Taylor Wanner and Jonah Njos

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

This presents a unique opportunity and challenge for the Bowman County Bulldogs.

When the clock starts in Bowman County, Jonah Njos and Taylor Wanner are always in a good mood.

“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 two best-placed runners in Class B.

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

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

The two share a strong bond and push each other. It’s a performance that helped the team win four straight state titles.

“Every practice and every run is just like he’s the best other guy in the state,” Wanner said. “Me and him, we go back and forth and just try to make each other better.”

At the 2022 state meet, Wanner placed fourth individually, beating Njos by 10 seconds.

“For us, it doesn’t matter 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 flipped as Njos took home the state title while Wanner finished in third place 19 seconds later.

“We get competitive, but at the end of the day 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 hits me, I will shake his hand, and if I hit him, he will shake my hand.”

They share a competitive friendship that pushes each other on and off the track.

“He just makes me so much better, not just at running but in life in general.” He has taught me so much about how to approach life with a good mentality. “It’s definitely good to have someone there to take responsibility,” said Njos.

Njos and Wanner will push themselves to the limit this Friday at the Class B state cross country meet in Jamestown.

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

It will be their last state meet together, where only one man can win, but they will be there for each other at the finish line.

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