LEWISTON — It’s good to have a running partner.

There’s no better example than the duo at Gray-New Gloucester. Sophomore Madison Post and junior Jaley Martin have been at the top of the Western Maine Conference for most of the season in sprints and middle distance events this season.

They have finished in the top three of the 55-meter dash five times this season with Post winning four times. Martin finished second three times in those four events, while Post had one second place finish.

Post has also won the 200-meter dash five times, while Martin has been very competitive in the 400-meter dash, with one win, two third-place finishes and a fourth.

The biggest contributing factor to the pair’s success this season has been the ability to push each other in practice.

“It’s been really great, we have been competitors since middle school and we really feed off each other in practice and in meets,” Post said.

They got their track and field career started in the outdoor program at the middle school. Martin has been like a big sister for Post, especially last season, when Martin showed her the ropes in big-time events on the schedule.

“I was at states and the Western Maine Conference as a freshmen,” Martin said. “So, I knew how the whole routine went down and stuff like that. I really tried to help her on how to prepare and how to stay ready for her events.”

Martin said if she doesn’t get the personal results for which she’s hoping, she wants to be able to help her teammates anyway she can.

That help paid off a year ago. Post had a very good showing at last year’s Class B state championship, where she finished fifth in both the 55- and 200-meter dashes.

Martin finished ninth in the 400-meter dash.

While Post had Martin’s help, Patriots coach Todd Mercer says it was Post’s drive that produced the results she had.

“She’s a confident athlete,” Mercer said. “She came into last year’s state championship meet expecting to do well, and because of that she’s not intimidated by girls who are faster or who are bigger or stronger. She goes after things head first. She loves competition.”

The pair is hoping to bounce back at the Class B state championships at Bates College on Saturday, and both runners are looking at some sort of redemption from the Western Maine Championship that took place at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham this past Friday.

Post finished second in the 200-meter dash to Darcy Cochran of Cape Elizabeth, and finished in second in the 55-meter dash to Bridget Tweedie of Fryeburg Academy. Martin was fourth in the 55-meter dash while finishing seventh in the 400 meter dash.

They both said they couldn’t get into a rhythm leading up to the WMC meet.

“Last week, we didn’t have lot of practices,” Post said. “I think that affected my races, but I am really excited to see everyone there.”

This week, she spoke with Mercer about what she can do at home if practices get canceled again because of weather.

Martin had some butterflies leading up to the WMC Championships.

“Coming into the 400, I was nervous because I don’t think I did one running workout all last week,” Martin said. ” We only had one practice and it wasn’t really a running day for us. So I was really nervous going into the 400, because it’s a longer sprint. So I was really nervous because of that.”

Mercer just tells the girls to go about their own business.

“That’s part of what we talk about, when you are setting goals, try to set goals around things you can control, because that’s all you got.” Mercer said. “You can’t control a new girl showing up from Fryeburg Academy that runs a second faster than you. You can’t control other peoples performances, all you can control is your own.”

nfournier@sunjournal.com

Comments are not available on this story.