Mirsada Burić

Mirsada Burić (born 8 April 1970) is a Bosnian former long-distance runner. She was a top runner in the former Yugoslavia, being the Balkan Games champion in the 3000 metres. In 1992, the Bosnian War started, and Burić was sent to a concentration camp, later being released in a prisoner exchange. She subsequently received widespread attention for her attempts to train for the Olympic Games amidst the war, running through the streets of Sarajevo despite nearly being killed on several occasions. She ended up competing in the women's 3000 metres at the 1992 Summer Olympics, placing 31st, and later moved to the U.S., where she competed for the teams of Yavapai College and Adams State College.

Early life Burić was born on 8 April 1970 in Mihaljevići, Yugoslavia. A Bosnian Muslim, she grew up the village of Bojni near Sarajevo. She became a top runner from a young age, winning the Sarajevo cross country title in her age group for 10 straight years. She began representing the Yugoslavia national team in 1985 and won two events at the Balkan Games, gaining the Balkan championship in the 3000 metres. She graduated from the University of Sarajevo in journalism. Fought between Bosniaks and Bosnian Serbs, Burić's hometown came under attack.

Some prisoners at the camp were beaten and Burić was kicked in the face. After about two weeks, she and 350 other Muslim women and children were released in a prisoner exchange. She was allowed to return to her home in Bojnik to collect trophies, finding her house "shot up", with a soldier there attempting to rape her. She had to plan her training to avoid being killed. Twice she was shot at during her training, and so she tried to stay close to buildings when running, so that "it would be easier to take cover in a stairwell in case she heard gunshots."

After moving to the U.S., Burić was offered an athletic scholarship by Yavapai College. She competed as a runner there, placing fourth in the 5,000 metres at the national community college championships in her first year. Then, in 1994, she helped the school's cross country team win the national title and won a title herself in the 5,000m. She then transferred to Adams State College in Colorado on a track scholarship in 1995, where she won four NCAA Division II championships and set the indoor records for the 1500 metres and 5000 metres. She competed at some charity runs in subsequent years, being the first woman to finish at the 1997 and 1998 editions of the Race for the Cure. She also participated in the torch relay for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

After finishing her education, Burić became a journalist. She had two children with Adam and was inducted into the Yavapai College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.