Thursday morning's distance events of the Iowa state track and field meet were dominated by the Dutch.
Not the Dutch from Europe with their iconic orange uniforms, but rather the green and white of the Pella Dutch distance running team.
In the girls Class 3A 3000-meter race, sophomore Marissa Ferebee was the top-seeded runner entering the meet. Her fastest time this season was a time of 9:42.89, a full 28 seconds faster than the next competitor and the seventh-fastest time in Iowa history.
"Unfortunately, I'm kind of used to running by myself," Ferebee said.
Thursday's race would be no different, defeating the field with a time of 9:54.27, 16 seconds faster than the rest of the field, to earn a state championship. She even lapped several other state qualifiers en route to the title. With each one she lapped, she seemed to get a boost as she ruthlessly dominated her competitors.
"You're kind of chasing the adrenaline boost with every person you pass, even if you're not technically passing them in place," Ferebee said.
Right behind her was freshman Ruth Dunham, taking 10th as the second-fastest freshman in the field. Then, just an hour later, the 4x800 relay team anchored by Ferebee took third place in Class 3A.
The success didn't stop on the boys side either. Sophomore Canaan Dunham, the 2023 Class 3A cross country state champion and Ruth's brother, took the track with senior Nathan Vander Waal in the 3200-meter final. For the majority of that race, Canaan Dunham sat in first place with Western Dubuque's Quentin Nauman on his heels. In the final 400-meters, Nauman would outpace Canaan Dunham, but not without Nauman needing to find a trash can after leaving every ounce on the track.
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Canaan Dunham's second-place finish was not only a Pella school record, but the eighth-fastest time in Iowa history.
With so many Pella distance runners finding success at the state meet, it begs the question:
What is in the water in Pella?
"Might be Lake Red Rock or something," Ferebee joked.
Canaan Dunham suggested it might be the electrolytes they all consumed before the race, but no matter if its that or the waters of Lake Red Rock, it's clear that Pella is doing something right.
Both Farabee and Canaan Dunham credited assistant track coach Doug Cutler for his training plan. Not just in the conditioning part of it, but mostly in the mental aspects of distance running.
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On a day that saw bright blue skies and a hot surface on the track, mental strength was going to be a key aspect of the race of eight grueling laps around the Blue Oval. Yet, the Dutch all looked as mentally strong as anyone, with each of their laps looking stronger than the last.
It's in large part due to a mentality instilled in each of them of relishing the pain they feel throughout races. The cramps, the headaches from squinting through the sun and the harsh impact of each step on the track are all a part of the fun for them, rather than a negative.
"Being comfortable with being uncomfortable is the key thing," Ferebee said.
Behind them, the Dutch boys and girls team find themselves in contention for class 3A titles as of Thursday afternoon. The boys are the returning class 3A champion and sit in first place after day one. The Pella girls are perceived to be one of the favorites to end the weekend with a team trophy and are in third place after the first day of action.
No matter what happens at the end of the 2024 season, the future for the Pella distance runners is brighter than the red, yellow and orange tulips in their hometown.
"We have a bright future ahead of us," Dunham said.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Marissa Ferebee and Pella distance runners dominate at the 2024 Iowa state track meet
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