One of the southeast's fastest nights of cross country is back for Year Two - Friday & Saturday, Sept. 25-26 - and the field that lit up Huntsville in 2025 has a lot of unfinished business.
HUNTSVILLE, Al - One year in, On Twilight at PR'ville has already earned its name. Under the lights at historic John Hunt Park. The place where fast times and good memories are made, runners from more than a dozen states chased PRs into the night, and the inaugural edition closed the way every great cross country party should: with an awards ceremony and fireworks.
Now registration for Year Two is officially live and RunningLane is once again building one of the deepest, fastest invitational fields in the Southeast.
Mark the calendar: the high school program Saturday, Sept. 26, with the night building toward the fastest sections of the evening as the stadium lights take over.
What Happened in 2025
The debut delivered exactly what it promised - championship fields that ran deep and ran fast, with a finish line under the lights.
Championship Boys 5K. Tupelo (Miss.) junior Andrew Brown broke the tape in 15:10.36, holding off San Antonio Antonian's John Boland (15:15.89) and The Woodlands' Elton Martin (15:17.48) in a tightly packed top three. Alabama had a sophomore in the mix from the gun, with Florence's Charlie Hollingsworth taking fourth in 15:29.14, and Hazel Green's Nehemiah Johnson flying the local flag with an eighth-place 15:41.70. The Championship Boys race alone drew nearly 285 finishers.
Championship Girls 5K. Centennial (Ohio) senior Larkin Johnson got to the line first in 17:47.42, but the story right behind her was the one everyone left talking about: Independence freshman Emmie Underwood ran 17:49.59 - just two seconds back, against a senior-heavy field, as a ninth grader. Jonesboro's Lauren Thompson rounded out the podium in 18:00.68.
The reach was genuinely national. Programs traveled in from Texas (The Woodlands, San Antonio Antonian), Mississippi (Tupelo, Olive Branch), Arkansas (Jonesboro, Ft. Smith Southside), Georgia (Woodward Academy, Pace Academy, Alpharetta), Kentucky (DuPont Manual, Daviess County), Ohio (Milford, Centennial, Turpin), Florida (Niceville), Tennessee (Christian Brothers, Westview, Bearden), Kansas (Manhattan), the Carolinas (Swain County, Wren) and a strong Alabama contingent led by Florence, Hazel Green, Homewood, Bob Jones, James Clemens, Sparkman, Oxford, Randolph and Whitesburg Christian Academy.
Who's Coming Back for 2026?
The Format: Race Where You Belong
On Twilight is built so every athlete gets a fast, fair section. The Saturday high school program runs from junior high through varsity championship, with time-standard divisions so the front of every race is a true competition.
Tentative Saturday schedule (all times Central; subject to field size - nothing starts before 5:00 PM CT):
| Time (CT) | Race |
|---|
| 6:20 | JH/JV Girls - 2 Mile (Grades 7-9) |
| 6:40 | JH/JV Boys - 2 Mile (Grades 7-9) |
| 7:00 | Open/JV Girls - 5K (no time requirement) |
| 7:30 | Open/JV Boys - 5K (no time requirement) |
| 7:55 | Rated Girls - 5K (sub-25:00 team average) |
| 8:20 | Rated Boys - 5K (sub-20:00 team average) |
| 8:45 | Championship Varsity Girls - 5K (sub-22:00 team average) |
| 9:15 | Championship Varsity Boys - 5K (sub-18:30 team average) |
Friday, Sept. 25 - College Night: College Men's 8K and College Women's 5K. (Full college meet information coming soon.)
Then the lights, the awards ceremony, and the fireworks to close the night.
Logistics & How to Enter
Dates: Friday-Saturday, Sept. 25-26, 2026 Venue: John Hunt Park, Huntsville, Ala. Host: RunningLane | Timing:Xpress Timing Livestream: Free on YouTube, stream begins ~6:00 PM CT Saturday
Sanctioning. This is a two-day cross country meet conducted under NFHS sanction approval for the high school division. Out-of-state teams should email info@runninglane.com to be added for sanctioning or fill out the sanction request on the meet registration page.
Don't Wait - The Lights Come On Sept. 26
Year One proved John Hunt Park can play host to the fastest night of the early season. Year Two has the returning champions, the rising stars, the On hardware and the fireworks to match. Get your team in early - and we'll see you under the lights.
→ Register now for On Twilight at PR'ville 2026
Questions? Email info@runninglane.com.
