For most student athletes, moving to a new country and making the jump to the NCAA would be quite difficult. However, Badger sophomore Simon Bairu of Regina, Sasketchewan has proven that assumption wrong in nearly every conceivable way.
After an amazing performance at the Stanford Invitational, Bairu was recently named Big Ten Athlete of the Week, sharing co-honors with Ohio State’s Dan Taylor. Bairu notched an NCAA automatic qualifying bid with his 28:28.69 finish in the 10,000 meters, placing second behind Robert Cheseret of Arizona, who currently ranks first in the NCAA.
“I was very satisfied with [qualifying], actually,” Bairu said. “Going into the race, I knew I was capable of doing that because my fitness level was there, and I’ve been training really hard for a while now. The race was just right for me. I stayed with the pack, I stayed at the back of the pack, stayed relaxed as long as I could and then at the end, I just put on a big surge to get second place, so I was very satisfied.”
Last season, Bairu finished 23rd at NCAA nationals in the 10,000 meters. The talented sophomore looks to improve on that mark this season, as he has gained experience and conditioning in his second year on campus.
“I feel as though last year I never really ran my race, I was flat,” Bairu said. “I was also frustrated going into the race, so I don’t think I really knew what to expect. I may have been a little bit over my head. This year, I’m more focused, I’m a lot stronger and I’m more fit, and I know what I’m capable of doing this year and I think I can do a lot.”
Before coming to Wisconsin, Bairu dominated the prep ranks of Canada, gaining the skills that have allowed him to succeed at the college level.
“High school actually prepared me well for [college],” Bairu said. “My high school coach made sure that I didn’t do high mileage so that when I came here, I was able to do the mileage and I was able to bounce from the school training I did very easily.”
Bairu considers his many Junior Canadian National Championship titles and representing his country of Canada well in various cross country meets as the highlights of his high school career, but he acknowledges that the running world differs greatly from Canada to the United States.
“When I was back in Canada, I never really had anyone to train with,” Bairu said. “I pretty much did my own run because the guys on the team aren’t as talented [as they are] here. There are so many guys [here] that are as talented as me, if not more talented, so every day makes it a very interesting run, and I guess that way it helps me in my project to succeed.”
Even though Bairu loves the country of Canada and dreams of running for the Canadian national team and earning a gold medal in the 10,000 meters, he always had his heart set on attending Wisconsin.
“I’ve been coming to the summer camps here for about 3 years now, and I just loved the atmosphere here,” Bairu said. “I got along with the coach, I understood the coach’s style and I liked it, and I also liked the guys on the team here (at Madison).”
With Bairu and other distance stars such as Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky, Wisconsin forms one of the strongest distance programs in the nation.
“That’s the main reason why I came here,” Bairu said. “I know next year we’re going to be gunning for our first national cross country title. Although we have a lot of work to do, I think we’re capable of doing it with the guys here. And, you know, that always makes practice fun, knowing that we all have the same goal and that is to win NCAA nationals next year.”
In addition to his exploits on the track, Bairu has also found success in cross country events throughout his running career. He was named a 2003 All-American and has always been known for his cross country skills, which have helped in preparation for the track season.
“Cross country has made me a lot stronger and a lot smarter,” Bairu said. “The way I ran at cross country nationals was at the front of the pack, and I know for the remainder of my career here that’s how I’m going to have to run. I’m going to have to stay relaxed and run with the front of the pack. With the training I’ve done and my [cross country] teammates, I’ve been able to get a lot stronger for track.”
In only his sophomore year, Bairu has slowly begun to rewrite the Wisconsin record books. While he respects the runners who came before him, the sophomore standout hopes to break as many records as he can.
“Well, I always look at records as though they are meant to be broken, so to me, it is very humbling and it’s an honor to get a record, but I don’t put too much into it,” Bairu said.
