About the HOKA + Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest
The course at Apalachee Regional XC Park is the official venue for the Florida high school state cross country championships, and it has also hosted national and world-level competition. That pedigree shows in the layout: a proper cross country surface built for fast, competitive running. This is a race festival built around varsity-style heats, from middle school through collegiate and open divisions.
Some heats go off under the lights, which gives the evening a different feel than a typical weekend morning race. Teams can reserve areas and rent tent space, so the park fills up with coaches and athletes in a way that reads more like a championship meet than a local fun run.
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Finish-Time Stats
Going by the 2025 results, this is a small, friendly field, and the field is fairly quick, so expect a competitive front.
5K · 2025 results
220finishers
15:28winner
18:43median
35:08cutoff
Top 3: Joshua Hicks (15:28) · Bryce Motycka (15:52) · Oscar Brown (15:54)
3K · 2025 results
133finishers
10:25winner
14:42median
2:07:14cutoff
Top 3: Jake Burpee (10:25) · Chase Sims (10:26) · Benjamin Gunter (11:12)
8K · 2025 results
83finishers
25:25winner
29:58median
49:12cutoff
Top 3: Christian Giller (25:25) · Eli Zuppa (25:53) · Christopher Colavita (25:54)
The HOKA + Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest has been held every year since at least 2023. That is as far back as RunSignup's records for this race go, so it may well be older.
How we calculate these stats: RunSesh calculates these figures from the most recent published results of past editions, sourced from RunSignup. We show aggregates only: field size, winning and median times, and the cutoff. We never publish individual finisher tables. Last updated Jul 27, 2026.
Distances & Start Times
5K9/12/2026 19:00$35
8K9/11/2026 20:00$200
5K9/11/2026 20:45$200
3K9/12/2026 17:00$200
3K9/12/2026 17:30$200
5K9/12/2026 19:00$200
5K9/12/2026 19:30$200
5K9/12/2026 20:00$200
5K9/12/2026 20:30$200
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