Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont's Brier Lenort (right) and Jordan Thompson (left) run side by side during practice last Wednesday at Fairmont High School.

FAIRMONT – In a relay, it takes one mistake to change everything.

A slippage on the track, a delayed start after the gun, or the most costly error of all – a dropped baton – can mean the difference between seconds on the clock and places in the standings.

This hasn’t been the case for Fairmont’s boys’ 4 by 800 meter relay team. Those mistakes are few and far between. The quartet – Carter Hanson, Jordan Thompson, Cooper Gudahl and Brier Lenort – has used its past training and off-track chemistry to create a bond that extends beyond the competition, limiting errors in hopes of making the state tournament for the second consecutive season.

“They’ve been a great crew [for us],” Fairmont track and field head coach Jesse Walters said. “I don’t put our best four together in relays all that often, especially the 4 by 800, during these regular-season meets. To build chemistry, running the relay and repping it, it doesn’t happen as much in a relay like that, but just training together every day in practice.”

Hanson, Thompson and Lenort were a part of last year’s team that made program history through the 2025 spring. Joined by then-senior Jaydon Putney, now a member of the Augustana Men’s Cross Country team, the group found much success in their competition.

Their best performance came in the MSHSL Section 2AA Championships at Gustavus Adolphus College. Finishing at 8:08.70, a time that ranks fourth all-time in program history, the Cardinal crew did enough to qualify for the ensuing state tournament in June.

Fairmont finished 10th at St. Michael, with a time of 8:11.39, just behind St. Thomas Academy and Stewartville. They placed first among three other relay teams Walters sent to the state meet.

“Last season, we definitely had a great squad,” Lenort said on the 2025 4 by 800 team.

But there was a belief that the 2026 group could be even better. Despite the graduation of Putney, the three returning state members knew last season’s experience was just a start for something bigger this spring.

“We are trying to improve our time from last year,” Hanson said. “We performed well at sections, but I think overall, our team this season can be better than the last.”

One reason for this had been the addition of Gudahl to the rotation. Not only has his talent been seen by many on the Cardinal cross-country course, particularly this past fall, but the senior has also gained extensive varsity track experience throughout his years.

Walters considered Gudahl as one of the runners who just missed out on competing for last year’s 4 by 800 team. Gudahl even got experience in the race during last season’s Fairmont Sentinel Relay, helping the group earn a second-place finish behind River Valley.

“For Cooper specifically, he was really close to getting on it last year. But he’s now running great this year and has put in a lot of work from then to now to make sure he’s in a safe spot to be on it,” Walters said.

Gudahl said the transition into the rotation was even smoother given all the experience the four have had running together. This extends beyond meet competitions through off-season training and practices. Gudahl, Thompson and Lenort have all worked simultaneously over the past handful of years, while Hanson joined later as a younger runner.

Any questions about chemistry with a new team member were thrown out the window during Fairmont’s second competition of the season.

At the Minnesota State University Varsity Showcase, the quartet displayed their talents in full, setting the program record for fastest indoor 4 by 800 meter relay with a time of 8:29.91. This was good for fourth in the competition behind Ames (8:27.15), Cambridge-Isanti (8:25.59) and Edina (8:24.99). There were 10 total teams competing.

“We all have experience in championship-style races,” Gudahl said. “We’ve already had one this year at the MSU Showcase. We had a pretty good outing against some really talented competition, with some of the best runners not only in southern Minnesota, but some teams from Iowa and South Dakota too.”

Progress has been made steadily since the team’s fast start to the spring. Their finish at the SJM Invitational was the best they’ve seen in 2026, with a time of 8:22.75, which placed first among the five other teams. This Friday’s Fairmont Sentinel Relays will be another chance for the unit to show its continuity on the track. The boys’ 4 by 800 is scheduled for 4:45 p.m right after the girls. It will be the second race of the track events.

Nonetheless, the goal remains the same as every season. All four runners plan on putting their best foot forward for another trip to the state meet. Shaving seconds off their time comes through practices leading up to full competition. Every start, every handoff and every repetition is vital to seeing success later in the year. When it counts the most.

“Overall, it’s been pretty good,” Hanson said about this season. “We’ve been getting consistently better pretty much every meet.”