It's hard to tell them apart with a simple glance, and their relationship with each other is strong. The Falmouth teens grew up attending the same school system until the ninth grade, when Nathan decided to run for Falmouth Academy, which began its cross-country program in 2019, and Silas opted to remain at Falmouth High.

The schools rarely compete against one another, but on the chance that they do, the Gartner twins are able to face off for a competition of pure skill.

"It's definitely fun because I get to warm up with [Nathan], I get to stretch with him and talk to him about the race strategy," said Silas. "It's like you have your teammate running with you . . . If he beats you, it's not like you really lost."

Even with their respective seasons just getting underway, both brothers already have their eyes set on nationals. Silas is looking to return after finishing 36th at the Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego last season, and Nathan has a personal goal of breaking 15 minutes, 30 seconds this year, which would put him in contention at the top of the region.

The two competed over the summer in the Tommy Cochary mile race at the Falmouth Track Festival, where Silas won for the second consecutive year, finishing in 4:16.85. Nathan was close behind, crossing the finish line in 4:20.75.

They also participate in the seven-mile Falmouth Road Race, where this year Nathan finished first in the 15-19 age group (60th overall) in 38:06, and Silas finished second in 38:37 (68th overall).

Nathan returned to the trails this year for the first time since 2023. He decided to join the soccer team his junior year but is back for his senior season. Although he took some time off from competing , he continued training.

It showed. At the 18th annual Vineyard Invitational, Nathan broke his older brother Henry's record with a time of 15:47 on the 5K course.

"It just kind of lets me know that I'm doing great and I'm where I'm supposed to be," Nathan said.

The Gartners come from an athletic running family. Henry and their other older brother, Caleb, each ran for Falmouth in high school, and their mother, Joanne, and father, Ken, are avid runners as well. Ken trains the boys and he got them into running as part of the Falmouth Running Club.

"It's something that's in their blood," said Falmouth High coach Conor Markham. "It's something they love to do, and it's not uncommon, driving around Falmouth, seeing a Gartner running around town."

The twins do have their differences, though. Silas leans a little more forward when he runs. Nathan spent five months this year listening to the Harry Potter series on audiobook while he ran.

But they share another similarity of competing at the Cape Cod Curling Club where they competed in the Grand National Curling Club's U18 championship in 2024.

"[There's] a lot of strategy in curling, and if you really break it down, there's a lot of strategy in running, too," said Silas.

Both boys love strategizing before races, and their maturity and work ethic is a prominent part of their character.

"He's hardworking," Falmouth Academy coach Jon Olson said of Nathan. "If I said 'this is what I want our plan to be for a race,' he goes and he just executes the plan."

For Silas and Falmouth High, who won the Cape & Islands league last year, his maturity helped create a strong camaraderie.

"He's fearless, he wants the biggest challenge he can get," said Markham. "It's been really a pleasure for me to see him grow up and become more of a leader."

The competition between the two is always friendly, and seeing each other succeed is just as special as succeeding themselves.

"I always want to be faster than him, obviously," said Silas. "But I'm happy even if he runs a faster time than me. I'm still happy."

▪ The Canton girls have not won the Hockomock League in 47 years, and this year's group has a goal to end the drought.

The Bulldogs are led by star junior Lauren Raffetto, who immediately became the best runner in program history as a freshman in 2023 and is now one of Division 2's top returners. Raffetto has won her first two dual meets this season convincingly, including a 106-second victory (19:43) against Foxborough last Tuesday to reset her own home course record.

Canton coach Brian Gotsell feels Raffetto -- who also excels on the Bulldogs' hockey team -- is poised to take another leap this fall, after she competed in track for the first time and attended a cross-country camp in Vermont over the summer.

"Track helped her confidence, and she put in the work over the summer," said Gotsell. "She's a woman on a mission, and I think we're going to see some PRs from her."

The Bulldogs finished fifth last year in Division 2, and return six of their next seven runners behind Raffetto -- including senior Alexa Piazza and sophomore Adileh Azar, who finished 37th and 68th, respectively, at last year's state meet.

"A big goal for the girls coming in again is trying to slay the dragon of Oliver Ames, and try to bring home that Hockomock league title," said Gotsell. "These girls, they did their summer training, putting in the work. They are ready for it."

▪ The first big invitational arrives this weekend, with the MSTCA Frank Kelley Invitational taking place Saturday at Wrentham Developmental Center. There are 16 races in total, all at the 3K distance, with races split into large schools (900+ students) and small schools (under 900 students) and also separated by class.

The first prominent 5k invitationals will come Sept. 27, with the Bay State Invitational in Wrentham and the Ocean State Invitational -- which will feature many of the state's top teams -- in Warwick, R.I.

'If he beats you, it's not like you really lost:' How the Gartner twins navigate running for different schools. - The Boston Globe