Somewhere around the second lap of the Class 3A boys 3,200-meter final during the Idaho State Track and Field Championships on May 15 at Middleton High School, it flashed across his mind.

Rocky Balboa, alone in the Russian snow, grinding through a brutal winter training montage — not so different from Burbidge’s own runs through the unpredictable cold of an Eastern Idaho winter. He just didn’t have “Hearts on Fire” playing in the background.

“Those training montages kind of flicked in my mind, and I just took it from there,” Burbidge said with a laugh.

He took the lead, managed the wind, stayed relaxed and, like Rocky, triumphed in the end. He won by more than 10 seconds in 9:36.50 for his first state track title in one of his final high school races.

“A lot of work goes into long distance running — early mornings, running by myself, trying to be a student athlete and maintain everything,” Burbidge said. “To go out and compete at state and win was really rewarding.”

Especially considering it was once an event Burbidge had absolutely no interest in running.

He ran the 3,200 just once as a freshman, at the district championships. His verdict afterward was blunt.

“This is just terrible, I hate it,” he told his coaches. “Don’t ever put me in that again.”

His results back then mimicked that mentality.

He was ninth out of 12 runners with a time north of 12 minutes. Burbidge said that kind of epitomized his first two years in the sport. He picked up just win and made state once − a 10th-place finish in the 1,600 in 4:41.92.

“I just kind of goofed off,” he said. “I was really just going through the motions.”

Malad head coach Caleb Williams saw it too.

“There are a lot of kids that just come to practice and do what they need to do to show up and run at meets,” Williams said. “That was Boston early on.”

But it was that same state meet where everything changed.

Despite finishing more than six seconds outside the podium in the 1,600, Burbidge still managed to PR by 22 seconds.

“It was pretty eye-opening,” he said.

So that summer, Burbidge threw himself into training full-time, including going on 20-mile runs through the mountains.

“For Boston it was a year-long commitment,” Williams said. “He was training 12 months out of the year.”

It showed.

Burbidge brought home four state medals the very next season as a junior, including a bronze in the 1,600 — running 4:23.77, more than 18 seconds faster than his time from the previous year. He even gave the 3,200 another shot and took third in that as well.

“I could tell the difference,” Williams said of his improvement.

Which went to a whole other level this past season.

He became arguably the best long-distance runner in program history, breaking school records in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 — all of which had stood for at least 20 years. Burbidge became the first Malad runner in 21 years to win a state title in the 3,200 and just the fourth overall.

“He definitely is an amazing human being to be around,” said sophomore Brielle Bastian, who won the girls 400 title. “He’s so fun and confident and just helps push you to your best ability.”

He added third-place finishes in the 800, 1,600 and 1,600 medley relay for 28 team points just by himself. To put it in perspective, the Dragons totaled 80.5 points to take second for their first state trophy since 2004.

“Without his points, we definitely wouldn’t have taken home a trophy this year,” Williams said. “If you can have one or two kids like Boston, that almost guarantees you’ll take home a state trophy.”

It capped a year that saw him lead the cross country team to its first state title in 34 years. He also became just the second boys cross country individual state champion in program history and the first since 1989.

“This year has just been making records and making history,” Burbidge said. “That was my overall goal throughout high school — to make an impact, make history.”

For Williams, it goes beyond that.

Prior to Burbidge’s arrival, Malad had totaled just 85 points across the previous seven state meets, placing no higher than ninth. The Dragons finished dead last in 2018 with a single point. They tallied 36 points alone in Burbidge’s state debut in 2024, 55 the following year − just a half point out placing − and, of course, 80.5 this past season.

“It seems like track’s always pushed last behind baseball — we’re kind of a baseball school,” Williams said. “But he’s helped us rejuvenate our track program. I don’t think it’s going to stop with him.”

It doesn’t look that way.

Junior Braun Nalder won the triple jump title with a mark of 42 feet, 9 inches, making it the first time Malad has produced multiple state champions in the same meet in 32 years. The Dragons have now only produced six state champions since 1994, when they won the last of their seven team state titles in track.

“He’s very gifted, but they don’t see what goes on behind closed doors,” Burbidge said of Nalder. “He trains day in and day out. Well deserved.”

As for Burbidge, he’ll continue his career at Utah State — but not before serving a two-year LDS mission in Beira, Mozambique this fall.

Maybe he’ll play “Hearts on Fire” on the plane ride down.

“I’ve been going after sub-four in the mile. College will give me the opportunity to really do that,” he said. “Running has really helped me grow and become me, Boston Burbidge.”