A journey into Kenneth Bales’ athletic years

Before Kenny Bales brought his talents to the old Sigourney High School, he was part of the lower-class Ollie teams. His signature sport was track, but he also made roster for basketball and baseball, to help keep him in shape year-round.

In 1951 his family moved to the Sigourney district, where he would become a household name. During his sophomore season, he helped set the school’s two-mile record in a medley run.

In addition to competing in sports year-round, Bales also had another unique way of keeping in form.

“Back then, I lived about a mile away from school and I didn’t have a car,” Bales said. “I would run to and from school, and from meets, in heavy black engineering boots.”

His ability to run distances in heavy boots helped him when he put his much-lighter track shoes on. He continued to get better and better every year, capping off his high school stint with an incredible senior season.

In 1954 he set the Sigourney boys’ mile record with a time of 4:32.7. That time qualified him for the state meet in Ames, in which he had the best time coming from a Class B school.

Before he ran in Ames he got the chance to run in the Drake Relays, a memory he will never forget.

“That was the only race I lost my senior year,” Bales said. “I forgot my track shoes and had to borrow some from Joe Greiner, who ran with Keota.”

Greiner wore a size 8.5 shoe, compared to Bales’ 7.5. To make it even more unforgettable, Bales was in the lead down the stretch by a thin margin, and his normal final kick wasn’t there with a larger shoe. Bales ended up in third place.

“I had a note from my family when I got back,” Bales said. “It said ‘congratulations on your third-place finish, we’re proud of you’.”

Despite being hurt by the loss, the note cheered up Bales and he never again forgot his to bring his track shoes.

After his senior year, Bales was offered a scholarship to run at the University of Iowa. By accepting it, he would become the first male in his family to attend college.

There he lived in the basement of his coach’s sister's home and was given a 1958 Iowa sweater to wear. He helped make up group of four elite runners including the two boys who had beat him at the Drake Relays the year prior. The fourth standout was a boy named Deacon Jones, who ran a 4:21 mile as a senior.

“If he would have run the mile against me before college it probably would have been my second loss,” Bales said.

Unfortunately for Bales, he only was part of the Iowa team for one year. His grades weren’t up to standard, and he had to find another path in life.

His other brothers were part of the Air Force, so he joined alongside them. There he served for a short time as a service mechanic for jet aircrafts.

His running days weren’t over yet, as he continued to run mini-marathons when he found the time. “I worked the graveyard shift for a mini-marathon out in Nevada once,” Bales said. “I got off at 7 A.M. and then started running the 13 miles an hour later.”

Bales finished in 35th place out of 98 runners, and was awarded a medal.

In his 40’s Bales would run about eight miles per day to keep in shape. He continued to run until the age of 68, when his knees finally gave way to the years of stress.

Just recently he finally came home to visit his grand-niece, Leane Stutzman, also an instructor at Sigourney High. She showed him the plaque which held his name and the record that hasn’t been broken for nearly 64 years.

“It was very thrilling and surprising to see my record was still there,” Bales said.

He and his wife still stay in shape to this day by walking 1.5 miles each day. Next year, Bales will reach the age of 83, largely in part to his active life as a track star.

Though his record may someday be broken, it will live on in his memory forever.