Saturday, September 20th, 2025
First race begins at 8am!
Gulf Coast Runners invites all youth from kindergarten through 8th grade to come and compete in the State XC Qualifier at Vineyards Community Park on Saturday, September 20th. This qualifying race is the only local one in Naples and it is open to all schools, running clubs as well as unattached individuals who want to have a chance to qualify for the Florida Youth Running Association (FLYRA) State Championship at Holloway Park in Lakeland, FL.
*All current GCR Youth Team members will have their registration fee covered by GCR. Parents will not have to register or pay for their runner as we will cover all costs!
Schedule:
Here is the approximate schedule of events on Saturday, September 20th at Vineyards Community Park:
-8am: Girls 3K Middle School Race
-8:30am: Boys 3K Middle School Race
-9am: Upper Elementary Girls 2K Race
-9:10am: Middle School Awards
-9:20am: Upper Elementary Boys 2K Race
-9:30am: Lower Elementary 1K Fun Run (not officially timed)
-9:30-9:45am: Upper Elementary Awards
Course:
-Middle School course is 3K (1.87 miles)
-Upper Elementary School is 2K (1.24 miles)
-Lower Elementary Fun Run is 1K (0.62 miles)
*Just a reminder that this is a cross-country terrain course which means there is no pavement. Participants will be running across grass, fallen leaves, and may even include soft patches of dirt and sand.
Awards:
The top 2 Middle School teams will receive trophies in each championship race and the top 10 individual runners will receive medals.
The overall Middle School winner will receive a t-shirt, brought to you by Studio AD architects in Fort Myers
The top 10 Elementary School individual runners will receive medals!
Lower Elementary Fun Run participants get a finisher’s medal.
Results will be posted online:
https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/116661#resultSetId-482748;perpage:100
Parking:
Vineyards Community Park has a paved parking lot and their grass field will be utilized for school buses. Please be very mindful and do not block in other vehicles. It is highly recommended that if it's possible, please carpool.
Runners and their families should anticipate arriving at least 45 minutes prior to the start of their race. Runners will need to check in with their coach at their respective tent/meeting area with their school or running club, and receive a bib number.
Volunteers:
GCR is looking for volunteers to help do a variety of tasks in order to help run this event smoothly. If you are able to personally volunteer some time, or have older children at least aged 14 and older, Gulf Coast runners would absolutely appreciate it!
https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/FL/Naples/GCRMiddleSchoolXCInvitational
For those who would like a little preview of what to expect, here is a Facebook social media album of the competition from last year in 2024 including videos of the start of the races and photos of the awards.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.925587119599725&type=3
Schools, running clubs and unattached individuals will have to register online here:
https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/701029-gcr-state-xc-qualifier-2025/info
Deadline to register will be Wednesday, September 17th.
*Again GCR parents, you do not need to register your runner on this website as GCR will handle everything as well as the entry fee. This is just for your information only.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact the coaches:
-Middle School:
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-Elementary School:
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Also check out other Sports events in Vanderbilt Beach, Workshops in Vanderbilt Beach, Meetups in Vanderbilt Beach.
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