with the altitude and have that hit you. So he said to just stay relaxed until 4k and then go.

So were you never worried and just stayed patient?
Yeah, I just trusted that and knew that after 4k I could pick it up.

Did the altitude affect you? Some runners struggled with it.
Yeah, actually I was kind of nervous coming in, but I didn't notice it at all.

What were the course conditions like?
It was kind of muddy in some parts, but compared to Terre Haute where [NCAA] Nationals were, it was so much better than that. The only part was the ditch was kind of interesting, but that was OK.

Did you decide if you are making the trip to Kenya?
Yeah, I'm going.

Are you really excited?
Yeah, I'm really excited.

Is that going to affect any training you have in mind? Are you competing in any more indoor races this season?
I've just done a couple of mile races because the focus was USA Juniors. I'm just going to run the mile again at conference, just to kind of bring that down and work on speed. We might redshirt outdoor track, depending on what happens when I come back from Kenya and depending how I'm feeling.

How are you going to balance the track races with going to Kenya, that being a cross country race?
Most of my training is geared more towards the cross country races and strength stuff. I'll mix in a little speed with the miles.

What are your goals for indoors? Do you have any times you want to hit?
I am just looking to keep improving my times. That's what I'm focusing on right now.

How did your cross country season go?
I started out pretty good. I PRed at the Auburn Invite, and then I got sick after Pre-Nats and never really got better again, so that was kind of tough.

What did you have?
First I got a stomach flu or something and then I got a sinus infection that never really went away.

Did you take any time off after cross country, before indoors and Junior Nationals?
Yeah, that break, I think, is really what helped me to come back stronger, because my body was able to fully recover.

How much did you rest?
About a week.

How much mileage do you do now, and how much you do in high school?
I did like 50 to 55 in high school but I'm not really sure what we do now because we do everything in minutes.

But do you feel like it's more?
Yeah, it's definitely more.

What type of workouts do you respond best to?
Hills are always one of my favorite workouts. And then I like tempos and longer intervals.

How has your freshman year gone in general at Iowa? What made you choose Iowa?
I decided to go to Iowa because I thought it had the best balance of the academic and athletic programs and I really like it here. I love the team so much, so that's wonderful.

Is there a particular runner you look up to? An elite runner or your teammates?
Definitely, I look up to all my older teammates because they've all done such amazing things and they are such wonderful people. I hope I can accomplish all that they have. They've been the best, helping me make the transition and giving me advice.

Do you have time to do anything outside of running? Are you participating in any other activities?
Yeah, Athletes in Action, it's a Christian group on campus and it's really important to me, and I do that.

Do you have the opportunity to do community service with the group?
This semester we're looking to do more community outreach. We usually had Bible study the first semester.

Would you like to add anything else?
I'm just really excited for Kenya and I just thank God for helping me to give me the strength to come back after a bad cross country season, to get strong again and run well.