Emotional race a powerful moment for Croswell's Jackson family
CROSWELL — Eric Jackson held back the tears as best he could.
The Croswell native had just watched his son, Owen, place first in a high school cross country meet.
But this wasn't just any race. It was the one started by, and eventually named after, Eric's late father.
Owen Jackson won the boys race of the 27th Annual Mike Jackson Memorial Invitational at Croswell-Lexington High School on Aug. 24.
"For me, it's emotional," said Eric Jackson, a former Cros-Lex runner and 1993 graduate who now lives in Indiana. "But it's fun to see and I'm happy for (Owen). This is special because of the situation with my dad — everything changed in a heartbeat."
Mike Jackson was a staple at Cros-Lex for 30 years until his sudden death on Feb. 5, 1998. In addition to teaching full-time, he spent part of his tenure as coach of the cross country and baseball teams.
"When I went out there before the start of the race, I just prayed," said Owen Jackson, a senior at Oak Hill High School in Converse, Indiana. "I prayed that I could run this race and win it for (my grandfather). So, that's what I went out and did. I felt really good about that."
He was given permission to participate by the Indiana High School Athletic Association. Despite being the only out-of-state runner, Owen isn't a total stranger to Michigan.
"He comes to camp up here every summer and gets to run against the Michigan guys," Eric Jackson said. "So a lot of these guys (out here) are his friends from camp that's he's been hanging out with for a couple years. So that's been a cool process to have it happen."
The senior crossed the finish line at 16:52.60, roughly 34 seconds before anyone else.
"I came around at about the mile (mark) and finally figured out what this course was," Owen Jackson said. "Then I took off. Once I got my gap (between those behind me) I was like, 'Wow. I'm out here running where my family has been.' It was really just a cool thing to be out here where they've laid their feet down."
Past met present in the Jackson family that morning, if only for a few hours.
"I know it's just a small race to start the year," Eric Jackson said. "But if it means that people can remember my dad's name one more time, then I love it."
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Emotional race a powerful moment for Croswell's Jackson family
