Local High School Running

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Central Virginia is widely considered to be one of the best regions in the state for high school running!  Our area Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor track teams are consistently in the top echelon among Virginia squads. Programs such as Fork Union, Western Albemarle, Monticello, Charlottesville, Louisa, Albemarle, Woodberry Forest, Covenant, Wilson Memorial, Fluvanna and Rockbridge County enjoy consistent success because of excellent coaching staffs and a fantastic running environment.  This includes publicity from The Daily Progress, who publishes the All-Central Virginia Cross Country Poll.  This weekly poll lists the top 15 area boys and girls as well as the top 5 teams, all based on the weekly votes of the coaches from our 18 local schools.  At the conclusion of the season, the paper prints a photograph of the athletes who make the final poll and these athletes are invited to a special awards presentation at Ragged Mountain in December.  

For information regarding high school running across the state visit Milestat

Some annual area highlights…

  1. The Ragged Mountain Cup- This 4 × 2 mile relay kicks off the Central Virginia cross country season (usually held on the first Tuesday after Labor Day). All 18 of the Daily Progress high schools are invited to this free event, which is hosted by RMRS and Panorama Farms (the Murray family kindly opens their beautiful course for this special event) and close to 500 athletes participate in this fun community event. We also nominate and announce the recipient of “The Kelly Cup” at the conclusion of this invitational each year. This prestigious honor is bestowed upon a cross country athlete from one of the area high schools, who practices the ideals and hard working behavior of former Albemarle star (and Ragged Mountain Cup champion) Kelly Watt, whose life was tragically cut short after his senior year. Call us at 434-293-3367 for more information on this special meet. Volunteers are always needed and appreciated!
  2. The Dogwood Track Classic- The state’s largest high school outdoor track meet is held at UVA’s Lannigan Field every May. Over 75 schools from all over the state, including most of our area teams, participate in this well organized, competitive meet. Albemarle, Western Albemarle, Charlottesville and Monticello High School serve as the hosts and Ragged Mountain serves as race headquarters for this popular meet, which annually attracts over 1,000 athletes. Call Mark or Alec at 434-293-3367 for more information.
  3. The Albemarle Invitational- This popular and very competitive cross country meet serves as a mid-season test for over 50 Virginia schools. The meet is held annually in mid-October at beautiful Panorama Farms (located just a few short minutes from Charlottesville in Earlysville). Call Mark or Alec at 434-293-3367 for more information.
  4. The FUMA Invitational and The Woodberry Invitational – These annual meets, held on the spacious grounds of Fork Union and Woodberry Forest are the area’s first big cross country meets of the season (both meets are held in September).
  5. The Gus Lacy Track Classic- This popular and well organized event serves as the big kickoff track meet of the outdoor season every April. Hosted by the fine folks at Fork Union.
  6. Cavalier Cross Country Camp (July 24-27)- The 2016 Cavalier Cross Country Camp will be held at the beautiful Miller School in western Albemarle County, and will be hosted by UVA Men's & Women's Distance Coaches Pete Watson and Todd Morgan.  Open to all boys and girls in the 8th-12th grades, the camp aims to prepare campers to compete in running events from 800 meters through 10,000 meters and cross country.
  7. The District and Regional Indoor Track Championships (Group 3A/4A/5A)- These exciting and very competitive indoor meets are a blast for track fans, as the venue at Fork Union doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. At any given moment you can simultaneously watch the long jump, high jump, shot put, pole vault and a running event, all going off at the same time! Newly resurfaced, this fine facility is one of the best in the state. The meets are usually held on Wednesday or Thursday evenings in mid-February.
  8. The Sectional and Conference Cross Country Championships- Held at beautiful Panorama Farms in late October and early November, these competitive high school meets showcase the best in harrier talent from high schools all over the state.