Colby Martinez is a three-sport standout for Columbus. The junior is an all-state football and basketball player and is now chasing the same honors in track.
Martinez finished 11th in the 400-meter dash as a freshman and is still trying to find his groove early in 2021.
“It’s weird getting back in that track shape. Freshman year we had multiple meets, we had no breaks from it really. Having a whole year off of just not conditioning from it, it’s just weird," Martinez said.
Improvement is sure to come for Martinez as the season ramps up. Even if the upper-level competition might not be around at every meet, he’s found something else to stoke his competitive flame.
“It’s just helped me have better stamina to be able to go without getting tired," said Martinez. "It’s also helped me to compete on my own factor without having a team to push you. It’s you versus you, basically, so that’s helped me a lot.”
Martinez currently has a top-10 mark in Class B in the long jump at 19 feet, 10 inches and is top six in the 400 with a time of 53.45 seconds. Dropping that time, though, only means one thing.
“For the 400, that’s going to be a tough race. But I think if I keep working I could battle for it," said Martinez. "The faster I run it, the faster I get done with it.”
Martinez and his Columbus teammates will be in Billings on Tuesday, April 20 at the Billings Central Invite at Billings West.
