TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona's star runner Bailey Roth from Atlanta, Georgia, always knew he was born to run. There was a time in his life, however, when he wasn't so sure about his dreams.
Going into his sophomore year of high school, Roth was diagnosed with prolonged QT syndrome and told he would never be able to run track and cross country again. Prolonged QT syndrome is a heart rhythm disorder that can potentially cause fast chaotic heart beats. It cannot be cured and usually lasts a lifetime.
"I had some health concerns after a track race the previous season." Roth said. "They took me to a hospital where they diagnosed me with prolonged QT syndrome, which is kind of like a heart tremor. There was a 12 week period where I basically wasn't running or doing any physical activity at all. They ended up redoing and rereading the tests and found that the doctors had misread the original diagnosis."
Once Roth heard the incredible news he immediately aligned his focus on the cross country season and sat down with his father to set big goals. Roth would go on to run the state meet in Carrollton, Georgia. "The significance of this race was that it was a comeback for me in my career for running." Roth said. "I was definitely the underdog in the race because I was a little under-trained and less experienced than the others in the race."
Roth went on to win the 5K race by 12 seconds at a time of 15:54.13, and his best friend Zane Coburn helped push him by finishing in second.
"At that point in my career I was young and not thinking about college, but after that race was when I realized I could do something with this and this is my future. There was no turning back from there," said Roth, explaining why this race goes down as the race of his life.
It's safe to say that Roth never turned back and is now a key runner on both the track and cross country teams.
Last year in track and field, Roth was able to take home second-team All-America honors in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. This year in cross country, Roth made his season debut.
Head cross country coach James Li was happy to have him back as Roth finished third in a four-mile race, clocking in at 20:29.61.
"We were very pleased with the results today as it was Bailey's first run in a while." Li said after the race.
Roth will be in action this Friday, October 28th for the Pac-12 Championships right here in Tucson, Arizona.
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