[May 18, 2013] State Track: Boone's Austin wins 1,600 with help from teammate Meier Tweet DES MOINES, May 18, 2013 (Ames Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- It's become almost a tradition for Albert Meier and Chandler Austin. The Boone junior runners are tied at the hip and on the leaderboard, where whose name comes first matters little to the pair. They certainly proved that point Saturday at the track and field state championships at Drake Stadium. Meier led the Class 3A 1,600-meter race with just meters remaining to the finish until he slowed -- all the while yelling encouragement to his teammate -- as Austin passed him to win the state title. The twosome finished one-two, in reverse order of their finisih in the 3,200 on Thursday. "I got mine," Meier said. "He had to get his now." Both runners finished under the Class 3A state record, with Austin clocking in at 4 minutes, 15.65 seconds and Meier at 4:15.69. The pair's collaboration in the race went beyond simply being teammates. "Best friends, dude," Austin said. "That's what it takes, two guys doing the work. You can't do it by yourself. It's a lot easier to give up, but if you've got two guys doing the same thing it's a fun time." Austin led at both 400 and 800 meters before Meier moved into the first spot at the 1,200-meter mark and held it until those final few steps short of the finish line. "It was kind of our plan," Austin said. "He was going to win the 3,200, and I was going to try to win the 1,600." Gilbert's Thomas Pollard set a personal record with a time of 4:18.47. "My main goal was just to get a PR and to PR by nine seconds in the mile, that's really fun," Pollard said. "I hadn't really gotten a good mile race this year. I just missed out on Drake, and that would have been a good one to run fast so just getting in a good race with lots of great competitors helped push me." Gilbert's Wes Greder placed 11th in a time of 4:30.71. Pollard's time was good for third place behind the Boone junior duo, which is exactly where Pollard finished in the 3,200 as well. Chandler, Meier, Greder and Pollard are no strangers to sharing the track, having competed against each other numerous times, most recently at the district meet earlier this month in Nevada when two seconds was all that separated the foursome of local runners. "No one likes to lose," said Pollard, "but they're good competition and it's fun races with them." It was more than just a splendid weekend for Austin and Meier; it was a terrific year of running altogether. The two took first and second in the fall at the Class 3A state cross-country meet, with Austin coming out on top there as well. "We said before, we don't care who was one-two as a long as it's me and him," Meier said. "That's what we did." "It's a lot more fun because seeing the expression on his face," he added. "The atmosphere here at Drake is just fun." Earning state championships alongside your best friend certainly adds to the ambience. "I love him to death," Austin said, "that's all I've got to say. We're two best friends. "A hell of a time." ___ (c)2013 the Ames Tribune, Iowa Visit the Ames Tribune, Iowa at www.amestrib.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]