Baan (19), a national junior champion, has met with a few teething issues in adjusting to the demands of the senior ranks this year, but handled the extra distance and competition with apparent ease.
He kept company early on with clubmates Lorenz Kissling and Jake Jackson Grammer but when these two dropped from his pace, it was a matter of grinding it out and maintaining a solid pace over the second half of the course.
Rob Creasy (Leith) was the big mover into the minor places as Jackson Grammer was forced to withdraw and Kissling drifted back through the field.
With Baan holding a commanding lead and Creasy appearing assured of second place, Jason Palmer (Leith) was the next to feature.
He went up on Creasy's shoulder 2km out, and the two were separated only by the width of the finish line in a spectacular sprint finish.
Palmer claimed second place in 42min 54sec and Creasy third in 42min 55sec. Ahead of the pair, Baan had crossed to clinch the title in 40min 47sec.
The senior men's field tackled 12km, comprising six laps of a 2km circuit around the northeastern section of the Waikouaiti Racecourse.
It was a first attempt at the 12km distance for Baan, who ran 9km in the North Island championships.
''I just wanted to stick to my own plan, and keep to even splits,'' Baan said.
Among those contesting the men's under 18 title on the 6km course was 17 year old speedster Oli Chignell (Hill City University), the winner of the Edmond Cup steeplechase at Wingatui two weeks ago.
Chignell set off as if he was about to miss the bus back to Dunedin and ran away with the Otago youth title in an impressive 19min 36sec.
Hill City University clubmate Matthew Ogle was second in 22min 17sec and Andrew Smith (Caversham) third in 22min 47sec.
The men's under 20 race over 8km was a hotly contested affair. Aaron Anderson (Ariki) clinched the title in 29min 54sec, from Iaon Fuller (Caversham, 30min 38sec) and Jimmy Flanagan (Caversham, 30min 41sec).
Susannah Lynch (Hill City University) overcame recent training difficulties to win the 6km women's under 20 title in 24min 19sec, and Hill City University clubmate Jessie Murphy won the 4km women's under 18 title in 16min 15sec.
The race of the day was arguably the 8km race for the senior women's title.
Mel Aitken (Leith) overcame the threats posed by previous champions Shireen Crumpton and Shauna Pali (both Hill City University), Otago middle distance champion Bella Bloomfield (Hill City University) and Otago marathon champion Sarah Chisnall.
Aitken, who dramatically modified her training regime late last year, has gone from strength to strength in recent months and shows no sign of slowing down since her impressive result in the Christchurch marathon six weeks ago.
Aitken was caught in traffic right from the start on Saturday, with 2013 champion Pali, 10 time champion Crumpton, Chisnall and the promising Sabrina Grogan all declaring their hand from the outset.
Coming off the hill for the first time, it had evolved into a race between Pali and Aitken. With the race far from over, Aitken stole a few seconds on Pali by the halfway mark, and her confidence grew from there.
Aitken doubled her advantage over Pali on the penultimate lap and held on doggedly over the final 2km to hold out a fast finishing Pali and clinch the title in 30min 42sec. Pali crossed in 30min 59sec and Grogan was third in 31min 45sec.
