| Birth Date: | 27 September 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Waukesha, Wisconsin |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Event: | Marathon |
Serena Burla (born September 27, 1982) is an American track and field athlete from St. Louis, specializing in long-distance running events.[1]
In college, Burla was a two-time Big 12 Conference runner-up for the Missouri Tigers.[2]
Burla competed in the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships where she finished 16th (upgraded from 17th place after suspension of Inga Abitova).[3] [4] In 2010, Burla was diagnosed with cancer and had a tumor and the dominant muscle removed from her right hamstring.[5] Eight months after her surgery, Burla returned to competitive running. In 2011, she ran the New York marathon in 2:37 and qualified for 2012 Summer Olympic trials. During trials, Burla collapsed at mile 18 and was carried off the track.
In 2013, Burla ran the Boston Marathon.[6] Burla won the 2013 USA Half Marathon Championships (held as part of the Houston Half Marathon).[7]
At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, Burla placed 10th in the marathon with a time of 2:31:06.
Burla ran a Marathon PR of 2:26:53 to finish 4th in the 2017 Osaka Women's Marathon. That same year, she finished 11th in the world championship marathon in London. Later that week, her management team put out a release that her cancer had returned.[8]