Serena BurlaHome: Stafford, Virginia, USABib: #F21 Pronunciation: Sa-ree-na Bur-la Birthdate: 27 September 1982 Personal Best: 2:28:01 (Amsterdam, 2013) |
| 15Apr13 | Boston Marathon | DNF | |
| 07Nov10 | ING New York City Marathon | 19th | 2:37:06 |
| 20Oct13 | TCS Amsterdam Marathon | 2nd | 2:28:01 |
| 18Nov12 | Yokohama Women’s Marathon | 11th | 2:33:43 |
| 18Mar12 | Seoul International Dong-A Marathon | 3rd | 2:28:27 |
| 14Jan12 | Houston U.S. Olympic Trials | DNF | |
| 08May11 | Prague International Marathon | 6th | 2:35:08 |
An All-American at Missouri University, Serena Burla was diagnosed with a malignant soft-tissue tumor (synovial sarcoma) in her hamstring in 2010, shortly after finishing runner up at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships behind winner Shalane Flanagan. After radical surgery, which removed 50 percent of her right hamstring, Burla made a positive recovery.
For an athlete who knew she might never run again, Burla has proved truly inspirational. She made her marathon debut in November of 2010 in New York City and in 2011 repeated as runner up at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships. The same year she improved her marathon time by nearly two minutes in Prague. Burla then competed in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and ran with the race leaders up until the half, but dropped from the race due to hypoglycemia. Maintaining her fitness, she had a break-through marathon two months later with a 2:28:27, third place finish in Seoul, Korea. Most recently Burla placed second at the 2013 TCS Amsterdam Marathon and recorded a personal best 2:28:01. She then won the 2014 U.S. Half Marathon Championships this past January in Houston.
“A critical moment for me was being diagnosed with and having surgery to remove a synovial sarcoma from my right biceps femoris,” says Burla. “My goals at the time were to first, save my life; second, save my leg; third, be able to run fast enough to keep up with my son. I have come a long way since then and I am grateful for every step I can take. I think my story has given people hope. I also hope it has encouraged people to be fearless and to live each day with a positive attitude.
“Running and overcoming cancer has given me opportunities to speak to groups of people within my community,” says Burla. “I encourage others to be active, stay positive and to control the things in their lives they have control over.”
Burla trains in Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia with Team Riadha and coach Isaya Okwiya. Her dad, Chris Ramsey has coached high school track for nearly 40 years and he introduced Burla to the sport when she was nine years old. Burla is married to husband Adam and the couple has a son named Boyd. She collects children’s books and is secretly afraid of heights, despite climbing several of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks. Burla also likes metal work and documenting life through photography.
“I want to cross the finish line having left everything out there.”