Kylyn Burbine doesn’t like to consider what might have been, if only she had picked up on cross country a little sooner. “I try not to think about it because it’s really not an option anymore,” Burbine said. “But I’d definitely be a lot better if I started even last year. But if I do this for college, I think I’ll do a lot better.”
The Central High senior is a late entry into the world of distance running. This is her first season participating in the sport, and it isn’t over quite yet. On Saturday, she’ll be the county’s lone female representative in the FHSAA Finals at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, running the girls Class 2A race.
“I feel good,” Burbine said. “It’s definitely an accomplishment because it’s my first year doing it. I feel good going into it. I’ll try to run another minute faster.
“It was a surprise because I definitely wasn’t expecting it. I worked really hard all season. So I’m really proud of myself being able to do this,” said Burbine.
Burbine qualified after a 14th-place finish at regionals last weekend, posting a personal-best time of 20:34.40. She was seventh the previous week in districts, running a 22:37.27.
“I told her if she ran under 21 she’d go to states,” Central coach Elizabeth McGeehan said. “She knew what she had to run and she did it… She’s looking to PR (run a personal record) again in Tallahassee. The course is pretty fast. I told her maybe go for the school record. The goal is under 20. Every time we have practice she finishes with her best practice ever. She gets faster and faster.”
Though this is the first foray into cross country for Burbine, who spent her first two years of high school at Nature Coast, she’s no stranger to prep athletics. She’s done track and field since middle school, primarily running the 400, and played basketball until quitting last season because of conflicts with her work schedule at Publix.
With that athletic base, she tackled this new sport head-on. “I worked hard from Day 1 and continued to work all season,” Burbine said. “I was a sprinter but I had to learn to run long distance, how to breathe properly. I had to learn it fast. I didn’t have much time. I took advice from everyone I knew… I’m usually playing basketball this time of year. I wanted to try something new… My sister (Kaitlyn) ran cross country. She told me I couldn’t just do cross country and be good at it. I had lot of motivation to disprove that.”
McGeehan, who ran cross country and was a state qualifier in swimming during her days attending Central, noted that her other runners look up to Burbine and can vouch for the senior’s work ethic.
“She never misses practice,” McGeehan said. “If she misses to go to work, she asks what the workout is and she’ll do it at home. I can trust her and I know she will. She runs with the boys and loves to beat them… She’s just a tremendous athlete. She knows how to race and I think she’s getting real comfortable, and now she knows how to run a 5K.”
That transformation has raised an interesting question for the upcoming track campaign. Will she still run the 400, or will she take on distance races typically reserved for cross country runners.