Senior Spotlight: Running is what Jett Lucas loves to do

Editor’s note: This is a weekly series dedicated to highlighting local senior athletes.

SANDPOINT — One day when Jett Lucas and his dad were at Ivano’s Ristorante in Hope, Sandpoint middle school cross country coach Jake Peterson came up to them and tried to convince Lucas to give the sport a try.

Lucas was hesitant at first but when the start of his eighth grade year rolled around he decided to join the team. The rest is history.

“Turns out I loved it, so here I am,” he said.

Lucas has been running ever since and has spent the past three seasons as a top runner on the track and cross country teams.

It didn’t take long for Lucas to notice he was a naturally-gifted runner. Going into his first ever cross country race eighth grade year, Lucas had no expectations and no idea what was going on, but he won.

Lucas knew then cross country was his calling.

“I was like, ‘OK this is fun, I’m good at this,’” he said.

Lucas won every single race in eighth grade including districts. He was unstoppable, but to become the athlete he is today he had to start dedicating time outside of practice to running and Lucas admitted that took some time.

“I had definitely come out of my eighth grade year a little cocky, not as humble as I should have been,” he said, “and I was thinking, ‘Oh I got this natural talent I don’t need to worry about training.’”

But prior to his sophomore year, Lucas saw Nikolai Braedt putting in the work and growing each and every day. He realized he needed to do the same if he wanted to reach his full potential.

“He is what drove me to be where I am now,” Lucas said about Braedt.

Sandpoint boys cross country coach Matt Brass said he really saw Lucas pour himself into running his sophomore year.

“With him you saw he made a conscientious decision, ‘yes this is something I want to be a part of and want to be good at,’” Brass said.

And that dedication has paid off. Last year, Lucas took 15th at the 4A state cross country championships and he currently owns the fourth fastest 5K time in school history. So far this season, Lucas has won every event he has competed in, from the Sandpoint mile trial to the Inland Empire League meet this past Friday at Travers Park.

This fall, Lucas and Braedt will be pushing each other every race as the top two runners in North Idaho and Lucas said their connection goes far beyond running.

“It’s more than friends, it’s like we're brothers,” he said. “I don’t know if you get any closer than that.”

It all started freshman year when the pair were in the same 3D-design class. Lucas said that year he chose to take part in the school play on Shrek instead of running track and he regrets that decision.

“He would always sit next to me,” Lucas said about Braedt, “and he would give me his pistachios and he’d be like, ‘Yeah, track’s going so well,’ and every time he was like, ‘Oh yeah I just ran a 4:45 mile,’ and I was like, ‘What?’”

Lucas spends most of his time running, but also enjoys skiing, wakeboarding, hiking and most recently slacklining.

For Lucas, there’s something special about running and he embraces the grind.

“When you're out there on a long run and you're running 10, 11 miles or maybe a little bit more,” he said, “it’s peaceful, it’s serene, it’s like a form of meditation.”

Brass said Lucas is thoughtful, disciplined, humble and incredibly intelligent.

As one of three captains on the boys cross country team, Brass said Lucas has adjusted to being more vocal and has the perfect personality to connect with all of his teammates.

“He’s well-rounded,” Brass said. “He’s more than just a runner and he’s more than just a scholar.”

Lucas said Brass is someone he’s always looked up to over the course of his high school career.

“He’s been something so special in my life as a mentor and as a coach,” Lucas said.

Brass said Lucas is like an extended family member and he’ll always remember the long runs from Gold Hill to Garfield Bay.

Brass admitted it’s hard to talk about the impact Lucas has had on the program because he knows in a year he’ll be off to college and no longer on the team. But the past four years working with Lucas have been super rewarding, Brass said.

“That time together, I enjoyed it immensely,” he said. “He’s a really mature kid for his age.”

Just like every high schooler entering their senior year, Lucas hasn’t picked a career path yet but he knows whatever he chooses to do won’t involve sitting at a desk all day.

Lucas has also thought about running collegiately, but hasn’t committed one way or another.

Brass said he’s had conversations with Lucas about competing in college and he’s stressed the importance of finding a school that fits his career path and interests. Academics first, athletics second, Brass said.

“I think if he could find a program that fit … and had that piece where he really thinks he could go to the next level and continue to elevate and improve, I think he would enjoy it,” Brass said.

Regardless, running will always be a part of Lucas’ life.

“Even if it’s not competitive,” he said, “I think I’ll have to run. I can’t stop now.”