Setting the standard for participation – Introducing Leonard Baluski

By Gary Hellenga

In my time as a Wind Drinker, I’ve come to recognize those who I consider “core” members – regular attendees at our Fun Runs and races. Some I see at pretty much every summer fun run I attend, others might be “missing” a couple of weeks (“where’s [insert name here] tonight?”), until I’m told they are on a family trip or out of town for a race. And then, there’s Leonard …

Those who’ve attended one of our weekly Fun Runs have probably noticed Leonard Baluski there, because … well, he’s always there! Leonard sets the standard for participation in our Fun Runs and I’m sure he has at least one of every type of BSWD swag we’ve ever offered over the years as Participation Awards.

 

Longtime members of the club may remember Tim Dumas. He was a great runner, he was also a talented sports reporter for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Back in 2008, Tim profiled Leonard and his numerous running streaks – at the time, he’d run 21 straight Governor’s Cup 5Ks, and the same number of consecutive Sweet Pea races. He’d done Bloomsday 18 times in a row, and he’d also done 188 straight Wind Drinker Fun Runs! Tim’s article is still available to read here. (I hope it’s not behind a paywall for those who don’t subscribe).

 

In a summer where I myself was a most inconsistent Fun Run runner, I managed to make it out to our Sept. 15 Fun Run at Kirk Hill. It was a most unusual run (but an excellent set of courses, masterminded by our VP Neal Rainey!) it was super smoky, though it started with “Good” air quality, It got dark early, and a number of runners finished by headlamp. It was also pretty lightly attended (maybe for the aforementioned reasons). But Leonard was there. In fact, this run marked the 500th straight Fun Run that Leonard has attended! In honor of the occasion, a group of our members, led by Andrea Abrahamson, organized a small celebration of Leonard’s accomplishment, including a cake that was gladly consumed by the attendees at the end of the runs!

 

I’ve been running a long time – now 60, I started as a high school sophomore, so I’ve been doing it for more than 45 years. But though I’ve actually been running longer than Leonard has, I can’t come anywhere close to matching ANY of his running streaks – not even on the races that are only held annually!  I wish Leonard the best, and hope he continues to extend these streaks for many years yet to come.