Ian Burrell says his proudest accomplishment as a runner was finishing in the top 25 at the 2015 IAAF World Marathon Championships while working full-time and raising his four-year-old daughter. Burrell says, “At this point in my career, I’m seeking bucket-list type races that inspire me to train. There are few marathons with the prestige of Boston. A solid performance at this race, whether it’s time or place, would be a shining moment in any runner’s career. Additionally, I’ve always enjoyed competing on the big stage, and Boston offers one of the biggest in the world. I don’t have any set expectations for time and place at this point, but I do expect to enjoy myself during the event and to have one of the toughest efforts of my career.” Off the roads, Burrell holds the course record for the Acatenango Crater Run Challenge, which is a run at 13,000 feet around the crater of the Acatenango volcano in Guatemala.

In 2009, after an indoor race that didn’t go as planned, Burrell decided to return to school to pursue a law degree. He says this was a pivotal moment for him, and since he has become an attorney he has had some of the best races of his life. Burrell, who has Tourette syndrome, graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in criminal justice and Spanish, and then received his law degree from the University of Arizona. He is married to Courtney and the couple has a daughter, Shaylee. When not running, he volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Helping Hands Cusco (Peru) and also enjoys playing the drums.

“I’ve had quite a few setbacks and obstacles as a runner, but whether it’s sickness, fatigue, work, or stress, the will to drive forward can chip away at any mountain until it is eventually conquered. Every weekday morning when I wake up at 5 a.m. to darkness, cold, and snow to run before work, I tell myself to keep pumping my arms, keep lifting my legs, and keep driving.
The Boston Marathon offers a chance to make a defining moment in any runner’s career — this is the time to run bold.”