Flathead senior Jake Perrin is doing his part to extend the distance running renaissance that has stormed the Flathead Valley over the last few years.

While the area has always had its share of talented distance runners, the last five years have seen an explosion of talented athletes dominating in-state competition and making their mark abroad. Columbia Falls’ Derrick Williams, now a NCAA Division II All-American at Colorado State-Pueblo, opened the trend by winning the Class A 800- and 1,600-meter runs in 2011 before sweeping the distance races the next year, winning those two events and the 3,200. That same spring Bigfork freshman Makena Morley won all Class B girls events and Perrin’s older brother, Zach, won the 1,600 and 3,200 in Class AA while Glacier’s Troy Fraley finished third.

That dominance saw another crescendo last year as Flathead Valley schools won or finished on the podium in 14 of the 18 distance races in Classes AA, A and B.

In that rush, and with the help of some sterling field performances, the Flathead boys won their first state track championship since winning four in a row from 2000-03. This spring, the boys had the highest turnout for the track season since the Kalispell schools split in 2007.

That depth, and the returning talent at the top, could spell another run at a title for the Braves.

“It’s fun having that many kids,” Braves coach Dan Hodge said. “With numbers you find athletes. Kids find they have talent. Usually, if they give it a try they find out they have ability and they get excited.”

Perrin is setting the tone for the distance runners, taking aim at a few school records this season. In addition to setting his sights on the 1,600 and 3,200 state championships, he’s also trying to replace the first name in the record books in those two races. Zach, now in his sophomore season at the University of Colorado, set those marks, running a 4:09.24 time in the 1,600 at the Libby Invitational and 8:55.24 in the 3,200 at the Arcadia Invite in California. Both races, run at a lower altitude than the Flathead Valley, are the fastest marks ever set by a Montana runner. Zach also holds the in-state record in the 3,200, running 9:06.13 in a dual at Glacier High School.

“I want to try to get sub-9 (minutes in the 3,200) and sub-4:09 in the mile,” Jake said at the Flathead Mini Invite on Tuesday.

He’s off to a good start. Running at the Arcadia last week, Jake ran 9:02.49 to finish 17th at the elite invite. That time is the third fastest ever by a Montanan, only eclipsed by his brother’s junior year run and Zach’s Colorado teammate, Missoula Hellgate’s Adam Peterman, who ran 8:57.10 to edge Zach the next year.

He has yet to run the 1,600 this season, but will look to do so in Missoula on Saturday.

“You love kids that set goals and work to achieve them,” Hodge said.

“He runs all the time, weather has no bearing. If it’s nasty, he runs. If it’s hot and humid, he runs. He’s really dedicated himself to running and he’s only basically been running for two years. That’s when he really got committed to running the distances.

“If you dedicate yourself to something, nothing but good things happen. It’s starting to happen for him. He’s logged the miles and he’s getting better and better.”

His dedication has rubbed off on the distance group, which took the top three places in the 800 at Flathead Invite this week.

“With our distance kids he’s definitely a team leader,” Hodge said. “He’s one of the first kids down to practice. He’s anxious to get started, he works hard, then he’s one of the last kids to leave. He doesn’t do anything in a big rush, except he races fast.”

That leadership and his steady progression as a runner earned Perrin a scholarship to Gonzaga University next fall, where he will compete in cross country and track. He won the Class AA cross country championship this fall. Jake joins Fraley at Gonzaga, where Fraley set the school record in the 10,000 meters earlier this season.

“We’re proud of the fact that we’ve had quite a few kids run at the college level,” Braves cross country and distance coach Paul Jorgenson said. “That to me, I’m very proud of that. (Gonzaga’s) a top flight school. The coach there is great. He’s trying to build a program and picking up a Jake Perrin will help.

“It’s fun. If we (at Flathead) can contribute a few to that renaissance that’s good.”