South Sound XC — Documentary Coverage
HOKA John Payne
Invitational 2026
- Event
- HOKA John Payne Invitational — High School Cross Country
- Date
- Location
- Chambers Creek Properties, University Place, Washington
- Photographer
- Russell Moore — Editorial sports photographer, Pacific Northwest
- Services
- Documentary photo gallery (post-race) + guaranteed private commissions (pre-race, 3 slots)
Notice of Operations — 2026 Season
The lens follows the race,
not the roster.
I don't shoot volume galleries anymore. No 2,000-frame dumps, no bib-searchable archives, no guarantee that every runner crosses my frame. That model produced a lot of files and very few photographs worth keeping.
What I shoot now is 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 go where the story goes, and the story doesn't check start lists.
Roughly 100 schools. Fifteen races. One photographer with a plan for every commissioned athlete — and a lens that otherwise follows the story.
The documentary photo gallery from this meet will be a curated set of selects. Your athlete might be in it. That's the honest deal — and it's exactly why the channel below exists.
- EditorialCoverage follows the narrative of the race — no roster obligations.
- CuratedA tight set of selects, not a volume archive. Every frame earns its place.
- GuaranteedThe only way to guarantee your athlete: a private commission, booked before race day.
Guaranteed Coverage — Private Commission
One athlete. A dedicated shooting plan across multiple course checkpoints, worked around the editorial coverage. Delivered as a private, edited gallery. If they're on the course, they're in the frame — that's the contract.
WIAA-credentialed · SafeSport certified · $1M liability insured · filing 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 — Section 1 | 1.5 Mi | |
| 09:50 | Youth — Section 2 | 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 · Harju, Johnson, Poelman |
| 13:20 | Boys Varsity Gold | 5K | The show — team average under 17:00 · Pepin on his home course |
| 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
- Gonzaga Prep
- 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 Gonzaga Prep crossing the state and West Point Grey coming down from Vancouver. Plus middle-school and club divisions across the day. Full start lists via Athletic.net.
Ones to Watch
Chambers Creek
ones to watch
Eight names to know before the flights go off — cross-referenced against my State Watch board and official 2025 results. Times are 5K unless noted.
- Asher Pepin Made a huge turn during track season, and now comes home to a course he knows better than anyone — 15:32.6 at The Mook last fall. One of my picks to win the boys' Gold race on his home course.
- Catherine Harju A 5:02.20 1600 and 11:21.43 3200 on the track this spring, a 19:29.1 5K at NXR Northwest, and USATF All-American honors in the Junior Olympics snow. The marquee of my Year in Review — her junior XC season starts here.
- Ciana Johnson Owns a 17:35.6 5K best — one of the fastest seeds in the girls' Gold race. Ballard's ace makes the trip south.
- Reuben TeVelde Ran a 1:52 800 as a sophomore and took fifth at the 2025 Northwest Conference championships. Small-school star, big-race speed — and the face of last year's coverage here.
- Paeton Poelman Sixth at the 3A state championships (18:34.3) and 15th at this meet last year (18:48.8). Knows the course, owns the close.
- Tabitha Riley School freshman record in the 1600 (5:12.13) and a 20:10.8 5K as a ninth-grader; SPSL 4A all-league first team. The sophomore leap starts here.
- Jackson Fuller One of two Lions on the State Watch board, with Saalfeld at No. 78. Bellarmine brings a pack to every big invite — Fuller earned his number on it.
- Lilly Lendrum Fort Roosevelt's name on the State Watch board. Seattle teams don't cross the bridges for small meets — she's a reason the girls' Gold race runs deep.
Also on the board in this field: McMahon, Gee & Loew (Gonzaga Prep) · Dower (Gig Harbor) · Boyle & Stafford (Tahoma) · Monaghan (Puyallup) · Davis & Tait (Issaquah) · Koontz & Cramer (Stadium) · Duryee (Juanita) · Saalfeld (Bellarmine Prep).
Already Covered
The field, already in frame
All eight are already in front of the lens. The 2026 race gallery will be free but email-gated — join the list at the John Payne gallery and you'll know the moment selects drop.
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
Coverage pending — selects drop within 72h of the final race
Photos from the 2026 HOKA John Payne Invitational will be published here within 72 hours of the final race — 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.
Gallery Opens Post-RaceNeed certainty instead of luck? Book guaranteed coverage before race day →
Straight Answers
FAQ
Will there be photos of every athlete at this meet?
No. Coverage is editorial and follows the story of the race, not the roster. Guaranteed photos of a specific athlete require a private commission booked before race day.
How do I guarantee photos of my athlete?
Book a Guaranteed Coverage Commission above. Commissions are capped per meet and close when slots fill or 48 hours before the gun — whichever comes first.
When does the documentary gallery go live?
Curated selects publish within 72 hours of the final race. The gallery button on this page activates automatically when they're up.
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.
How big is 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 are flighted by team average rather than classification; the boys Varsity Gold race (team averages under 17:00) at 1:20 PM is the marquee race of the meet.
Who should I watch at the 2026 John Payne?
Curtis senior Asher Pepin is one of my picks to win the boys Gold race on his home course, with Stadium junior Catherine Harju — a 5:02 1600 runner and USATF All-American — leading the girls side. Ballard’s Ciana Johnson, Meridian’s Reuben TeVelde, White River’s Paeton Poelman, and South Kitsap’s Tabitha Riley round out the watchlist above.
