photo by: Elvyn Jones

Baldwin High senior George Letner runs during a cross country meet.

Baldwin City ? The bucolic setting lends itself perfectly to training for long distances for both the mind and the body, so maybe that has a little to do with Baldwin High’s phenomenal success in boys and girls cross country and track and field through the years.

“First off is injury prevention,” Kansas University-bound senior distance runner George Letner said of the advantages of running in the country. “The worst thing you can do is run on harder surfaces, man-made surfaces. The fact that you get can out and run on surfaces that are better for you is a big thing. Other than that, there’s more enjoyment getting out in those areas where it’s more exploring than just running on streets.”

Addie Dick, a terrific miler who discovered at Baldwin’s first meet of the spring that she is every bit as well suited to twice that distance, manages to outrun monotony while piling up miles.

“It’s always better running out where the trees are and where there’s nature, other than just buildings everywhere,” said Dick, who ran a 5:20.71 in the 1,600 meters last weekend in Wichita. “We’re not just stuck running in town or running on the track for our practices. Most all of our routes take us out into the country.”

Whereas in many areas of the country the popularity of track and cross country has faded, interest in running in Baldwin has endured and has resulted in the high school dominating.

Baldwin High has won 13 boys and nine girls state titles in cross country. The boys have won three state titles in track and field. The girls have won five state titles in the past six seasons and are loaded again this season.

“Success breeds success, and the kids here are willing to work,” girls coach Ted Zuzzio said. “All we ask them to do is compete and have fun. And we’ve been blessed with some really nice kids and great parent support.”

The Bulldogs are easy to spot at track meets. Look for purple singlets and look toward the front of the pack.

Several Baldwin athletes will be at Rock Chalk Park competing in the Kansas Relays this weekend. For the girls, Dick will run in the 1,600 meters, the 3,200 meters and the 4X800 relay. Kelsey Kehl, who signed a national letter of intent Monday with Washington State, will compete at the Relays in the javelin and discus. Carlyn Cole, Fayth Peterson, Kyna Smith and Madeline Neufeld posted the fastest 4X400 time of the spring for any school in any classification in the state of Kansas last weekend in Wichita with a 4:01.7. Natalie Beiter, Carly Lindenmeyer and Abby Ogle also will compete at the meet.

For the Baldwin boys, 75 percent of last season’s state-champion 4X800 relay team is back and will run at the Kansas Relays. Letner, Parker Wilson and anchor man Dakota Helm are joined this season by freshman Jacob Bailey. Jeremy Williams, Matt Jackson, Ellis Baughan and Noah Watson form the 4X200 relay. Helm anchors the 4X400 that Baughan, Watson and Jackson also run. Bailey, Watson, Helm and Letner compete in the distance medley.

Mike Spielman, former distance runner for KU, is the boys head coach and coaches the distance runners for boys and girls.

“I would give most of the credit to our coach,” Helm said of the school’s dominance in cross country and distance events. “And everyone I’ve known on the cross country team has been dedicated and worked as hard as they possibly could. Once the freshmen see how the juniors and seniors treat it, they see the need to do it themselves.”

Injuries and the mental drain that running can cause can lead to high burnout rates for the sport.

“We’ve got 10 seniors, and that’s unheard of in girls track,” Zuzzio said. “Usually, you get four or five. They do other things, get a job, or stop competing for whatever reason. These girls are having a lot of fun competing.”