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!
**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.
//assets.sp.milesplit.com/meets/719044/files/2026_-_w9_-_hhsxctf_e1441155.pdf -- W9
Timing: Xpress Timing
*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:
John Hunt Cross Country 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 9/5 -- 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:
The account to pay when using Venmo is HHS-XC -- you need to list your full team's 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's 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- $15 for individuals in these races in cases of having less than a scoring team of 5
$15 per athlete for unlimited entry division individuals - junior high and gray - until your 5th runner, then it is $10 per after that
Current **updated** TENTATIVE schedule and division breakdown: (subject to change) -- as of 9/11 we removed both Gray races due to low entry numbers/ projected heat. All who were in gray will run in the crimson race which will now be unlimited entry. **
Saturday 9/19
8:20 AM - Blue boys 5k: 10 runners: next most competitive level
8:50 AM - Championship girls 5k: 10 runners - top 40 or so varsity teams overall plus top individuals
9:10 AM - Blue girls 5k: 10 runners: next most competitive level
9:30 AM - Crimson girls 5k: unlimited entry: third most competitive level
10:00 AM - Crimson boys 5k: unlimited entry: third most competitive level
*with the heat wave we have had in North AL, our goal is to try to balance races but also have them be as early as possible to keep temps cooler. There is no shade on the course so the heat is a major safety concern*
*If your top 5-7 are not likely to average those times listed above, they should be entered in the blue race. Blue teams typically average around a minute or so off the championship teams, so if yours is likely to be more than that, crimson would be a better fit. *
*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 5k race. It should not include anyone's top 10.
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 3 teams get trophies
Blue Girls - top 15 individuals get shirts, top 3 get medals, top 3 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
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.
RACE DESCRIPTIONS:
7-12th grades are eligible for all the 5K races at The Southern Showcase. Athletes can only run in one race. High school teams only.
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. Unlimited entry.