5 Questions with Sarah Burnell
Sarah Burnell '14, a 2020 Athletics Hall of Fame inductee at Grinnell College, was given the Joyce Buck '56 Award for top athlete at Grinnell in more than one sport in 2014 and still holds Pioneer records in five different events and is among the top four in four others. She took over as coach of Grinnell’s cross-country teams in 2020 and continues to teach classes, conduct research, and mentor student-athletes. An avid runner still, Burnell took a few moments off the trail to answer a few questions about her work at the College and life in Grinnell.
Q: What can you tell us about your life in Grinnell?
A: I grew up in Grinnell and my family has deep roots here. Both of my parents are from here (they met in high school) and raised myself and my siblings here. Most of my extended family also lives in Grinnell or in Iowa (both my parents have six siblings). My parents still live in town, as do my sister, brother-in-law (also a Grinnell native), and niece and nephew. My brother and his fiancé live in Cedar Rapids. I live in town with my husband Tim Butterfield (admission marketing and communications manager at Grinnell), our daughter, Marsalie, and dog named Bo. Being so close to family is wonderful; my parents and siblings get together for pizza every Sunday night and it's fun to watch the cousins play together. Our extended families regularly get together for birthday parties and holidays!
Q: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy?
A: I'm an avid runner — my husband and I actually met at the Living History Farms off-road race in Des Moines many years ago! So, running together as a family (yep, dog and baby included!) is a big part of our weekends. I love to run trails and gravel roads when I can be away from home for a while.
I also love to bake! I like making all kinds of things and perfecting new recipes is very satisfying. Being busy with my hands while listening to a book or music is my favorite way to unwind at night. I haven't been reading for pleasure a lot lately, but I've done a lot of audio books in the past few years and really enjoy fantasy and sci-fi books. I'm kind of a nerd about running, endurance training, lifting, etc. So, I'm often taking certification courses, reading books from other coaches, or working with students to design independent studies or MAPs that align our interests and expand my knowledge. I love learning and finding new things to try with the cross country and track teams; I appreciate their willingness to test out my new ideas!
I also spend a lot of time with my daughter and husband. We like to go exploring around Grinnell attending bluegrass festivals, farmers markets, and different coffee shops. We look for new parks to explore and restaurants to eat at.
Q: What does your role at Grinnell entail?
A: My role at Grinnell embodies two parts; one part is coaching and recruiting for the cross-country and track teams. I LOVE spending time with our current athletes and finding ways to help each of them grow based on their individual needs. We've created a wonderful team environment where we can have big, competitive goals, strive for growth and progress, and support each other in our academic, athletic, and personal pursuits. Being with them is the best part of my day!
The second part of my role is to teach classes and conduct research. I've taught a variety of theory-based courses like Psychological Foundations of Sport and a mindfulness class, and I've taught activity courses like Intermediate Endurance Running and Strength and Stability. However, some of my favorite academic pursuits have been in partnership with students. Last year I did an independent study and summer MAP with two cross-country athletes about the health and performance connection for collegiate women cross country runners. This spring I will be working with a different member of the cross country team to do archival research about women's cross country at Grinnell and the goal is to create a digital place to share the stories of former runners/alumni on the women's teams, and tell how the Grinnell cross country culture has shifted as our society has better embraced and supported women's sports since 1974 (50 years ago!) when Grinnell's first women's cross country team competed.
I think the great experience I had as both a student and student-athlete showed me the kind of impact I could have on others working as a coach and recruiting students to a place like Grinnell, which really opened a lot of doors for me. The experience I had on the cross country and track teams was overwhelmingly positive and supportive, and I've found some of my best friends that I talk with on a weekly basis still.
Q: What has your experience been like working with Grinnellians?
A: Amazing! The Grinnellians I've worked with in the past five years have been so smart, talented, driven, and hungry to be the very best version of themselves — in all aspects of their identities! Our team environment is what makes any hard day of work worth it. I love the time I get to spend getting to know the runners and better understanding their goals and passions. They teach me a lot about running and coaching, even if they don't know it, AND they teach me a lot about all the subjects they are studying. Goodness, these people are so smart and compassionate, and I feel like our collective future is brighter with them becoming future decision-makers in the world.
Q: What is your favorite Grinnell moment to date?
A: My favorite Grinnell moment to date is actually two moments that eerily mirror each other. The first is both of the cross-country teams winning the conference championship and both individual race winners being Grinnellians while Grinnell was hosting the MWC championship my senior year of college (fall of 2013). The collective joy and pride we all felt that day was blissful!
Amazingly, we had a repeat of that exact same situation 10 years later when we hosted the MWC championship again in the fall of 2023. Having experienced that situation as an athlete, and then as a coach... there are just no words to describe the feeling. It felt like everything came full circle in that moment and my desire to give the kind of experience I had in college fulfilled (for a moment). Again, this is how I would describe the feeling of bliss.