The 35th annual Sunfair Invitational Cross Country Meet will be held Saturday October 4, 2008 at Franklin Park, in Yakima, Washington. Over 2500 runners are expected to descend upon Franklin Park for an exciting day of top level competition. Teams from British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah and Washington are expected to provide a great athletic event again this year. The meet will begin at 8:45 am with the 3rd-6th grade runners and will end at 4:30 pm with the awards ceremony at the base of the terraces.
The Sunfair Cross Country Invitational is the largest single-day high school participation event in the northwest. Brooks has been the major sponsor of the meet for the last four years and will be there again this year. Brooks awards a brand new pair of running spikes to first place finishers in each of the seven varsity flights. Over 30 local businesses and individuals also sponsor Sunfair. A complete list of all our sponsors is provided on our web site.
The meet has been featured on DyeStat, www.DyeStat.com, the premier nationwide high school and college running website, twice in the past 4 years. The DyeStat site features photos and results, as well as a pictorial tour of the Yakima Valley. John and Donna Dye personally attended the meet in 2005 and provided live coverage on race day. Please check out the links to their 2005 coverage, DyeStat: Sunfair 2005 and DyeStat: Donna on the Side 2005 Complete results and pictures will appear on our web site, www.sunfairrun.com.
Meet Records: The course record for the boys is held by Matthew Davis an NCAA All American from Oregon. In 2004, the girls course record previously held by Sara Schwald, a former U.S. Olympian, was broken by the number 1 and 2 finishers of the race: Brie Felnagle from Bellarmine Prep in 1st place and Zoe Nelson from Flathead High School in Montana in 2nd place. Prior to the race, both girls were nationally ranked and promised a terrific competition. Those who witnessed the race will remember the amazing come from behind finish from Brie Felnagle as she used her 800m sprint speed to close the approximately ½ mile gap and move ahead to win the race in the last mile.
The meet director for the 35th annual Sunfair Cross Country Invitational is Phil English, Cross Country coach for Eisenhower High School. He has run the meet since it's inception in 1973. Assisting Phil English and coordinating the work of the Eisenhower Cross Country Parent Club will be Kevin McCarthy, general manager of White Pass Ski Resort.
| Date: | Saturday, October 4, 2008 |
| Location: | Franklin Park, 19th & Tieton Dr., Yakima, Washington |
| Web Site Coverage: | Complete results and pictures will appear on our website SunfairRun.com. This year we will again post results as the races are completed. Pictures will be added to the web site over the next few days following the meet. |
| Key Sponsor: | Brooks Sports, Inc. |
| Course Length: | 3 miles for all races with the exception of the 3rd-6th grade (1 mile), the 7th-8th grade (1.5 miles) and the Frosh (2.0 miles) competitions. These races will be run over the last sections of the 3-mile course. For example, the Frosh races will be run over the last 2-miles of the regular 3-mile course. |
| Course Description: | Primarily grass with short sections of pavement. Spikes or flats may be worn. The course is comprised of 4 loops with the terrain varying from a steep hill at 1-mile to rolling, gentle areas. The start area will be in the middle of Franklin Park. The course will be marked and available for viewing on Friday, September 28. Officials will be available for course clarification from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Franklin Park on Friday September 28. |
| Entry Form: | Schools are encouraged to enter runners in any race at the Invitational (except grades 3rd-6th which are only open to Yakima Schools). An official entry form must be completed and returned prior to Monday September 24th. All schools are required to enter the meet using Athletic.net For directions and links to Athletic.net, click here. The race you choose for your runners to compete in is entirely your prerogative and can be made right up to race time. |
| Entry Fee: | $120.00 for a combined Girls & Boys team, or $60.00 for a boys or girls team, or $10.00 for each individual entry. Please make checks payable to Eisenhower ASB, and forward to: Phil English, Eisenhower H.S., 702 So. 40th Ave., Yakima, WA 98908. Print an Invoice |
| Lane Assignments: | There will be no assigned lanes. Runners are free to start at any point behind the starting line. |
| Meet Scoring: | All seven Varsity Flights will be scored by place. The team accumulating the lowest number of points for all seven flights will be declared the winner. Ties will be broken by the finish of the runner in Flight 7. Teams that do not have seven varsity runners complete the course will be assigned the last place score for any one or more flights. Schools must have five varsity runners complete the course in order to be considered for team scoring. Only one boy and girl runner from each team will be scored in each of the varsity flights. There will be no team scoring for non-varsity races. |
| Race Schedule: | 8:45 am | 3rd-6th Graders (YSD students only) | 1.0 mile |
| 9:00 am | 7th-8th Graders Combined | 1.5 miles | |
| 9:30 am | Frosh Boys & Girls Combined | 2.0 miles | |
| 10:00 am | Junior Boys | 3.0 miles | |
| 10:30 am | Junior Varsity Girls | 3.0 miles | |
| 11:00 am | Sophomore Boys & Girls Combined | 3.0 miles | |
| 11:30 am | Senior Boys Only | 3.0 miles | |
| 12:00 pm | VARSITY Flight 1 | 3.0 miles | |
| (#7 runner on the team) | |||
| 12:30 pm | VARSITY Flight 2 | 3.0 miles | |
| 1:00 pm | VARSITY Flight 3 | 3.0 miles | |
| 1:30 pm | VARSITY Flight 4 | 3.0 miles | |
| 2:00 pm | VARSITY Flight 5 | 3.0 miles | |
| 2:30 pm | VARSITY Flight 6 | 3.0 miles | |
| 3:00 pm | Boys VARSITY Flight 7 | 3.0 miles | |
| (#1 runner) | |||
| 3:30 pm | Girls VARSITY Flight 7 | 3.0 miles | |
| (#1 runner) | |||
| 4:00 pm | Coaches & Community Run | 3.0 miles | |
| 4:30 pm | Awards Ceremony on the NW Terraces |
| Please Note: Boys & Girls will run together in the first six varsity flights. Flight 7 will be run separately. |
| Results: | A complete packet of results will be available to coaches after the awards ceremony. Result packets will not be mailed unless specifically requested prior to the meet. |
| Race Numbers: | All runners must wear a race number during the race. These numbers will be provided in team packets. No teams or individuals will be entered on the day of the meet. |
| Awards Ceremony: | An awards ceremony will take place immediately following the Coaches and Community Run. The ceremony is held at the base of the terraces in the northeast corner of the park. |
| Individual Awards: | Ribbons for places 2-50 in each non-varsity race Ribbons for places 2-10 in each varsity flight Medals to winners in every race and in each varsity flight Winners of varsity flights will receive a pair of Brooks shoes. |
| Team Awards: | 1st, 2nd, & 3rd in 4A Classification 1st, 2nd, & 3rd in 3A Classification 1st, 2nd, & 3rd in A/2A/B/2B combined Classifications Overall trophy to the top combined school in both Boys & Girls |
| Packet Pick-up: | Packets may be picked-up at the picnic shelter on the south side of Franklin Park on Friday afternoon October 3rd or on Saturday morning upon your arrival at the meet. |
| Medical: | A team of physicians and athletic trainers will be on duty for the duration of the meet. A medical area and tent will be located at the finish area; access will be restricted to the medical staff and meet workers ONLY. |
| Admission: | Franklin Park will be fenced-off for the meet. Admission gates will be established at various locations around the park. Adults will be charged $5.00, and students with ASB $3.00. All participants, coaches, and school personnel will be admitted free. Any athletes or teams caught removing fencing or entering the meet in unestablished areas will be disqualified. |
| Restrooms: | Locker rooms will be available at Franklin Middle School (athletes only). Public restrooms will be open at Franklin pool. In addition, 20 portable toilets will be available throughout the park. |
| Parking: | Limited parking is available at Franklin Park on Tieton Dr. Additional parking will be available at Franklin Middle School on 19th Ave. Most parking will be on the streets in the surrounding residential neighborhoods. Please do not park on private property or block driveways. Parking for buses and vans will be available at the church on the corner of Chestnut and 16th Avenues. |
| Concessions: | A full concession stand will be available for the duration of the meet. There is also a soda fountain located in the Yakima Valley Museum at the main entrance to Franklin Park on Tieton Drive. |
| Shirts: | A large selection of uniquely designed apparel will be available for purchase. |
| Brooks Sales Tent: | Brooks Sports and FootZone will be selling running related apparel at the meet. |
