WELCOME TO BENZIE COUNTY CENTRAL SCHOOLS FEATURED FRIDAY ALUMNI.
Today, we would like to recognize Benzie Alumni Class of 2000, Dr.
Jacob Flynn. After pursuing his education, Jake returned to beautiful
Benzie County to practice family medicine at the Crystal Lake Clinic in
Interlochen. Take a moment to read this article from The Betsie
Current, which highlights Dr. Flynn and his great accomplishments.
http://betsiecurrent.com/index.php/dr-jake-flynn-running-races-and-runny-noses/
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 33-year-old Jake Flynn can be found at the
Crystal Lake Clinic in Interlochen
treating everyone from newborns to centenarians, everything from snotty
noses to heart conditions. Flynn, born and raised in Benzie County,
went away to get an education and then returned to practice family
medicine in the small community that feels more like home to him than
any of the exotic places where he studied. Though Flynn attended the
Ross School of Medicine
in the Caribbean and followed up with rotations in cities as diverse as
Miami and Manhattan, he feels fortunate to have returned to his roots.
If you follow running at all, his name might sound familiar. A 2000 graduate from
Benzie Central High School,
Flynn was the cross country state champion for 1997, 1998, and 1999, as well as Mr. Michigan Cross Country in 1999.
He still holds the Class C state record for five kilometers at 15 minutes and 12 seconds.
Not only that, but he excelled at track, too: Flynn was state champion
in the two-mile in 1999, and he still holds the school record of 4:14
for the mile. At
Central Michigan University—where
he studied exercise physiology—Flynn was named All American and
Academic All American as the 23rd fastest in the nation. He has run
seven marathons, including Boston, and thousands of races, including one
of his favorites, the Firecracker 5k, which is held in Beulah every
year on the morning of the Fourth of July.
Starting in 1995, the summer before he was to enter 8th grade, Flynn
ran the Firecracker 5k for the first time. Since then, he has run it 19
out of the last 21 years, missing only once while he was away in medical
school and once for injury.
Continuing with
our interview series on impactful Benzie County characters,
The Betsie Current caught up with Flynn—who celebrated one year at Crystal Lake Clinic on July 1—between patients.
The Betsie Current: When and why did you move back to Northern Michigan?
Flynn: Like so many locals, when I graduated from
high school, I left and said that I was never coming back. I have lived
and worked in hospitals all over the country, and I’ve seen so many
beautiful places and met so many amazing people. However, at the end of
my education, I took an audition rotation with
Munson [in Traverse City]
and was so impressed with the Northern Michigan way of life; kind,
polite, laid-back people who would hold doors for people and say, “Good
morning,” to strangers. That—coupled with family-like staff at
Munson—let me know that I had found my place in the world. Here, I have
all that I need in life for good running, plus the people I love and
beautiful things to see: I prefer sunsets on Lake Michigan to mountains,
so this is where I chose to be.
Current: When did you start working in Benzie County?
Flynn: In the final year of my contract with Munson,
the Crystal Lake Clinic contacted me, as one of their providers would
be leaving the following summer [which was last year]. These were my
family doctors growing up and some of the smartest people that I had
looked up to as a child who were asking me if I wanted to be part of
their team: guys like Geoff Turner, Rick Neilson, and George Ryckman,
who I knew well and respected, so I was very interested. I entertained
other offers and opportunities to continue to travel around the country
and practice medicine, but—at the end of the day—this is the area I want
to be, with the people I love. So I signed.
Current: About how many patients do you see per week? What are you treating? Are you taking new patients?
Flynn: I see about 90 patients every week.
Everything from viral colds to managing myocardial infarction. The
average age of the patients I see if probably 55, and I see an equal
amount of men and women. We have a pediatrician in the office,
so—although I’m able to see pediatric patients—he takes most of them,
and I handle most of the chronic care, diabetes, hypertension, heart
disease, COPD, and yearly physicals, etc. Yes, I am accepting new
patients; I’m happy to see anyone. I do occasionally pick up shifts at
the
Paul Oliver Emergency Room in Frankfort, too.
Current: How have you seen your work grow and change
since you started at Crystal Lake Clinic a year ago? And how do you
hope it will continue to grow and change?
Flynn: I love my job—so much so that I bought in as
partner. I’m committed here for life. It’s so much more fun to go to
work now that I’m establishing relationships with my patients. When you
know and truly care about the people you are seeing, it drives you to go
the extra mile to give them the best care possible.
Current: With the busy life of a doctor, you still
somehow manage to squeeze in daily workouts—how many miles do you run in
a typical week?
Flynn: In college, I would run 90-100 miles per
week. But these days I’m satisfied if I’m getting 30-40 miles per week.
Shoes last longer now.
Current: You’ve run the Beulah Firecracker 5k many, many times. How many times have you won it? How do you expect to do this year?
Flynn: I don’t know how many years I’ve won it, but I
think only nine or 10 times. I haven’t won in recent years, because
there are so many talented runners produced by Benzie Central [High
School] these days.
Current: How have you seen the Firecracker 5k change since you began running it more than two decades ago?
Flynn: The Firecracker is getting so popular, and it
deserves to be. It’s a beautiful course that starts and ends at Crystal
Lake. It was created by the living legend Coach [Pete] Moss. I
personally remember the year that we first broke 100 runners! Timed with
a stopwatch and 100 popsicle sticks, marked 1-100 to keep track of your
finish. Drop your stick with your name on it into the coffee can with
your age group and wait for them to be tallied—by hand! They had it down
to a science, so results could be ready in as little as two to three
hours, haha. Now, things are electronically timed with your own personal
chip timer in your race bib and results are instantaneous, flawless,
and posted online and to social media before you can even jump in the
lake to cool off. Pretty amazing progress, I’d say. [Editor’s Note: Last
year, the Firecracker had more than 600 runners participating.]
Current: What do you like best about the Firecracker 5k?
Flynn: My favorite thing about the Firecracker is
Coach Moss. He’s the reason I train so hard for that race every year. He
coached me and taught me how to be successful, and I always want to win
for him. He taught me how to be successful in running, but it carried
over to all things in life beautifully. Things like, “Don’t stop until
you’ve crossed the finish line,” “Never look back; don’t worry about
what’s behind you; focus on the race in front of you,” and “It doesn’t
matter if you’re face down, in the mud, with a broken leg—you stand up,
clean yourself off, and finish with a Benzie sprint, every time.” All of
these lessons have resounded in my head throughout college and medical
school.
Current: How have you seen Benzie County change since you moved away and came back? What are your hopes for the area in the future?
Flynn: I love the way Frankfort has continued to
grow. Such a beautiful downtown. And I love what they’ve done with the
public beach at Crystal Lake, and I’m interested to see what they’ll do
next. It’s also exciting to see new development in Elberta.
Current: What else does Benzie County need?
Flynn: Beulah needs something to draw more traffic—I
vote for a brewery! It’s such an amazing location, and Crystal Lake is
the most beautiful inland lake. It has so much appeal, I think; it’s the
right attraction to go along with the
Hungry Tummy and the
Cherry Hut.
Current: What are your favorite local events and activities? Any favorite dining, recreation, hiking spots?
Flynn: I do admit that I love
Cherry Festival. Fourth of July fireworks in Frankfort. Favorite local dining has got to be
The Fusion; a beer at
Stormcloud; movies at
The Garden. Recreation would be hiking at Pyramid Point and watching sunsets over Lake Michigan. Perfect.
Current: What’s your perfect summer day look like in Benzie County? How would you spend it?
Flynn: Wake up with some French press coffee on the
dock with the dogs. 10-mile run around Crystal Lake. Golf with my dad.
Sushi at Fusion. Bonfire on Lake Michigan with the people I love.
Sunset. Wait for the stars to come out.
Interested in running the Firecracker 5k in Beulah at 8 a.m. on
the Fourth of July? Show up at the pavilion in Beulah on July 3 from 5-7
p.m. with $20 to pre-register; day-of registration is $25 and begins at
6:45 a.m. on July 4 at the pavilion. Cost includes a T-shirt for the
first 450 registrants.
Want to schedule an appointment with Dr. Jake Flynn at the
Interlochen office of Crystal Lake Clinic? Call 231-275-7965, or check
out www.CrystalLakeClinic.com to make an appointment with another healthcare provider at one of their other offices in Frankfort or Benzonia.
Feature photo: Dr. Jake Flynn at Crystal Lake Clinic. Photo by Aubrey Ann Parker.
