Just two weeks ago, Baan (18), a first-year accounting student, won the Otago junior title with strong front-running tactics. However, the national event called for a different approach following a slow tactical start employed by the field.
Baan, who comes from Palmerston North, said he was content to wait things out until the final hill section, 800m into the 2km circuit of the four-lap 8000m race. Entering the hill for the final time, Baan decided to step it up and apply some pressure.
''Someone had to go and I thought at that stage it may as well be me,'' he said.
Such was the turn of speed Baan put on the field, only Geordie Beamish (Manawatu/Wanganui) and Jacob Priddey (Waikato Bay of Plenty) were able to go with his pace.
Successful in breaking up the field on the uphill stage, Baan applied further pressure on the downhill, managing to make a small break on Beamish and Priddey.
But once the course levelled out the two came back at him, with the three then going hammer and tongs for gold.
Turning into the home straight, Priddey was first to fade, leaving Baan and Beamish going stride for stride to the finish, with Baan pulling away in the final metres to clinch gold by the narrowest of margins in 26min 45.29sec, from Beamish in 26min 46.11sec and Priddey in 26min 53.21sec.
It was a pretty close thing, Baan said of becoming the first representative from Otago to win the junior title since Max Smith in 2001.
He said he came to the race wanting to do really well and ''I was prepared for a tactical slow start as much as had it been fast and furious''.
''I had been training really well and arrived with a good mindset.''
Baan finished seventh in the event last year. Feeling he needed a change, he switched to a coaching regime under Paul Macdermid (Palmerston North) and has not looked back. Saturday's national title was his second in recent months after he won the 5000m junior track title earlier in the year.
Otago was denied a team gold in the junior women's grade, after its protest over the late inclusion of an Auckland runner was denied. Auckland won gold and Otago had to settle for silver through Charlotte Cahill (eighth), Susannah Lynch (ninth), Charlotte Homan (14th) and Melissa Halley (15th).
The controversy arose when the Auckland squad found itself short of a runner to contest the grade and moved a runner up from the youth grade after the entry deadline.
But Otago's strength came to the surface in the age-group sections of the masters races, Louisa Andrew going back-to back with gold in the women's 40-44 category after winning the women's 35-39 group last year.
She finished second overall in the combined age-group race won by national representative Sally Gibbs (Waikato-Bay of Plenty), who dominated masters road and cross-country events on the national stage last year.
Otago marathon champion Mel Aitken won the women's 35-39 category and Barbara Patrick the women's 65-69, while Maria Sleeman finished third in the women's 50-54.
In the team section contested over the combined grades, Otago won bronze through Andrew (second), Aitken (eighth), Sleeman (17th) and Sue Cuthbert (20th).
In the masters men's competition, Geoff Anderson won the 55-59 title and Kerrin Williams won silver in the men's 40-44 grade.
The team of Williams, Andrew Lonie, Alan Funnell and Danny Baillie won bronze in the combined masters men's 35-49 category.
