South Sound XC — Documentary Coverage
Olympia XC
Classic 2026
- Event
- Olympia XC Classic — High School Cross Country
- Date
- — first race 9:30 AM, senior girls 12:50 PM
- Location
- LBA Park, Olympia, 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 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 will be a curated set of selects. Your athlete might be in it. Guaranteeing they are takes the channel below.
- 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.
Home course. I cover Olympia High School all season — the Bears' first-ever SPSL girls' title, state in Pasco, NXR in Spokane — plus a Season in Review feature on Gig Harbor's Max Dower.
The Compass
Race Intel
01 — Schedule
| Gun | Race | Division | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:15 | Coaches Meeting | — | Start/finish area |
| 09:30 | Open / Youth / Community 2.0 Mile | All | Untimed |
| 10:00 | Freshman Boys | 2.0 Mile | |
| 10:25 | Freshman Girls | 2.0 Mile | |
| 10:55 | Sophomore Boys | 2.0 Mile | |
| 11:20 | Sophomore Girls | 2.0 Mile | |
| 11:45 | Junior Boys | 2.0 Mile | |
| 12:05 | Junior Girls | 2.0 Mile | |
| 12:30 | Senior Boys | 2.0 Mile | |
| 12:50 | Senior Girls | 2.0 Mile |
2026 Field — Olympia XC Classic
36 Schools
on the Course
Grade-level 2-mile races from freshmen to seniors — the deepest early-season field in the South Sound.
- Aberdeen
- Auburn
- Black Hills
- Clover Park
- East Jefferson
- Eatonville
- Elma
- Emerald Ridge
- Everett
- Evergreen (Vancouver)
- Federal Way
- Franklin Pierce
- Gig Harbor
- Hanford
- Jackson
- Lakes
- Mountain View (WA)
- Northwest Christian (Lacey)
- North Thurston
- Olympia
- Peninsula
- Prairie
- Rainier
- River Ridge
- Rochester
- Rogers (Puyallup)
- Seattle Academy
- Shelton
- Thomas Jefferson
- Timberline
- Tumwater
- University Prep
- W.F. West
- Washington
- White River
- Yelm
2026 Preview — The Ones to Watch
Home course.
Loaded field.
I shoot this course all season — it's home. Every athlete below returns in 2026 with verified 2025 credentials, and the host school brings back the core of a team that won its first-ever SPSL title and finished second at the 4A state meet last fall.
- Quenton Lanese Won this meet's freshman race last year in 10:05.6 — then took second at the 4A state championships in 15:05.4 and set national freshman records in the 1600m and 3200m on the track. The sophomore boys race at 10:55 is the one to circle.
- Gemma Stevick Won the freshman girls race at last year's Classic in 12:27.0 as the Bears swept both freshman team titles.
- Leah Hennen Fourth at the 4A state championships as a freshman (18:26.1) — the top returning Bear — on the team that won Olympia's first-ever SPSL title and finished second at state.
- Carolina Schilter Third in the junior race at last year's Classic (12:44.9) and a scorer on Olympia's 4A state runner-up team (48th at state, 19:33.5). With Sydney Kosa graduated, the senior class carries the banner.
- Max Dower All-PSL — and he ran his two-mile best (10:35.6) on this course last year. Featured in my 2025 Season in Review series.
- Paeton Poelman Won the junior race at this meet last year (12:14.1), then the 3A NPSL sub-district title (19:00.1), then sixth at the 3A state championships (18:34.3). First-team all-league.
Also on the radar: Caitlin Lanese & Eliza Johnson (Olympia — part of last year's dominant freshman wave) · Gig Harbor's deep boys' pack.
From Last Year's Classic
Last year, in frame
Full race galleries are free but email-gated — join the list at the gallery gate and you'll get the Classic selects the moment they drop.
Course Notes — LBA Park
The home course, decoded
No scouting report needed here — this is my home course, and I shot every race of last year's Classic. What to know going in:
- FormatTen races, one morning: grade-level 2-mile heats from freshmen (10:00) to seniors (12:50), opened by an untimed community 2-miler at 9:30. Every grade gets its own race and its own podium.
- TerrainGrass, wood chips, and trail. Races open in a wide field, then bottleneck into single track — still passable, but the smart ones take position before the trails. Moves happen early or not at all.
- Depth36 schools — the deepest early-season field in the South Sound. Results here set the pecking order for the SPSL and beyond.
- FinishThe chute is long and fan-lined all day — the loudest finish of the early season, and the best finishing frames.
- LightLater races catch direct sun and hotter temps at the start and finish — the freshmen get the cool morning, the seniors get the heat. Plan hydration and exposure accordingly.
Post-Race
The Documentary Gallery
Coverage pending — selects drop within 72h of the final race
Photos from the 2026 Olympia XC Classic 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.
What time does my athlete race?
Grade-level 2-mile races run from 10:00 AM (freshman boys) through 12:50 PM (senior girls) — full schedule in the Race Intel section above. An untimed community 2-miler opens the day at 9:30.
Who are the runners to watch at the 2026 Olympia XC Classic?
Olympia sophomore Quenton Lanese — a national freshman record holder on the track — headlines the field, with teammate Gemma Stevick, Gig Harbor's Max Dower, and White River's Paeton Poelman among the names to watch. Full watchlist above.
