About Me

Hey.  I'm buraian.  I used to be a competitive distance runner.  Now, I still run, but mostly blog about running.  Check out my lenses, too!

Thanks. 

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius is fast. He's run 46.56 for 400 meters, 21.58 for 200 meters, and 10.91 for 100 meters. And he's done it all with no lower legs. Using his "Cheetah Flex-Foot" blades, Oscar has run 26 world record performances, and now he has started...

Alan Webb

Alan Webb has had a record-breaking career, and he is still just 25 years old. He holds the National High School indoor and outdoor mile records, the American mile record, and is the former holder of the two-mile record. He ranks among America's elit...

Haile Gebrselassie

Haile "The Emperor" Gebrselassie was born April 18, 1973 in Asella, Arsi Province, Ethiopia. He stands 5 feet 5 inches tall (1.65 meters) and weighs 123 pounds (56 kg). Oh yeah, he's set 25 world records, too. Haile currently lives and trains in Addi...

Jordan Hasay

Jordan Hasay is a two-time Junior Cross Country Champion, a three-time CA state champion for 3200m, an Olympic Trials finalist in the 1500m, and the holder of numerous age-group records in track and field. She has run the second fastest 3200m ever (9...

Ryan Hall

Ryan has had success on the track, but he owns the roads. He is the American Record holder for the half-marathon (59:43), he ran the fastest debut marathon in US history (2:08:24), he won the US Olympic Marathon Trials and just ran 2:06:17 in London!...

Lauren Fleshman

Lauren Fleshman is one of the best American 5,000 meter runners ever. She won three straight NCAA championships over 5,000 meters, setting US Junior and NCAA Records in the process. She won the 2006 US Outdoor Championships 5,000 meter title and is c...

German Fernandez

German Fernandez may soon be the best high school runner ever. Despite numerous injuries that have kept him off the track, he has demolished the CIF state meet record in cross country (14:24), won the USA Junior Cross Country championships (24:18 for...

The Best American Marathoners Ever

America has had its share of great marathoners. But there hasn't really been a clear way of determining where they rank. I set out to answer that question, and this lens shows my results. It's a dynamic list, though, and with every performance by pre...

Kara Goucher

Kara Goucher is one of America's best distance runners competing today. She won the bronze medal at the World Championships in the 10k in 2007, ran the fastest half marathon by an American woman (1:06:57) and is on the all-time US top-10 list for 3k,...

The Best Olympic Distance Performers Ever

Why? Because they performed at the highest level on the world's highest stage. They won Golds, some set World Records, and they did it in the biggest races in the world: the Olympic Final held every four years. All but one of these men won multiple...

Emil Zatopek

Emil Zatopek redefined distance running. The Czech runner's brutal interval workouts and strategic approach to racing helped him to win four Olympic gold medals, including three (5k, 10k, and marathon) at the 1952 Helsinki Games. He set 18 world reco...

Kenenisa Bekele

Kenenisa Bekele is the current world record holder for 5,000 and 10,000 meters. He is the three time reigning world champion at 10,000 meters. He is also the five time short (4k) and six time long (12k) course winner at the IAAF World Cross Country C...

Shalane Flanagan

Shalane Flanagan is the American Record holder for the indoor 3,000 meters, the 5,000 meters, and the 10,000 meters. She has won five national cross country championships and five national championships on the track, including her recent Olympic Tria...

Matt Tegenkamp

Matt Tegenkamp is a phenomenal runner. The American record holder for two-miles, he has also run the fourth fastest 5k all-time in America. He has won USA cross country titles, indoor track titles, and come within four hundredths of a second of medal...

Abubaker Kaki Khamis

Abubaker Kaki Khamis is a Sudanese 800 meter runner who recently broke the Junior World Record by running 1:42.69 in Oslo, Norway. He is an Indoor World Champion, the 5th fastest 800 meter runner indoors, and the 13th fastest 800 meter runner outdoor...

Dathan Ritzenhein

Dathan Ritzenhein is the reigning USATF Cross Country Champion. He is a two-time high school XC champion (99-00), an NCAA XC champion (03), and a two-time USATF XC champion (05, 08). He is also a two-time Olympian and holder of various national track...

The Complete Lens of Running Books

If you're a runner, chances are you're a reader, too. And if you're a runner and a reader, chances are you're a reader of running books. And if you're a reader of running books, this is the lens for you! There are currently 104(!) books on this list...

Jon Rankin

Jon Rankin is the fastest miler you've never heard of. Unless you've lost to him, that is! The graduate of UCLA has consistently run 3:36 for 1500m and finished 6th at the Olympic Trials, just missing a spot on the Olympic team. He will continue his...

buraian

I have a lot of interests, but the things I'm passionate about can be found here in my lenses: distance running, track and field, great athletes, ninjas, UCLA, books, and, well, lenses on other topics are currently works in progress! This lensograph...

UCLA vs USC

UCLA vs USC Two schools. One city. No love lost. This debate is about more than just a cross-town rivalry. It's about Public vs. Private. Basketball vs. Football. "Beat 'SC Week" vs. "Conquest". It's about the Lexus Gauntlet, Olympic sports greatne...

Hicham El Guerrouj

Hicham El Guerrouj is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (1500m, 5000m), a four-time outdoor World Champion in the 1500m, and a three-time indoor World Champion (1500m, 3000m). He currently holds five world records in the 1500m (3:26.00, 3:31.18i), the...

Steve Prefontaine

Steve "Pre" Prefontaine was born on January 25, 1951. He died on May 30, 1975. In those 24 years, he became a legend. He won seven NCAA titles, set eight American records at distances ranging from 2,000 meters to 10,000 meters, and inspired a running...

Mebrahtom Keflezighi

Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi is the American record holder over 10,000 meters (27:13.98) and a silver medalist in the Olympic marathon (Athens, '04). He is a four-time NCAA champion, a three-time U.S. 10k champ, and a two-time U.S. cross country champi...

Snake-Eyes vs Storm Shadow

In the history of comic book movie action figure ninjas, two characters reign supreme: Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow. A member of the G.I. Joe, Snake-Eyes fought the Cobra in the battle for Good. Storm Shadow was a member of the Cobra, an assassin who...

The Ninja Effect

What is The Ninja Effect? No, it's not the situation whereby you meet a ninja, and end up dead. That's technically The Ninja Result. The Ninja Effect is something different. It is the capacity for a ninja to make exponentially cooler whatever it is...

Great Running Blogs

If by "complete" you mean complete, then this will never completely be The "Complete" Lens of Running Blogs. But it can be the Complete Lens of Running Blogs that I actually read regularly! So that's what it is. Only, rather than use a feed reader th...