Oskaloosa–Katie Burnett refuses to give up on her dream, and last Saturday morning in The Golden State, she saw the fruits of her labor pay off as she became a race walk national champion with a pair of records to boot.
Burnett, a 2011 graduate of William Penn with a degree in Biology, became a Statesmen in the spring of 2009 and began her race-walking career shortly thereafter.  The competition was only beginning to gain steam at that point, but she quickly fell in love and was committed to being the best she could be.

A collegiate national title did not come while donning the navy and gold, but she left a permanent mark on the institution, earning six NAIA All-America race-walking awards (three each in the 3,000-meter indoor and 5,000-meter outdoor races).  A pure athlete, Burnett was also a more-than-competent javelin thrower and placed third in the NAIA in that event as a senior.  She still holds school records in both race walk distances and in the javelin.

“When I was at WPU, I didn’t know how far I’d be able to go with race walking,” Burnett said.  “I’m thankful to have the coaches and staff I had who fully supported my endeavors.  Being in Oskaloosa was fantastic as well because the community was always so positive when I would be out training.”

Her story could have ended there, with a mountain of intercollegiate accomplishments.  That is not in the DNA of Katie Burnett however.  She desired to do more, to push the limits of her body, and this past Saturday, in Santee, Calif., at the 2017 USATF National Championships, Burnett raced to two American records and became the 50-kilometer national champion in a time of four hours, 26 minutes, and 37 seconds (4:26:37), walking at a pace of eight minutes, 35 seconds per mile.  For her efforts, she won a cash prize of $8,000!

Burnett topped U.S. marks for the 40K (3:31:04) and 50K distances, defeating Erin Taylor-Talcott, the previous national record-holder, by nearly three minutes.  The previous 50K record was 4:33:23.

“Thinking of those who believe in me keeps me going on days when I have trouble motivating myself,” Burnett said.  “To break an American record, you come to realize that every day is important. It’s the accumulation of all those individual efforts, each day of practice, that adds up to make such an achievement possible, especially for a 50k.  To perform on race day is paramount and comes from believing fully in yourself, your abilities, and having full faith in the plan.  Executing what you practice is when amazing things happen.”

The win qualifies Burnett for this year’s Pan Am Cup in Lima, Peru on May 13-14.  Unfortunately, while women’s race-walking grows in popularity throughout the world, the Olympics and World Championships still only offer a 20K competition.  The women’s 50K did finally earn eligibility for a world record last November, and Burnett’s staggering performance currently ranks sixth all-time and is the second-fastest time this year.

The race-walking community continues to push for the women’s 50K to be added to meet schedules at track and field’s major showcases, but for now Burnett will push herself at both the 20K and 50K distances in hopes of becoming not just a national champion, but Olympic champion someday.

“I feel that the fitness and mentality I have now is at the highest point that it’s ever been, but I also feel like I’m just beginning to reach new levels of competition and have so much further that I can go,” Burnett said.  “Big dreams aren’t easy to achieve, but the journey is what makes it all worth the climb.”

Story provided by Wade Steinlage

OSKALOOSA — Who doesn’t enjoy taking a walk in the woods on a sunny day? One group is working hard to make sure that a walk in the woods will stay pleasant.

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is committed to cleaning up waterways and keeping rural land well preserved. The INHF presented a slideshow during the Oskaloosa Kiwanis’ meeting Monday afternoon at the student union on the William Penn campus.

Following lunch and the meeting being called to order, Brooks Vander Beek, the Mark Akleson Fellowship holder in the INHF, delivered a presentation and slideshow regarding water quality and conservation efforts across Iowa.

Vander Beek, a graduate of Oskaloosa High School and Iowa State University, is one of the creators of the INHF. He believes that there is not just one need, but several needs that Iowa has when it comes to conservation.

“I don’t think that there is any one thing that sticks out more than others, but this is truly a quality of life initiative in the state of Iowa,” he said. “That needs to be the number one thing on our radar. Water quality, recreational places outdoors, and more opportunities for folks to get out and spend time outdoors.”

Vander Beek says that, with Iowa being a part of the Midwest, people will go outside for activities and they want everything to be in good shape.

“I think that we have done some great things in the past, and our water quality has probably gotten better,” he said. “But, we still have a long way to go, and there is a lot of research that backs us up. We just don’t have the funding to put these programs to put them into use.”

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has been a major proponent of Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy (IWILL). In 2010, more than half of Iowans voted for a constitutional amendment to create the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, which is a permanent and protected funding source dedicated to clean water, productive agricultural soils and thriving wildlife habitats.

Vander Beek explains that the initiative is a state-wide effort, and requires a 3/8ths of a cent sales tax in the whole state to enact this.

“Who doesn’t like the scenic value of this, having scenic prairies, clean water and having opportunities to get out and about,” he said. “Part of Iowa is going out and seeing the scenery, and this is another reason to push this and the value of it.”

Eric Palmer, an attorney in Oskaloosa and member of the Kiwanis, feels that the INHF will bring out the best in each community that it has contact with.

“What the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is trying to promote is the IWILL program, which the majority of Mahaska County was in support of,” he said. “The whole point behind this is to not only improve water quality, but to enhance recreation and improve quality of life in the state.”

Palmer says that all that is needed is for the legislature to approve the new sales tax hike.

“What we need is for the legislature to pass the 3/8ths of a cent increase of the sales tax to fund this program,” he said. “It’s there waiting for funding, and it will improve the quality of life in the state. What they have been doing has been working, but that is just with the limited funding they have. If this is passed, it will generate around $180 million a year, and it will provide funding to help the agriculture situation. I hope people will contact their legislators and tell them they want to see this program funded.”

Story in the Oskaloosa Herald, January 31. Story written by Chris Rhea.