Cox brothers are happy to be teammates
Twins to lead Golden Falcons at State Relays
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Brothers Charles and Chris Cox are looking forward to competing as teammates this season, now that Chris has joined his brother at Monmouth Regional High School after attending Southern Regional last year.

Sprinters can't be blamed if they are seeing double this winter.That's because the Cox twins, Charles and Chris, will be teammates again.

Instead of racing against each other like they have the past two years, the Cox twins have joined forces at Monmouth Regional High School, making a school with a rich tradition of sprinting even stronger. Scary, in fact.

The senior brothers can't wait to get started.

"It's [being teammates] been in the back of our minds," said Chris. "We're very motivated."

Charles, last year's outdoor NJSIAA Meet of Champions 400 winner, called the prospects of teaming with his brother "exciting."

It starts on Sunday for the twins at the Jersey City Armory at the NJSIAA State Group Relays. They've run together once this year at the Millrose Games 4x400 qualifier at Seton Hall. Both ran sub-50 second legs for the Golden Falcons.

For Charles, it was very special getting the baton handoff from his brother, and he looks forward to more of the same.

The last two years, with Charles attending Monmouth Regional and Chris at Southern Regional, the brothers only saw each other once a week, and that was usually at track and field meets where they were trying to outrun each other.

"It was tough," said Charles, who was living with his father, Charles Cox, in Tinton Falls, while Chris was with their mother, Sheron Keyes, in Manahawkin.

Last summer, Chris decided that it was best for him to move to Tinton Falls with his father and brother.

"I thought the time was right," he said of the move. "I had to think of what was best for my future."

Although they have raced together just once, they are already reaping the rewards of training together. Instead of talking about workouts over the phone or at track meets, they are doing them together and taking each other to a new level.

"It's great," said Charles.

"He's such a great help. We feed off each other. He's going to make me better. I have someone to train with and push me."

He believes that training with his brother will help him reach his full potential in the 400.

Chris feels the same way about running with Charles.

"It's fun, to tell you the truth," he said.

Chris has already seen the benefits of his training with Charles, having won the 400 meters at the Seton Hall Games last month in 50.53.

While Charles was winning the outdoor Meet of Champions crown last June, Chris, while very good in his own right at the 400, suffered in comparison.

Charles helped him get through it and was his biggest fan.

"He's always been very supportive," said Chris. "He always stuck with me."

The Coxes both started running track together in Manahawkin, and it gravitated to the sprints. Chris was a late bloomer compared to Charles.

He missed his freshman year due to knee surgery and has been playing catch-up with his brother. He believes that this year he can be on the same level as his brother, and both are looking to run the 400 in 46 seconds outdoors. That can't be a comfort to those chasing them.

Charles, who did not win the indoor MOC in '06, would like to add that crown to his résumé before defending his outdoor title in the spring. He'll be running the 55, 200 and 400 indoors, like his brother, who may experiment with the 800.

For now, the focus is on the relay season and next month; when the Coxes race head-to-head, it will be for team points.