Never too late: WAHS grad Burget found passion later in life
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Finding your life's passion isn't always a seamless process.
Though 1992 Williamsport graduate Marc Burget had consistently gotten runs in to stay in shape throughout his 20s and 30s, it took him 39 years to fully realize his love for running. More intrigued by baseball and basketball growing up, even being a part of Williamsport's track team his senior year wasn't enough to spark an interest.
"I didn't have any interest in running back then at all," said Burget on his time with the track team. "It was just enough to stay active."
For over 20 years following his graduation, he'd run about 40 hours a week to stay in shape with no thoughts of competing. But one race - the Walt Disney World Marathon in 2013 - would be all it'd take to flip his attitude towards running.
"It was just a goal of mine to run one marathon and be done with running completely," said Burget, who has since competed in dozens of races. "I signed up for the Disney Marathon in 2013, ran one marathon and pretty much just got addicted to it going forward."
That spark has only grown through the years, reflected in the hard work he's put in and of course, his results.
You could say he hit the ground running, as he'd win his first race just a few months after Disney, taking first overall amidst a smaller local race called the Deerwood Don Davis Memorial Day 5k in late May of 2013. From there, he'd keep improving, working his was up to his first major win at the RunDisney Tower Of Terror in October of 2014, a race featuring 9,389 runners. It wouldn't take long for the wins to pile up from there.
Through the next decade, he'd compete in races across the state of Florida, where he currently resides, as well as a few across the country and globe. Burget was able to consistently pull out first place finishes and even set around 15 course records in the process.
He competed in the Boston Marathon in 2015 and 2019 and the Spartathlon in Greece in 2017. In Florida, he's taken home first place finishes in the Walt Disney World Marathon, Daytona 100, Donna 110, Miami 50/50 and plenty of others.
"It's almost surreal because when I ran my first marathon, I absolutely had no clue what I was doing whatsoever," said Burget on his success. "I didn't ever dream that I'd be running 100- or 200-mile races."
The win he's most proud of came in 2015 at the Donna National Marathon, one meant to spread awareness and raise money for breast cancer.
His wife Christina, now cancer-free for over three years, had just started going through her treatments at the time. His running club showed their support for Christina at the event, with around 200 runners sporting singlets and shirts with her name on them.
"We had people cheering me on the whole race, saying 'Do it for Christina!'" said Burget. "Everybody knew that I was out there and what we were going through. So, it really made it a special moment."
Experiences like that with his community have helped keep his passion for the sport burning, along with the relationships he's built and the friendly competition that's come out of it. Coupled with pure love for running and continued learning and improvements, Burget hasn't been given much of a reason to slow down.
"I'm connected to people all over the United States and all over the world with Strava," said Burget, referring to a site that he described as a Facebook for runners. "It's really a way to connect with the entire world through the running society and put a lot of competition in between all the friendships."
He has cut back on training slightly - going from running a staggering, 200 miles in a week at the peak to a maximum of around 100 in the present day. But that was more due to lack of necessity than anything.
"It really didn't make a difference that we saw," said Burget. "I was like, 'Why am I running 200 miles and spending all this time running 200 miles a week if I'm getting the same results at 75 to 100? That's kind of why we took it back down."
He's never altered his diet much, eating an average diet without issue. But with over a decade of racing experience, he quickly picked up on what supplements work during a race, drinking Hammer Nutrition's sustained energy mix to keep his endurance up and flat Coca-Cola to maintain a healthy calorie range.
"A lot of runners feel (solids) bloat their stomachs, so they'll just take strictly liquids to get those calories," explained Burget. "I usually get a case of Coke, open them up, let them go flat and just drink that flat coke and fuel off the calories from the coke throughout. It's just a calorie supplement and some people will just strictly fuel off the Coke the entire race."
He's learned everything he knows about running from personal coach, Paul McRae, whom he connected with through the PRS Running Club in Jacksonville. Strategies, like the Galloway method (walk-run), have gone a long way in helping Burget become the runner he is today.
There's still room for improvement, with his biggest struggle being remembering to refuel during a race. But that hasn't stopped him from finishing - and winning - races, and with a motor that's still running near full capacity and unyielding passion, he still has time to improve.
"I'm still able to finish the races and finish them pretty successfully. But if I could nail that down to fuel in the proper way, I'd say that would help me a lot," said Burget.
In the present day, the now 50-year-old is still breaking records and has big goals for this year and beyond.
He and running partner, Ramon Palomo, not only won last year's Miami 50/50 in June but also set the course record at 8 hours and 34 minutes. And in his most recent races, the Daytona 100 (100 Miler) in Atlantic Beach (December) and Loopapalooza in Jacksonville (late March), he placed first as well.
His upcoming goal is to break the fastest known time for the Across Florida 200, a virtual, 200-mile race he'll be running on November 15 that spans the entire state of Florida, starting in Crystal Springs and wrapping up at Saint Augustine Beach. The current record is 55 hours, 59 minutes and 45 seconds. He and running partner, Ramon, will be returning to defend their Miami 50/50 in June as well.
Outside of racing, he's consistently been a pace setter for the Disney World Marathan, the same one that started it all, helping those less experienced than himself learn how to properly pace and potentially run a great time.
His dream is to set up a race for the legendary Bowman Field's 100-year anniversary, set for April 22, 2026.
"I'd like to run 100 miles around Bowman Field so that's kind of a challenge that I'm going to see if I can work on and get permissions from the city for," said Burget. "Whoever I have to work with to see if I can, I'd like to run 100 miles inside Bowman Field on the day of the anniversary, like on the warning track all the way around the field."
His advice to anyone finding themselves discovering their passions later in life is to stay patient and work hard.
"If you put in the work, anything's possible," said Burget. "It doesn't matter what your ability is or how fast you can run. If you put in the work and show up every day, eventually it will pay off."