BOWMAN COUNTY, N.D. (KFYR) – It’s hard enough to earn the honor of being the top runner in North Dakota, but it’s not often that both of the top runners are on one team.

That presents a unique opportunity and a challenge for the Bowman County bulldogs.

When the clock starts in Bowman County, you can always find Jonah Njos and Taylor Wanner in stride.

“We’re like best friends,” Njos said.

Wanner is a senior cross-country runner at Bowman County High School, and Njos is a junior. They are the top two ranked runners in Class B.

“We’ve been running with each other since I was in seventh grade,” Njos explained.

“He’s like a brother to me, so we always love racing against each other,” Wanner said. “It’s always so fun knowing that he’s right by my side all the time.”

The two are connected by a strong bond and push each other day. It’s a drive that’s helped lead their team to four straight state titles.

“Every workout and every run is just like that’s the best other guy in the state,” Wanner said. “Me and him, we’re going back and forth and just trying to make each other better.”

At the 2022 state meet, Wanner finished in fourth place individually beating Njos by 10 seconds.

“It doesn’t matter to us which one of us comes in first, we just want both of us to do as well as we can,” Wanner said.

In 2023, the script was flipped as Njos took home the state title while Wanner finished 19 seconds later in third place.

“We get competitive, but in the end, we all know we’re both on the same team,” Njos said. “We both have the same goals. At the end of the day, if he beats me, I’m going to shake his hand, and if I beat him, he’s going to shake my hand.”

They share a competitive friendship that pushes one another on and off the course.

“He just makes me so much better, and not even just in running, but in life in general. He’s taught me so much about approaching life with a good mentality. It’s definitely good to have someone there to hold yourself accountable,” said Njos.

Njos and Wanner will be pushing themselves to the limits this Friday in the Class B State Cross Country meet in Jamestown.

“We like the pressure. We like the target on our back,” Wanner said.

It will be their final state meet together where only one man can win, but they’ll be there for one another at the finish line.

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