For the current defending state champion and school record holder for 800 meter run, Jarryn Lowe’s (12) journey of running has not been an easy journey but to many it has been inspirational and encouraging. 

Inspired by his middle school football coach, Lowe decided to run cross country to improve his distance. After some time, Lowe decided to run all year long and join the track team, continuing the legacy of his mother’s track and field career.

“All the way back to seventh grade, my mom was the one to come first for the track meets and she was very passionate,” Lowe said. “She wanted me to be the best I can be in the sport.”

Lowe had a successful cross country season at the beginning of his freshman year and was one of the top freshman runners for a 5k race. But towards the beginning of the track season, he started to feel ill. 

“Turns out I had myocarditis, which is an inflammation in the heart,” Lowe said. “I had to take eight months off the sport.”

Lowe was released from the hospital after receiving treatment for two weeks. Yet he was still experiencing shortness of breath, tiredness and rapid heartbeats, so he was told to rest for the next six months.

“I was devastated [when I heard the news], because running was something I was very passionate about,” Lowe said. 

During his recovery progress, Lowe did not do much physical activity, but that was no reason for him to get held back for the upcoming track season.

“In tenth grade, he came back better than everybody after having a year off,” Brandon Boyce (12) said. 

The school record for the boys’ 800 meter race in track was there since 2008. Just last year, Lowe broke the record by three seconds at his first 800 meter race after taking months off. The school record was 1:55.29 before Lowe shattered it to 1:52.92.

“[W]e were just trying to see where he was and what he was able to do,” Kevaughn Griffith said. “We always knew that he could really run fast, but losing him that year we weren’t sure how long it was going to take him to get back, but he just popped right out immediately.”

Besides being the current school record holder, Lowe is the current defending state champion in the 800 meter run and, this past cross country season, he won the city championship and was the meet MVP.

“I think that it is very possible that he can run professionally outside of his college experience,” Griffith said.

At a track meet in April at Houston High School, Lowe ran 800 meters in a valuable time: 152.09 seconds. Just after three days, the Assistant Cross Country/Distance Coach of University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UTK) reached out to Lowe.

“[The] Assistant Coach said ,‘I saw you race. Good job. I want to keep in contact with you.’” Lowe said. “I called them the next day and they [introduced] me to the track and field programs [UTK] offered.”

Committing this early in the year to an esteemed track and field program  was a golden ticket for Lowe.

“I’m incredibly excited for him … he deserves it,” Griffith said. “He’s very easy to root for because he’s genuinely a good person as well as a great athlete. I’m glad he was able to commit this early so he is able to enjoy the rest of his senior year.”

Besides doing speed training and weight lifting with his school team, Lowe runs on his own quite frequently — anywhere between 25 to 40 miles per week. 

“He does not like to lose and one of the things I appreciate about him is that he is willing to do the work necessary to decrease the likelihood he loses,” Griffith said.

During the track season, a balanced diet became the number one thing Lowe tried to improve on and that meant cutting off junk food, sodas and fast food.

“Once you are actually committed to beating a certain time and not letting others beat you, you have to do little things like this,” Lowe said. “To be great you have to do stuff outside of what coaches give [and ask from] you.”

Lowe brings high level competition and performance into the team but, according to other runners on the team, he is also someone they can count on. 

“He will make sure you get up and do your last rep, try to hit the time as best as you can [and] run as hard as you can,” Boyce said.