The Southern Showcase powered by Huntsville High School 2026

Huntsville, AL
Hosted by Huntsville HS
Timing/Results Xpress Timing

Meet Information

Online Registration Instructions

Director: Blake Borden -- blakebordenhhs@gmail.com

Primary sponsors: Huntsville Sports Commission & Fleet Feet Sports with the support of Nike Running for 2025! 

**2026 UPDATE -- We are going to be a Saturday ONLY meet this year with an unlimited 5k and JH 2 mile- tentative schedule below**

*there will be a full course preview window from 1PM to sunset on Friday, as well as a TBD time frame for teams to check in Friday afternoon-evening to beat the Saturday rush as well. You can also set up tents starting at 1PM on Friday, but no earlier as there will still be the college meet that morning. 

Timing: Xpress Timing 

paul@xpresstiming.com

*I will annually complete NFHS Sanctioning so that states other than just AL borders can compete. If this applies to you, please contact me directly ASAP. 

*Also - ONLY high school attached runners can enter. No unattached runners or club teams are eligible. 

*Furthermore, only schools that are members of their respected state associations are eligible to participate & a team staffed & certified coach must register and travel with the athlete(s) to the meet and be in attendance through their competition.  Here is a link to the list of eligible associations: 

September 19, 2025- John Hunt Park 2151 Airport Rd SW, Huntsville, AL 35801 

- You can pay at the meet, but we strongly encourage paying in advance. 

*Out of state school meet entry will close on 8/31 -- this is to be sure that our final NFHS sanction is accurate.

- Once you are entered into the meet, you can make changes to your race entries until 9/15 at midnight. 

*Payment: Please write check to: Huntsville High XC

mail to: 

Lacey Guthrie
720 Owens Drive
Huntsville, AL 35801

The account to pay when using Venmo is HHS-XC -- you need to list your full team name, city and state, an email address, and the purpose of payment otherwise there will be a delay getting you the password once entries go to being password protected.

If you use Venmo, please list your full team name with state and address. 

Entry Fee system for 2026:

$100 for championship divisions, $20 for individuals in the championship in cases of having less than a scoring team of 5 

$75 for blue, crimson, gray - $15 for individuals in these races in cases of having less than a scoring team of 5

$10 per athlete for unlimited entry divisions - junior high and open 

TENTATIVE schedule and division breakdown: (subject to change) --

Saturday 9/19

8:00 AM - Blue girls 5k: next most competitive level


8:25 AM - Championship girls 5k: 7-10 -- top 40-50 or so varsity teams overall plus top individuals


8:55 AM - Championship boys 5k: 7-10 - top 40 or so varsity teams overall plus top individuals


9:15 AM - Blue boys 5k: 7-10: next most competitive level


9:35 AM - Crimson boys 5k: 7-10: third most competitive level


10:00 AM - Crimson girls 5k: 7-10: third most competitive level


10:25 AM - Gray girls 5k: unlimited: fourth most competitive level


11:05 AM - Gray boys 5k: unlimited: fourth most competitive level


11:35 PM - JH boys 2 mile: unlimited 7-9th grade only


12:00 PM - JH boys 2 mile: unlimited 7-9th grade only

*the timing between races here is completely tentative, just an example for the sake of visuals
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* Championship boys teams: Current or realistic projected team average (1-5) of 17:30 or faster


* Championship boys INDIVIDUALS: CURRENTLY 16:15 or faster


* Championship girls teams: Current or realistic projected team average (1-5) of 21:00 or faster


* Championship girls INDIVIDUALS: CURRENTLY 19:15 or faster


*If your top 5-7 are not likely to average those times listed above, I would recommend they be entered in the Blue or Crimson race.*



*Do not enter more than 10 athletes in the non-unlimited races on Saturday as outlined on the meet page. Gray is the only unlimited race. 


* Please keep in mind these standards are to create fair and honest racing as well as to keep the logistics of each race flowing smoothly. We don't want someone 10 minutes back of the main pack of athletes in the Championship or Blue races for instance. Please adhere to these standards and let me know if you have any questions.
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Saturday awards ceremony schedule will follow the race schedule in 2025 and begin around 9AM. 

Blue Boys - top 15 individuals get shirts, top 3 get medals,  top 4 teams get trophies

Blue Girls - top 15 individuals get shirts, top 3 get medals, top 4 teams get trophies

Crimson Girls - top 15 individuals get shirts, top 3 get medals, top 3 teams get trophies

Crimson Boys - top 15 individuals get shirts, top 3 get medals, top 3 teams get trophies

Gray Boys - top 15 individuals get shirts, top 3 get medals, top 3 teams get trophies

Championship Girls - top 20 individuals get shirts, top 5 get medals, top 5 teams get trophies  & special awards for the overall winning team. 

Championship Boys - top 20 get individuals get shirts, top 5 get medals, top 5 teams get trophies & special awards for the overall winning team. 

JH and Open races:  top 15 individuals get shirts, top 3 get medals, top 3 teams get trophies

RACE DESCRIPTIONS: 

7-12th grades are eligible for all the 5K races at The Southern Showcase. Only 7-9th are allowed in the JH 2 mile. Athletes can only run in one race for the meet. In other words, you can't run an athlete on both Friday and Saturday. 

Championship - Instructions for this will come from the meet director annually. I will provide a team average cut off. The goal is around 45-55 teams based on how many are entered. Top individuals whose teams are at the meet but are not assigned to this division should race here as well. In other words, a projected top individual should race in the championship regardless of where their team is assigned. I will provide a time for this as well.

Blue - Varsity group 2. If your team doesn't meet the cutoff for the championship, you should run your top group here. 

Crimson - third level of competition, after the championship and blue races. 

Gray - unlimited entry 5k - fourth level of competition. 

JH 2 mile - 7-9th graders only. Unlimited entries. 

Registration will close on 9/14 at midnight.

******No pets or bicycles are allowed at the race venue per AHSAA & the City of Huntsville*******
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The city of Huntsville will be handling the logistics. Early arrival is suggested as spillover lots will be a bit further of a walk. There will be plenty of handicap parking near the course. 
John Hunt Park (Southern Showcase) - North Alabama Gold Circuit Standards
https://al.milesplit.com/meets/692336-north-alabama-gold-championship-2-mile-2025/info


^^ALL NORTH AL teams are invited!!

JV Boys 2-mile - sub 14:00
JV Girls 2-mile - sub 16:00
The best xc camp out there - 
Looking for something to do as a team after the meet, check this out!