Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest
Chaires, United States • 11-12 Sep 2026
HOKA + Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest
The HOKA + Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest is a multi-day sports event held at the Apalachee Regional XC Park in Tallahassee, Florida. This cross country festival takes place over two days in September and features a series of races held after dark under stadium lighting. The venue is a recognized location for major competitions, serving as the official course for the Florida HS State XC Championships, the 2022 NJCAA XC Championships, and the 2026 World Athletics XC Championships.
The event utilizes multiple race distances to accommodate different competition levels, ranging from youth participants to adult runners. The festival atmosphere includes reserved team areas with available tent and amenity rentals for visiting groups. Heats are organized for collegiate athletes, high school varsity and junior varsity teams, middle school students, and open or masters runners.
The following distances are available at the event:
- 8 km (College Men)
- 5 km (College Women, Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Open Division)
- 3 km (Middle School Boys and Girls)
Facilities at the Apalachee Regional XC Park include an exclusive coaches' box and designated areas for teams. The competition attracts a large field of participants, with previous editions seeing more than 1,300 runners across the various divisions. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.