Photo courtesy of Boris Berian

Boris Berian glanced at the clock as he sprinted around the track in the 800-meter final at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Portland, Ore.

“I saw the times going by, and I thought, ‘OK, this is going to hurt.’” Berian said.

He hit 200 meters at 23.92 seconds. He blew through 400 meters with a commanding lead at 49.73, world record pace. He had no plan to run that fast. He simply wanted to gallop at the front of a talented pack that included Ethiopia’s two-time defending indoor champ Mohammed Aman.

“I just wanted to take the lead right away,” Berian said. “I had no idea how fast I was going. The plan was to go out the way I feel the most comfortable.”

With 200 to run, the effort began to show as the pace slowed a little. Berian held his form as Aman closed to within about five meters. But he would get no closer. With the home crowd on its feet, Berian literally showed his teeth, snarling like an alpha wolf as he pounded down the home stretch. He hit the finish line in 1:45.83 and claimed the world title.

“I didn’t realize I was going to win until maybe the last 20 meters,” Berian said. “I just remember the home crowd and home stretch. At one point in the race I looked at the screen and there was nobody rushing up on me. I turned back to look at the finish line and I was like, ‘holy crap, I just won!’”

It is difficult to comprehend. Fifteen months ago, Berian was working at McDonalds in Colorado Springs, his hometown, and sleeping on a friend’s couch at night. He wondered if he would ever reach his potential. Would he have the opportunity to run on a world stage? What would his life become?

Berian learned to run at Widefield High School on a track that sits on the high plains about 12 miles southeast of Pikes Peak. His coaches Fred Marjerrison and Erik Nelson instilled a work ethic and love for running in a skeptical young runner. Before he graduated in 2011, Berian had won state high school championships in the 400 and 800 in his junior and senior year.

“Coach Marjerrison, he taught me that running is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical,” Berian said. “It took until my junior year for that to sink in. I worked harder. I developed a positive attitude toward running, and I had better results.”

He attended Adams State University and dashed to a gold medal in the 800 at the NCAA Division II championships as a freshman. But he dropped out in the spring of 2014 and returned home to Colorado Springs.

He continued to run, but with no coaching or training plan, improvements were hard to come by. His best days as a fast runner were slipping away.

“There were some doubts, a couple of times,” Berian said. “Working there (McDonalds), training by myself. Making up everything. It was hard, mentally, knowing I might not be able to do what I wanted.”

A Facebook message from the Big Bear Track Club changed his life. Coach Carlos Handler, husband of elite 800 runner Brenda Martinez, invited him to train in California.

“I was telling them, yes, please take me. What do I have to do? When do I have to be there,” Berian said.

His dream was alive again. Handler provided structure, Berian said. And structure provided results. He improved his personal best time to 1:43, the fifth-best time ever recorded by an American runner. He struggled at the U.S. Outdoor Championships last summer and lost an opportunity to earn a berth on the U.S. World Championship Team. But he has a bigger goal these days.

For now, his training – everything he does – points to the U.S. Olympic Trials in July in Eugene, Ore. With a good showing there, the summer games in Rio will be his playground in August.. His winning time earlier this month at the world indoor championships is an indicator that he could find himself surging deep in the Olympic heats. But he has to remain focused – and healthy - for the next five months.

“Staying healthy, that is the huge issue,” Berian said. “Just have to keep moving forward with workouts. I have five months to stay in shape, stay healthy and stay positive. That will drive me to new times.”

He said the workouts with the Big Bear runners can be difficult. He dreads six-mile tempo runs at altitude. “Those are hard, but they really help with lactate threshold and that’ll help keep me from tightening up on the track. I’m more of a speed-type guy. Anything short, and all-out I enjoy. But that six-mile tempo, that’s pretty tough.”

Berian said his world indoor title does give him confidence, but if he’s fortunate enough to run in the Olympic 800 he’ll be challenged to produce three tough races.

“I’ll have to mentally prepare myself to run 1:45 in the prelims and 1:44 in the semifinals, then try to give whatever I have left in the final," he said.

It’s a dream. But the promising runner from Colorado Springs, who once flipped hamburgers for a living and questioned his future, is making those dreams come alive.