At one point, opposing coaches threatened to drain Flathead Lake. The only sensible explanation for Flathead High School’s perpetual supremacy in long-distance running, they concluded, was the water. Then at the dawn of the 21st century, Bigfork began dominating girls cross country and the coaches were sure it had to be something in the water.
Bill Brist was there at the birth of the Flathead Valley’s storied long-distance running tradition. He ran for Flathead High School in the late 1970s and early 1980s, just as his school’s remarkable run – for both boy and girls – was taking shape. Later in the 1990s, he was an assistant coach at Flathead, overseeing some of the state’s greatest runners.
Now, as the head coach of Whitefish’s cross country team and an assistant coach for track, Brist fondly recalls the days when he first heard opposing coaches joke that the secret to the valley’s long-distance dominance must be the pristine water.
“They said, ‘We’re going to have to come and take your water,’” Brist said.
But the Flathead water is still here, and so is the running excellence, though Flathead High School has endured a small drought for its standards, not having taken home a cross country or track title since 2005. The Braves still have several of the state’s best runners in track this spring, however, including Leif Castren and Jesse Bennett. And the talent is distributed across the valley.
In Whitefish, Drew Coco is the best male long-distance runner in the state at any level. After cruising to a state title in cross country last fall, Coco was named Montana Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year. This spring he has posted the fastest times in the state in both the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters.
Meanwhile, the Whitefish girls have won the last two cross country titles and have a number of runners posting top-10 times this spring. Since 2001, Whitefish, Bigfork and Ronan have won every girls Class A cross country state championship. Glacier also has a nice group this year, led by Dan Burfeind for boys and Heather Fraley for girls, both of whom have posted top times in the 1,600 and 3,200.
In the midst of this loaded cast, one unassuming junior from Bigfork has found a way to steal the show. Kayla Carlson, the top runner this spring in Class A, has taken up the torch passed down by her state champion predecessors of earlier this decade. Bigfork won three cross country straight state titles from 2001-2003 and had the best long-distance crew in the state in track for years.
Heading into divisionals, Carlson has the fastest times in Class A in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, posting a 5:25.20 and a 11:45.91, respectively. She also has one of the state’s best 800-meter times at 2:25.20. Not bad for a girl who only began running long distance last year.
The 5-foot-1 Carlson is usually the smallest girl in her races, but most of her height is in her legs. Once she gets going, she has no hesitancy in her strides. The only time she notices her height, she said, is at the starting line. She makes a point of not looking around at the other girls, many of whom tower a half foot or more over her.
“I try not to (look around), otherwise I get intimidated a little,” Carlson said. “But it’s not how tall you are, it’s how much heart you have and it’s what you’re willing to put down.”
That tenacious warrior spirit has allowed this little girl to make a big splash in the Montana track scene, but she is far from reaching her peak, said Bigfork’s track coach Sue Loeffler. Because of her inexperience, Loeffler said Carlson has yet to learn some of the intangibles that will shave seconds off her finish times. Namely, Loeffler wants Carlson to know when to take over a race. But so far this spring, even if she hasn’t always known the precise moment to take the race over, Carlson has ended up doing it anyway.
Carlson, who also runs in the 4 x 400 relay, will be the favorite to win titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 at the Class A state meet in Butte on May 29-30. She also will contend for the 800-meter crown.
“I’m going to give it all I’ve got and hope it’s enough,” Carlson said. “It’s always someone’s day to win and I’m hoping it’s mine.”
Meanwhile, Flathead’s Castren will try to bring back another Class AA title to his school in the 3,200 while his teammate Bennett will battle for the 1,600- and 800-meter titles. Castren has one of the best times in the 3,200 at 10:05.79, while Bennett is among the state leaders in both of his races.
Castren and Bennett are attempting to join a long list of Flathead High School state champions, including two of the biggest names in Montana’s running history: David Vidal and Zoe Nelson. Vidal holds the all-class state record in the 1,600 with a time of 4:13.29 and went on to star at Stanford University. Nelson, a four-time state champion in cross country, went on to be one of the best collegiate runners in the nation at the University of Oregon.
All told, since 1969 Flathead High School has claimed an astounding 51 state championships in track and cross country combined. Paul Jorgenson, the cross country coach for more than 30 years, is a legendary figure in Montana coaching lore. Under him, Flathead’s running tradition has continually perpetuated itself as winning traditions tend to do.
Brist said running became a popular choice for kids after years of success and, surrounded by state champions, it was inevitable that many of them would find success.
“When it’s tied to tradition, the expectation is already higher,” Brist said. “They automatically expect that when it’s their turn they’re going to perform.
“If you were from Flathead, you just ran fast – it was just the way it was,” he added.
Gradually, the talent has seeped its way into the valley’s other schools, with Whitefish being the most recent recipient. As Brist builds the long-distance programs at Whitefish and the school nurtures crops of state champion runners, the coach is sticking to the water theory.
“I say the water tributary’s always gone through Whitefish and we just didn’t know it until recently,” Brist said.