Burnsville star picks up new culture, shines in new sport

Faysal Mahmoud always has felt like he was behind since he moved with his mother and 11 siblings from Egypt to the United States as a third-grader.

As a student, first in Richfield and later in Burnsville, it has meant learning to read and write English with classmates who were always ahead of him, and struggling with schoolwork.

As an athlete, it has meant ditching his childhood dreams of playing soccer and eventually taking up cross-country, ''the stupidest thing I had ever heard of,'' he recalled. Frequent leg injuries followed, a symptom of inconsistent training.

This season, however, the budding Burnsville star is more determined to keep pace with the state's best.

Ranked the state's 12th-fastest runner in Class 2A by the coaches association, Mahmoud describes himself as "more responsible'' now, in the classroom and in sports, where he began applying a more serious training to his work ethic starting with last spring's track season. One change is that he is selectively picking his races, including this Saturday's Roy Griak Invitational.

"We're trying to be proactive instead of reactive this season," Burnsville cross-country coach Jeff Webber said. "I'm trying to be efficient with his time, and get him prepared for the end of the season."

As a freshman, Mahmoud finished 27th at the cross-country state meet at St. Olaf in Northfield. He finished 10th as sophomore and ninth last season, despite being sidelined because of an injury until October. He posted a time of 15 minutes, 47.7 seconds over the 5-kilometer course.

The son of Omar Mahmoud and Shukri Jama never had any intention of running cross-country while growing up in Egypt. All he wanted to play was soccer.

"I watched my older brothers play soccer all the time when I was 4 and 5 years old," said Mahmoud, whose father died a couple of years earlier. "I wanted to play with them."

His brothers weren't having anything to do with it.

"I was mad," Mahmoud said. "I told them I would even play goalkeeper. I wanted to be a soccer player."

In Egypt, soccer is the No. 1 sport. That isn't the case in the United States.

"Egypt is a nice place, but my mom wanted us to live in the United States," Mahmoud said. "My mom was not happy living in Tennessee. That was not a place for us, so we moved to Minnesota."

Mahmoud began his education in Richfield as a third-grader. He moved to Burnsville three years later.

"I learned to read and write in America," Mahmoud said. "That was really difficult. All the kids were way ahead of me. I was so far behind, and had to try and catch up."

Athletically, Mahmoud maintained that soccer was still king. Webber tried to tell him otherwise after watching him run track in eighth grade.

"I told him, 'I'm not a runner, I'm a soccer player,' " Mahmoud said. "The distances [400 and 800 meters] I was running in track was hard enough. I didn't want to run any farther."

"I pushed him a little bit, but not too hard," Webber said. "I didn't want to push him away. I had some of our runners on the team go after him."

Cross-country brought with it plenty of agony, both for runner and coach.

"Last season was one of the worst years for me," Mahmoud said. "I was hurt [leg] all year."

Webber's frustration has stemmed from Mahmoud not understanding that his training regimen needs to be consistent and year-round. He has missed time every season because of leg injuries.

"It wasn't until his junior year of track that he started to get serious with his training," Webber said. "A light switch happened during the track season in which he started the process of putting the work ethic to his incredible talent."

Mahmoud finished fifth in the St. Olaf Challenge in the opening meet of the year. He followed it up with a second-place finish in the Anoka Invitational.

"Faysal is far ahead of where he has ever been at this point in the season," Webber said. "He runs much better at the end of every season. He peaks well."

Webber's standout runner has been learning on the go. He has a knack for flair to go along with his serious side as he experiences new endeavors.

"He has a great sense of humor," Webber said. "He is a goofball at heart."

Mahmoud is easy to pick out at meets. He will be the one wearing blue, purple or maybe even pink socks to go along with his black and gold uniform.

" He loves to impress the young ladies," Webber said. " He has a great sense of style that is certainly unique, but he pulls it off well."

When he's not running, Mahmoud can be found working (at a retail store or a fast-food restaurant) to help out his large family, whose members also live in Canada and Egypt. He wasn't overly enthusiastic about working.

"I didn't want to work," Mahmoud said. "I was selfish. I eventually learned it was time to help my mom out."

Said Webber: "He is incredibly loyal to his family and inner circle. He has grown tremendously in the years that I have known him."

In every sense — family, work, school and athletics.

Ron Haggstrom • 612-673-4498