Every morning last summer, Boris Berian would wake up early and bike or walk three miles to his job at a McDonald’s in Colorado Springs. In the evening, he would train, by himself, not about to give up on his dream of being a world-class runner.
Berian, 22, was biding his time, trying to find a new road map for his passion after struggles in the classroom led him to drop out of Adams State.
Now, a year later, he has gone from serving french fries to running in Monaco, where last week he recorded the fastest time in the 800 meters by an American in more than two years.
“He’s the most talented individual I’ve ever coached,” said Adams State’s Damon Martin, who has coached 26 national championship teams. “He can not only make the Olympics but be a medalist.”
All because he took a leap of faith.
Berian wasn’t getting faster training by himself, so when he received a call that offered help, he jumped at the chance.
On Dec. 1 he was on a flight to Big Bear, Calif. Carlos Handler and his wife, Brenda Martinez, an 800-meter bronze medalist at the world championships in Moscow in 2013, started a nonprofit called Big Bear Track Club, and Berian saw it as his best opportunity to train and learn.
Legendary running coach Joe Vigil, who trained Martinez and spent nearly 30 years at Adams State, had told Handler three years ago about a prodigy he needed to keep an eye on.
“I wondered what happened to Boris,” Handler said. “I heard of him at Adams State, and then he just disappeared.”
While at Widefield High School near Colorado Springs, Berian won 400- and 800-meter state titles in 2010 and 2011, setting state records in both. In 2011, he was named The Denver Post boys track athlete of the year.
He parlayed his success into a scholarship at Adams State, a small school in Alamosa with a historic track program. He won the NCAA Division II championship in the 800 as a freshman. Then his college career foundered because of his struggles in the classroom. In the spring of 2014, he dropped out.
“College just wasn’t for me,” said Berian, who is softspoken. “The running became easier for me even as workouts got harder, and I just wasn’t into it (academically).”
Berian hadn’t raced in two years when he hooked up with Handler, who told Berian he could take down David Rudisha, an Olympic champion from Kenya and the current 800-meter world-record holder. Berian took a week to consider the offer, put his two weeks notice in at McDonald’s and began training the day after arriving at Big Bear.
“My original plan wouldn’t have got me to this point,” Berian said. “I owe most of my success to Carlos and Brenda.”
Martinez supplied Berian with New Balance gear from her sponsor, and Handler helped him with rent and travel money so he could focus on running.
“He got a new lease on life,” Vigil said. “The program changed his life.”
Berian’s personal record in the 800 to that point was 1 minute, 48.93 seconds, fast for a collegian — but not world class. Handler set a goal for him to run 1:46.
Within six months, Berian met it at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Stanford, running 1:45.3, a meet record.
Berian was on the radar and getting into higher-profile events. But Handler still had higher hopes for him.
“A 1:43 guy can make a lot more (money) than a 1:45 guy,” Handler said.
The Adidas Grand Prix in New York was the next big race, in June. Rudisha had won the past five years, but Berian came within one step of taking his crown.
Rudisha: 1:43.69.
Berian: 1:43.84, the best American time this year.
Adidas, Nike and Under Armour were clamoring to sign him to an endorsement contract. Berian went with Nike, which offered the most money.
Berian had a disappointing showing at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene in June. He didn’t advance out of a semifinal round after being caught near the finish, a part of his race Berian admitted still needed work.
The plan at that point was to wind down the outdoor season, take a month off, then come back for a tough, four-month training period focusing on aerobics and endurance ahead of the indoor season, which begins in January.
“He has the talent, but everybody has the talent,” Vigil said. “It’s how you progress with it.”
Berian, instead, decided to run three elite overseas events. The first was the Monaco Diamond League meet last Friday. Berian set another PR at 1:43.34, the fifth-fastest American time ever.
He has two more Diamond League races this month, in London and Stockholm. Then his attention will turn to training to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics and perhaps breaking Johnny Gray’s American record of 1:42.60, which has stood for 30 years.
“I didn’t think that it would happen this quickly,” Handler said. “This is the kid that will make history happen for the U.S.”
Cameron Wolfe: 303-954-1891, cwolfe@denverpost.com or twitter.com/CameronWolfe
800-meter progression
A look at how much Boris Berian has improved his 800-meter times:
1:52.18: Class 4A state championship, May 2011
1:48.93: Payton Jordan Invitational, April 2012
1:48.53: Seattle Husky Indoor Classic, February 2015
1:46.16: Sun Angel Track Classic, April 2015
1:45.3: Payton Jordan Invitational, May 2015
1:43.84: Adidas Grand Prix, June 2015
1:43.34: Monaco Diamond League,July 2015
Cameron Wolfe, The Denver Post
