South Sound XC — Meet Complete · Coverage in the Books
HOKA John Payne
Invitational 2026
Roughly 100 programs, fifteen races, one grass gauntlet. Joshua Healey took the boys' race and Ciana Johnson the girls'. The full story is in the gallery and the written recap.
Race Results
Chambers Bay,
the winners
The 30th HOKA John Payne Invitational sent roughly 100 programs across the Chambers Bay grass. Joshua Healey of Vashon Island won the boys' race and Ciana Johnson of Ballard won the girls' race. Full results: athletic.net ↗
The Written Recap The full HOKA John Payne recap The winners, Issaquah's depth, and the story of the day — written and photographed on site. Read the recap →
| Race | Winner | School |
|---|---|---|
| Boys' race | Joshua Healey | Vashon Island |
| Girls' race | Ciana Johnson | Ballard |
- Event
- HOKA John Payne Invitational — High School Cross Country
- Date
- Location
- Chambers Bay, University Place, Washington
- Photographer
- Russell Moore — Editorial sports photographer, Pacific Northwest — full-day coverage Oct 3
- Coverage
- Full-event documentary coverage — every race, every team — published as a curated post-race gallery (live now) and a written recap on the blog
Notice of Operations — 2026 Season
The lens followed 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 toed the line. That model produced a lot of files and very few photographs worth keeping. Covering the meet as a whole is not the same as photographing every individual in it.
What I shot was the meet itself — editorial, free-range, for the culture. The leader committing at the hairpin. The freshman closing on tired legs. The chute at the moment form gives out. I went where the story went, and the story didn't check start lists.
Roughly 100 schools. Fifteen races. A lens that followed the story all day. Then I drove north: the PM half of this double header was the Nike Twilight under the lights in Everett.
The documentary photo gallery from this meet is a curated set of selects. Your athlete might be in it. That's the honest deal.
- EditorialCoverage followed the narrative of the race — no roster obligations.
- CuratedA tight set of selects, not a volume archive. Every frame earned its place.
WIAA-credentialed · SafeSport certified · $1M liability insured · filed for DyeStat & WestcoastXC.
The Compass
Race Intel
01 — Schedule
| Gun | Race | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08:45 | Community Open — two sections | 5K | Open entry |
| 09:30 | Youth — Elementary & Club | 1.5 Mi | |
| 09:50 | Youth — WIAA Middle School | 1.5 Mi | |
| 10:15 | Boys JV Gold | 5K | Team average under 20:00 |
| 10:45 | Girls JV Gold | 5K | Team average under 26:00 |
| 11:20 | Boys Varsity Bronze | 5K | Team average over 18:30 |
| 11:55 | Girls Varsity Silver | 5K | Team average over 23:00 |
| 12:25 | Boys Varsity Silver | 5K | Team average 17:00–18:30 |
| 12:50 | Girls Varsity Gold | 5K | The girls' show — team average under 23:00 |
| 13:20 | Boys Varsity Gold | 5K | The show — team average under 17:00 |
| 14:05 | Boys JV Silver — Teams A–L | 5K | |
| 14:40 | Boys JV Silver — Teams M–Z | 5K | |
| 15:15 | Girls JV Silver | 5K | Team average over 26:00 |
| 16:00 | Boys JV Bronze | 5K | Team average over 24:00 |
The Field — 2026
Roughly 100 programs.
One grass gauntlet.
- Auburn Mountainview
- Ballard
- Beaverton (OR)
- Bellarmine Prep
- Central Kitsap
- Curtis (Host)
- Gig Harbor
- Issaquah
- Juanita
- Lake Oswego (OR)
- Liberty (NV)
- Meridian
- Milwaukie (OR)
- Mt. Spokane
- North Eugene (OR)
- Olympic
- Prairie
- Puyallup
- Redmond
- Roosevelt
- South Kitsap
- St. Mary's (OR)
- Stadium
- Tahoma
- Tumwater
- West Point Grey (BC)
- White River
- Yelm
Four states and provinces on one start line — from the South Sound's own to Mt. Spokane crossing the state and West Point Grey coming down from Vancouver. Plus middle-school and club divisions across the day. Full results via Athletic.net.
Already Covered
The field, already in frame
These athletes are already in front of the lens. Race-day frames from Oct 3 are in the documentary gallery →
Course Notes
Beautiful views.
Bad manners.
First-hand notes from shooting and walking this course. Chambers Creek is gorgeous and it does not care about your PR.
- The StartA massive field start — runners get about a third of a mile to sort themselves before the course narrows into a single-track climb. Get position early or spend the hill stuck in traffic.
- The LoopThe single track climbs, then descends back onto the field, with rolling hills throughout. This race is deceivingly challenging — the times won't show what it takes out of the legs.
- ConditionsOn a dry day the surface is phenomenal. On a wet day it's sloppy, mushy, and muddy. It's October in University Place — bring both plans.
- SpectatingOne of the best viewing courses on the calendar: you can catch your runner five or six times without breaking a sweat.
- The RuinsThe old concrete sorting tower stands over the course — the last piece of the gravel works — with an osprey nest on top. Best backdrop in Washington cross country.
- Land & HistoryThis land is the traditional territory of the Steilacoom Tribe — the tribe's own history records six Steilacoom band village sites along what settlers called Chambers Creek, and the creek still carries the Steilacoom name. For roughly a century, the pit here supplied gravel that built much of early Tacoma and Seattle — by local accounts, a large share of Seattle's first foundations.
- Sound & WaterTrains blast along the shoreline and ships move across the Sound all day. You'll hear the race before you see it — and then a freight train will drown it out.
- LightThe marquee boys' Gold race goes off at 1:20 PM — high, hard October sun on open grass. Great for the views; bring a hat.
Post-Race
The Documentary Gallery
Gallery live — curated selects published
Photos from the 2026 HOKA John Payne 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 was never guaranteed. Personal use licensing; media and commercial use by arrangement.
View the Gallery →Want the story behind the photos? Read the written recap →
Missed this meet? See the rest of the 2026 season →
Straight Answers
FAQ
Will there be photos of every athlete at this meet?
No. I covered the full event — every race, every team — but coverage was editorial and followed 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.
Where are the photos from this meet?
The curated documentary gallery from the 2026 HOKA John Payne Invitational is live — tap "View the Gallery" at the top of this page. Personal use licensing; media, school, and commercial licensing is available on request.
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.
Who won the 2026 John Payne Invitational?
Joshua Healey of Vashon Island won the boys' race and Ciana Johnson of Ballard won the girls' race. Full results are on athletic.net.
How big was the field at the John Payne Invitational?
Roughly 100 high school programs from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia, plus middle-school and club divisions — 15 races across one day. Varsity races were flighted by team average rather than classification; the boys Varsity Gold race (team averages under 17:00) at 1:20 PM was the marquee race of the meet.
Is there a written recap of the 2026 John Payne Invitational?
Yes. My full written recap of the 2026 HOKA John Payne Invitational — the winners, Issaquah's depth, and the story of the day — is on the blog: read the recap.
