Free State senior Keron Toussaint is a member of the Firebirds' 4x200 relay team, which won gold at the Kansas Relays.

Keron Toussaint could see the smoke as he looked out the window of Middle School 399 in The Bronx. The date was September 11, 2001.

“It was pretty chaotic,” said Toussaint, a Free State senior track runner. “We were at school, and my science teacher came in and said two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. We all were laughing about it because no one believed it. Then, he turned on the TV and we saw it. Our school was locked down, and we couldn’t leave. Our parents had to come pick us up.”

Toussaint wasn’t physically affected by the terrorist attacks. However, emotionally, the mood of everyone around him drastically changed. Toussaint, along with friends and family, stood strong. They offered a lending hand in the community by cleaning up debris. The sight wasn’t pretty.

“It was scary seeing people’s bodies,” Toussaint said. “I saw people just laying there. It was traumatizing.”

Before he moved to Lawrence in 2004, Toussaint lived in Brooklyn and The Bronx. He moved to Kansas in 2002 to live with his aunt, Lera Browne, in Fort Riley. Toussaint currently lives in Lawrence with another aunt, Netheli Toussaint.

Toussaint mentioned two reasons why he left the East Coast for Kansas. The schools he attended in New York didn’t offer sports. Toussaint also said his neighborhoods in Brooklyn and The Bronx were dangerous.

“I’ve seen death before,” Toussaint said. “I’m not saying I’m used to it, but I’ve seen a lot of it. It happened every day in New York. It was a scary place to live.”

What’s the main difference living in Kansas vs. New York?

The schools are better here. Kids here have a better opportunity doing activities outside of school. They care about you here. That’s why I like Lawrence – it’s peaceful.

Do you ever get back to New York?

I went back last year for spring break to visit my family. I’m also going back in a couple of weeks after track is done.

How long have you been running, and what got you interested in track?

I started track in eighth grade. I didn’t do anything else, and my coach in P.E. class told me I was pretty fast and should try track. I went out and actually liked it, so I just did it for the rest of my years in high school.

What would you say is your best track accomplishment?

It was probably my last 400 of my eighth-grade year. I started out the season running it in 1 (minute), 1 (second). My last race, I ran it in 54 (seconds). I was pretty happy about that. My coaches actually got me to work in practice.

The 4×200-meter relay team of you, Christian Ballard, Austin Winn and Brian Murphy won the gold at this year’s Kansas Relays in a time of 1:28.03 (.14 shy of the meet record). What was that like?

It was fun. It would have been better if we broke the record to leave with a bang. But we won it – that’s all that matters. We’ve been doing it for three years now. We actually learned how to run the race right with chemistry.

Of the four of you, who’s truly the fastest?

Foot speed : this year it’s probably me or Austin. It’s really close, though.

You finished second in the 400 at the Class 6A state meet last season. What are your goals for state this year?

Hopefully, I’ll get a state championship. (Free State track) coach (Steve) Heffernan really deserves it. We’ve never had a track championship. Hopefully, I’ll run a 48-flat. My personal-best is 48.80. I’m looking to win it this year.

Earlier in the year, you said you’d like to run next season for Kansas University. Where are you in the process?

I’ve already gotten into KU. KU has a good medical program, and I’m going to be a pediatrician. (For track), I have to set up a time to go sign with them. Coach (Stanley) Redwine hasn’t given me a specific date, but it will be sometime this month.