Starting in 1998, the Fort Steilacoom Invitational has grown to be one of the largest meets in the Northwest. While it is nice to be a popular early season destination, our goal is to provide a true cross country race, with an appropriate level of competition for athletes and teams at all levels.
By utilizing a staggered start, where most girls races start 5 minutes after the boys, we are able to run three varsity divisions (Bronze, Silver, and Gold), and a number of sub varsity races, while still finishing by mid afternoon. See the Time Schedule for more information on the various races. You can visit results from previous years on athletic.net to see where best to place your athletes. When placing runners in a JV race, please note that any potential 30+ minute runner should be placed in the final JV race of the day, regardless of their grade level. This is to keep the meet on schedule. There is also a community race, and a free youth run. Registration for those races will be on-line this year. Check back closer to the race for updated information.

Gold, Silver, & Bronze Division

There are three varsity divisions, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The Bronze division is best suited for smaller schools and developing teams. The Silver division is for those teams that will be competing at the district and state level, while the gold division is for elite level teams or individuals. Our goal is always to try to balance the divisions, so final placement in the gold division will be made by meet staff.

Timing and Results

Timing is provided by GC Racing. We use photo timing, with a chip timing back up. Rob Whitacre of GC Racing is also the official timer of the state meet, as well as a host of other Invitational, League, and District meets. Live results will be posted continuously.

Amenities

As has been our tradition since the beginning, we feed the coaches. We have donuts from The Original House of Donuts, along with other treats, coffee, and beverages. At lunch, pizza will arrive. Coaches are welcome to come the the main shelter to hang out and enjoy something to eat. We will have an array of food trucks, and also, Brooks technical event shirts. The Lakes High School Band will be performing, and always welcome athletes from other teams to bring their instrument and join in when they are not racing.

Awards

Awards go 20 deep in all races. Individual awards in all sub varsity races will be given at the finish, with the overall winner of every race also getting a Brooks Event Winner spike bag. In the varsity races, the top five teams in in the gold division receive. The top three teams in the Silver and Bronze teams also receive awards. The members of each winning team also receive a Brooks Item. There is also a team award for the top combined boys and girls team. Those team members also get a Brooks item. Individually, the top 10 in each varsity division get medallions with 11-20 receiving ribbons. Varsity Division Awards Ceremonies will take place approximately 30 minutes after the completion of that Varsity Division.

The Course

The Fort Steilacoom course is true cross country, with a mixture of grass, dirt and some gravel, with short stretches of pavement where there are road crossings. The opening mile is generally flat, with the two major hills coming at approximately 2000 meters and 3400 meters. There are numerous opportunities to see the runners.

Top 50 list

Over the history of the meet, there have been a number of incredible performances. Our Top 50 list has the top 50 individuals and their times. We are looking to expand this to the top 100 in the near future. The list is for the top 50 athletes, with only there bust time listed. You can view the top 50 boys here. You can view the top 50 girls here.