Portland XC — Documentary Coverage
Nike Portland XC
Invitational 2026
- Event
- Nike Portland XC — High School Cross Country
- Date
- Location
- Blue Lake Regional Park, Fairview, Oregon
- Photographer
- Russell Moore — Editorial sports photographer, Pacific Northwest
- Services
- Documentary photo gallery (post-race) + guaranteed private commissions (pre-race, 5 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.
142 programs. Eighteen races. The Danner Championship fields are national-caliber — and the Washington contingent is driving down in force. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Gold Varsity Girls | 5K | 3rd-runner standard 21:00 |
| 09:25 | Gold Varsity Boys | 5K | 3rd-runner standard 17:45 |
| 09:45 | Danner Championship Girls | 5K | The show — 19:45 standard · Westfall, McGarty, Rogers |
| 10:10 | Danner Championship Boys | 5K | The show — 16:30 standard · Blankenship, McKinnis, Voss |
| 10:30 | Frosh/Soph JV Girls | 5K | |
| 11:00 | Freshman JV Boys | 5K | Where underclassmen get noticed |
| 11:25 | Sophomore JV Boys | 5K | |
| 11:50 | Junior/Senior JV Girls | 5K | |
| 12:20 | Junior/Senior JV Boys | 5K | |
| 12:45 | J/S Novice JV Girls | 3K | Short-course novice race |
| 13:05 | J/S Novice JV Boys | 3K | Short-course novice race |
| 13:25 | Blue Varsity Girls | 5K | 3rd-runner standard 22:45 |
| 13:50 | Blue Varsity Boys | 5K | 3rd-runner standard 19:26 |
| 14:10 | Green Varsity Girls | 5K | 3rd-runner standard 22:00 |
| 14:35 | Green Varsity Boys | 5K | 3rd-runner standard 18:40 |
| 14:55 | JV Girls | 5K | |
| 15:25 | Frosh/Soph JV Boys | 5K | |
| 15:50 | Junior/Senior JV Boys | 5K | Final gun of the day |
02 — How the Flights Work
| Flight | Girls Standard | Boys Standard | Races |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danner Championship | 19:45 | 16:30 | Morning — the fastest teams in the region |
| Gold | 21:00 | 17:45 | Morning |
| Green | 22:00 | 18:40 | Afternoon |
| Blue | 22:45 | 19:26 | Afternoon |
The Field — 2026
142 programs.
One flat, fast loop.
- Aloha
- Arbor View
- Banks
- Barlow
- Battle Ground
- Beaverton
- Bend
- Blanchet Catholic
- Borah
- Burns
- Caldwell
- Camas
- Canby
- Capital
- Carondelet
- Cascade
- Cascade Christian
- Central Kitsap
- Cherry Creek
- Chief Sealth
- Churchill
- Clackamas
- Clayton Heights
- Clovis North
- College Place
- Columbia Christian
- Columbia River
- Corbett
- Corvallis
- Crescenta Valley
- Dallas
- David Douglas
- Eastmont
- Franklin
- Franklin (OR)
- Fullerton
- Glacier Peak
- Gladstone
- Granada Hills
- Grant
- Grants Pass
- Gresham
- Hanford
- Heritage
- High Tech High (SD)
- Hillsboro
- Holy Names Academy
- Homestead
- Hood River Valley
- Immaculate Heart
- Jackson
- Jesuit
- Kennedy Catholic
- King's Way Christian
- Kingston
- La Grande
- La Serna
- Lakewood
- Liberty(OR)
- Lincoln
- Loyola
- Maria Carrillo
- Marist
- Mark Morris
- Mater Dei Catholic
- McFarland
- McKay
- McMinnville
- McNary
- Meridian
- Milwaukie
- Mount Rainier
- Mountain Crest
- Mountain View (ID)
- Mountain View (OR)
- Mountain View(WA)
- Mt Shasta
- Mt. Si
- North Eugene
- North Thurston
- Nyssa
- Oregon City
- Oregon Episcopal
- Pacifica Christian OC
- Parkrose
- Poly (Long Beach)
- Prairie
- Preston
- Pullman
- Putnam
- Puyallup
- Redmond
- Regis
- Regis Jesuit
- Reynolds
- Ridgeview
- Santa Margarita
- Santiam Christian
- Scappoose
- Seton Catholic
- Sheldon (OR)
- Sherwood
- Silver Creek
- Skyview
- South Eugene
- South Medford
- South Salem
- Spanaway Lake
- Sprague
- Springfield
- St Francis
- St. Stephen's Academy
- Stayton
- Steilacoom
- Stevenson
- Summit
- Sunset
- The Bear Creek School
- ThunderRidge
- Thurston
- Tigard
- Timberline (Boise)
- Toledo
- Torrey Pines
- Trinity Academy
- Trout Lake
- Tualatin
- Union
- Vale
- Walla Walla
- Warren
- Washougal
- West Albany
- West Linn
- West Salem
- West Valley
- West Valley (Spokane)
- Westview
- Wilsonville
- Windsor
- Woodinville
- Yelm
The full 2026 entry list — 142 programs from seven states and British Columbia, with a serious Washington contingent making the drive down I-5. Race-day details and start lists via Athletic.net.
Split-squad weekend: the Bob Firman Invitational runs the same Saturday in Spokane Valley, and several programs send their varsity east while everyone else races here. If your athlete is competing at Blue Lake and you want guaranteed coverage, confirm their race and flight with me before meet day.
Ones to Watch
The Danner races
run through these names
Cross-referenced against the official entry list and my State Watch board — 22 board-ranked athletes are in this field. Times are 5K unless noted.
- Bjorn Blankenship Oregon 5A state 3000m champion (8:12.87) and third in the 2-mile at Nike Outdoor Nationals (8:46.32). Ninth in last year's Danner race (14:58), then second at the 5A state meet. The favorite's lane is his.
- Kate Westfall Highest-ranked Washington girl in the field (18:04.2). Camas always sends a front-runner down I-5 — she's the point of the spear.
- Eleanor Wyatt 17:52.2 5K best and seventh at the 6A state championships (18:15.3) — and she took 10th at this meet last year in a PR. TRL district 1500m champion this spring (4:33.54). Knows this course, owns the speed.
- Ashenafi McKinnis Ran 14:55.4 last season — one of Oregon's fastest 5A times — and a 3:58.10 1500 this spring. Fourth at the 5A state meet as a sophomore.
- Lenorah McGarty 18:07.5 on the board and still just a junior. Redmond's ace leads a big KingCo contingent into the Danner girls' race.
- Mana Voss The fastest boys' 5K on my State Watch board (14:50.4) — the top WA seed in the Danner boys' race.
- Clayton Jero 22nd in the Danner as a sophomore (15:14), then sixth in the 2-mile at Nike Outdoor Nationals (8:49.11). A 4:08 miler — Summit's second hammer.
- Sophia Rogers 18:27.1 on the board and the top of a strong Tigers squad. Battle Ground travels well — watch their packs in both Danner races.
- Lord King Nana-Badu-Weah 15:03.0 — the second-fastest Washington boys' time in this field behind Voss. Yes, that's his real name, and yes, you'll remember it after the Danner race.
Team to watch: Mt. Si's girls — two board-ranked returners (McLellan No. 9, Dance No. 20) and a reloaded roster make the Wildcats a podium threat in the Danner girls' race.
Also on the board in this field: McLellan & Dance (Mt. Si) · Dahl (Redmond) · Monaghan (Puyallup) · Roberts (Glacier Peak) · Hill (Eastmont) · Corrigan (Jackson) · Andujar (Yelm) · Atendido (Central Kitsap) · Timperley (Prairie) · TeVelde (Meridian — 1:52 800 speed in a small-school package).
Already Covered
The field, already in frame
The 2026 race gallery will be free but email-gated — join the list at the Nike Portland XC gallery and you'll know the moment selects drop.
Course Notes
Flat, fast,
and full of history
Blue Lake Regional Park has hosted this meet for decades — one of the West Coast's premier invitationals, and one of its most watchable.
- TerrainFlat, fast, mostly grass loops around the park — a PR course by reputation. Fast times here are real; the course doesn't give them away for free, but it doesn't take much either.
- The FlightsCoaches seed varsity teams by their third runner's 5K time — no hiding a strong pack in a slow flight. The Danner Championship races take the fastest standards (19:45 girls / 16:30 boys) and go off mid-morning.
- The NamesakeThe meet was founded in 1980 by Aloha coach Jim Danner, who led Aloha's girls to three Oregon state titles in four years (1980, 1981, 1983) before cancer took him in 1989. The championship races carry his name — win one and you join a list that includes some of the best ever to run in the Northwest.
- WA HeritageWashington has deep roots in this race: Gig Harbor's Wolfgang Beck (2012) and the Peloquin brothers (Tristan 2014, Bradley 2018), Lincoln's James Mwaura (2017), Tahoma's Jonathan Lafler (2007), Seattle Prep's Max O'Donoghue-McDonald (2006), Camas' Alexa Efraimson (2013) and Bellarmine's Ella Borsheim (2018) have all won here.
- SpectatingThe meet's own billing: easily viewable for most of the course. Loops bring runners back past the same ground — good sightlines, minimal sprinting between spots.
- New for 2026The meet moves from its traditional Friday to Saturday, with the Gold and Danner races in the morning and Blue and Green after lunch. Morning races mean cooler air for the marquee flights.
- LogisticsParking has run $5 in recent years, and this meet fills its entry list fast every season. Gates have opened at 7 AM — plan an early arrival, especially for the 9:00 Gold girls.
Post-Race
The Documentary Gallery
Coverage pending — selects drop within 72h of the final race
Photos from the 2026 Nike Portland XC 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 Nike Portland XC?
One of the biggest on the West Coast — 142 programs across 18 races, after last year’s meet drew over 100 teams and 4,000 athletes. Varsity teams are flighted by their third runner’s 5K time, and the Jim Danner Championship races (9:45 AM girls, 10:10 AM boys) draw national-caliber fields from Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Colorado, and beyond.
Who should I watch at Nike Portland XC 2026?
Summit senior Bjorn Blankenship — Oregon’s 5A state 3000m champion — leads the boys’ Danner race, with Washington’s best right behind: Central Kitsap’s Mana Voss (14:50.4) and Battle Ground’s Lord King Nana-Badu-Weah. The girls’ Danner race runs through Camas senior Kate Westfall (State Watch No. 5) and West Linn junior Eleanor Wyatt (17:52.2). Full watchlist in the Ones to Watch section above.
