It’s certainly not the way she planned to race, but cross country runner Bhreagh Burke finished the women’s 8k race at the AUS Championship in her bare feet.
The championships were hosted by the UNB Reds at Kingswood Resort in Hanwell, N.B. on Saturday, October 26.
It was a remarkable finish for 2nd year Arts student. Burke lost one of her shoes during the first kilometre of the race. She stopped to put it back on, only to have it fall off again, leaving her in 25th position.
Determined to continue, Burke removed the other shoe, racing in sock feet for the second kilometre before stopping again to remove her socks and run the rest of the race barefoot. Bhreagh finished 10th and was SMU’s first female runner to cross the finish line in 31:58.
“This was, without doubt, one of the gutsiest performances that I have witnessed over my years of coaching cross country,” said Head Coach Kevin Heisler.
Bhreagh, along with first-place finisher Andrew Peverill, will compete in the upcoming USport Championships in Kingston, Ontario on November 9th.