NORTH MANCHESTER - When Manchester track star Nick Iden turned fourth and 10th seeds into first and second places at last week's Kokomo Regional, Nate Grossman wasn't surprised.

"Nick Iden," Grossman said, "has the tenacity of a pit bull."

Grossman is Robin to Iden's Batman. Grossman, who graduated from Manchester this year, competed in two hurdle events with Iden. His season ended at the regional.

Iden's tenacity served him well. His fourth seed was in the 110-meter hurdles, which he won with a time of 14.82 seconds. His 10th seed was in the 300 hurdles, where he placed second with a time of 37.98 seconds. He holds the school record in the 300 (he broke his own) and is .02 seconds off the record for the 110.

Both were his best times ever. Both got him a trip to Friday's state finals - for the second year in a row.

He placed 16th in the 110 and 10th in the 300 at state last year.

This year he hopes to crack the top nine in both events.

"If I didn't make it," the 17-year-old junior said, "it would seem kind of weird that I went to state my sophomore year but not my junior year."

This fear of failure chased him all the way down to the Kokomo Regional.

"I was scared," he said.

When the regional ended, people were still talking about the beginning. Iden rocketed out of the blocks in the first running event, the 110. His start, more than anything else, got him his first place.

"I'm always fast out of the blocks," Iden said. "That's where I usually beat everybody. If you can get in front of everybody, it's hard for them to catch up. You're in front at least the first five hurdles. At the end, you can usually pull up."

Late Wednesday afternoon, Grossman stood outside Manchester High School, waiting on Iden. The two and an assistant coach were going on a three-mile run. Grossman's high school track career may be over, but he still trains with Iden.

"To keep him from getting lazy," he explained.

Iden's practices are a little lighter now. He does some hurdle work to loosen his hips and some distance running to work the kinks out.

Grossman remembers the closest he ever came to Iden. Two strides.

Then he paid Iden a high compliment.

"I measure my performances by how close I was to him," he said. "If I was pretty close, I knew I was doing pretty good."

Fifteen or 20 minutes later, Iden and his long, loping gait stride toward the high school. He stretches his legs out while he answers questions, pulling one foot up behind his back, then the other.

Iden is asked how he became interested in track. The answer is simple. "I just always ran," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

He does not know how many medals or awards he owns - there are too many to count. "Way over 20," he said, but "not over 50."

A lot of these medals are on his singlet, which he has worn to every meet since his freshman year. Iden has so many medals on the singlet that he clanks when he walks.

And he's only a junior. He should only get better, which would mean three trips to the state finals in three years.

Grossman is a grinder. Head coach Casey McDowell, when asked about the two, said Grossman always had to work hard in track. Iden? "The good Lord," he said, "has blessed him with extraordinary talent."

Grossman agreed, then added more.

"In his mind," Grossman said, "he is the best. That's what counts. In the end, the person who has the mental toughness is what makes the difference.

"He's a pretty amazing guy." [[In-content Ad]]