South Sound XC — Documentary Coverage
Ft. Steilacoom
Invitational 2026
- Event
- Ft. Steilacoom Invitational — High School Cross Country
- Date
- — first race 9:00 AM, Gold Varsity 2:00 PM
- Location
- Fort Steilacoom Park, Lakewood, Washington
- Photographer
- Russell Moore — Editorial sports photographer, Pacific Northwest
- Services
- Full-event documentary coverage — every race, every team — published as a post-race gallery of curated selects. Gallery is live now: full-resolution digital downloads $25, bundle pricing available.
Post-Race Notice — 2026 Season
The lens follows the race,
not the roster.
I was on site for the full event — every race, every team, from the first gun to the last chute. But I'm done shooting volume galleries. No 2,000-frame dumps, no bib-searchable archives, no promise of a photo of every athlete who toes the line. Covering the meet as a whole is not the same as photographing every individual in it.
What I shoot is the meet itself — editorial documentary coverage of Washington high school cross country. The leader committing at the hairpin. The freshman closing on tired legs. The chute at the moment form gives out. The story doesn't check start lists.
The gallery from this meet is a curated set of selects. Your athlete might be in it — if the race found them, the lens probably did too.
- EditorialCoverage follows the narrative of the race — no roster obligations.
- CuratedA tight set of selects, not a volume archive. Every frame earns its place.
- Post-RaceSelects published within 72 hours of the final race. The gallery is live — head to the beacon below.
Official Scoring — Gold Varsity
How the Gold races finished
The top 10 from the state-ranked Gold Varsity races — boys at 2:00 PM, girls at 2:07 PM, September 19, 2026. Full meet results via the link below each table.
Boys Gold Varsity — Top 10
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quenton LaneseSo | Olympia | 15:02.1 |
| 2 | Stejer FranklinJr | Mead | 15:02.8 |
| 3 | Elliot YeggeSr | North Central | 15:23.1 |
| 4 | Joshua HealeySr | Vashon Island | 15:29.4 |
| 5 | Kian ComptonSr | Eisenhower | 15:30.0 |
| 6 | Aaron PoolerSr | Mead | 15:31.2 |
| 7 | Andrew WardJr | Cheney | 15:39.7 |
| 8 | Austin MesserSr | Todd Beamer | 15:39.8 |
| 9 | Brit SeguinSo | Kamiakin | 15:41.0 |
| 10 | Carter WardJr | Cheney | 15:41.1 |
Girls Gold Varsity — Top 10
| Pl | Athlete | School | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaycee JenkinsJr | Kamiakin | 17:59.8 |
| 2 | Lenorah McGartyJr | Redmond | 18:32.6 |
| 3 | Eleanor JonesFr | Sequim | 18:32.9 |
| 4 | Emery DahlJr | Redmond | 18:35.0 |
| 5 | Leah HennenSo | Olympia | 18:48.4 |
| 6 | Kisanet MearafuSo | Auburn | 18:53.3 |
| 7 | Ella SavageJr | Gig Harbor | 18:57.0 |
| 8 | Sophia RogersSr | Battle Ground | 18:59.8 |
| 9 | Emma GriceSr | Kingston | 19:01.6 |
| 10 | Jordan DaligconSo | Tahoma | 19:01.7 |
Full official results — all races, all divisions: TrackScoreboard meet results. Race story and analysis: read the recap.
Post-Race
The Documentary Gallery
Galleries live — curated selects published
Photos from the 2026 Ft. Steilacoom Invitational are live — a curated set of selects telling the story of the meet as I found it. This is not a bib-searchable volume archive, and inclusion isn't guaranteed. Personal use licensing; media and commercial use by arrangement.
View the Gallery →Full-Resolution Digital Downloads
- Single photo $25 One full-resolution digital file · personal use
- Bundle — any 3 photos $50 3 for the price of 2
- Bundle — any 5 photos $75 5 for the price of 3
Every download still supports the coaches who built this sport: with no commissioned bookings for this race, 25% of every full-resolution purchase goes to the WSCCCA Coaches Scholarship Fund — buy the full-res file, fund a coach's education.
Course Notes — Fort Steilacoom Park
Lakes' home, everyone's test
This is Lakes High School's stomping ground, not mine — but it's one of the most spectator- and photographer-friendly courses in the state. What to know:
- TerrainMostly flat, but not honest-flat — a tough hill at about 1.5 miles and another around 2. The course is mostly exposed to the elements; whatever the weather is doing, the course is doing it too.
- TacticsWatch the field at mile 1, near the silos — that's where the race tells you how it's shaping up. The hills decide who actually has it over the final mile.
- SpectatingThe best spot-your-runner course around: the loop brings athletes past the same area three or four times. Team tents anchor the start and finish, and the finishing area is a hotspot for parents, coaches, and teammates all day.
- FinishThe finishing straight is a net-downhill grass runway lined with fans — fast times die on the hills and get reborn in the chute.
- LightThe Gold Varsity races ran at 2:00 PM in the day's hardest light — exposed course, high sun. The morning JV races get the soft stuff.
Straight Answers
FAQ
Will there be photos of every athlete at this meet?
No. I cover the full event — every race, every team — but coverage is editorial and follows the story of the race, not the roster. That's documentary coverage of the meet as a whole, not a guarantee of individual photos of every athlete.
Is the documentary gallery live?
Yes — the curated selects published within 72 hours of the final race. The gallery button on this page takes you straight to it.
How much do digital downloads cost?
Full-resolution digital downloads are $25 per photo. Bundle pricing — order through the gallery's Packages section: any 3 photos for the price of 2 ($50), or any 5 photos for the price of 3 ($75). Every full-resolution purchase sends 25% to the WSCCCA Coaches Scholarship Fund.
Does buying photos support the WSCCCA Coaches Scholarship Fund?
Yes. No commissioned bookings came in for this race, so instead of the usual booking-based contribution I'm donating 25% of every full-resolution digital purchase from this gallery to the WSCCCA Coaches Scholarship Fund — the program backing Washington cross country coaches' education, running through Leagues & Districts this season.
When were the varsity races?
Varsity ran in three flights — Bronze (12:40/12:47 PM), Silver (1:20/1:27 PM), and Gold (2:00/2:07 PM), boys then girls. The Gold races carried the state-ranked fields.
Where can I find the top finishers from the Gold Varsity races?
Right on this page — the Gold Varsity Results section above lists the top 10 in each race, and the official full meet results are linked there.
Can I use the photos commercially?
Gallery images are licensed for personal use. Media, school, and commercial licensing is available — get in touch through the main site.
