Eden Prairie sophomore Benson Farm competes in the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields. The cross country meet, held under the lights, drew more than 2,000 runners from across Minnesota. Photos by Jeremy Peyer
Flying Cloud Fields in Eden Prairie lit up Sept. 13 as more than 2,000 high school runners – junior varsity and varsity – charged into the darkness at the Metro Invitational.
Eden Prairie freshman Anna Lang runs in the varsity girls’ race at the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields.
The meet, the largest of its kind in Minnesota, is one of the few in the nation held entirely under the lights. Junior varsity races began at 7 p.m., with varsity runners taking the course at 8:30 p.m., giving the Eden Prairie venue the feel of a stadium event.
The competition was just as strong. Five of the top 10 boys’ and girls’ teams in the state were in the field. Wayzata claimed both varsity team titles, while Eden Prairie finished sixth in the girls’ standings and 16th in the boys’.
Organizers say it’s the scale, intensity, and rare nighttime setting that make the Metro Invitational a one-of-a-kind experience in high school cross country. For spectators, it was a striking sight: thousands of athletes sprinting across green fields under a canopy of lights and late-summer sky.
Complete results from the Metro Invitational are posted at Athletic.net.
Boys junior varsity runners line up at the start of the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields in Eden Prairie. The meet, the largest in Minnesota, drew more than 2,000 athletes and featured nighttime races under the lights.
Eden Prairie runners (from left) Freya Dahl, Anna Lang, Avery Cooper, Haarika Vegunta, Kensley McQuillan, and Katrina Metzger pose after competing at the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields. The annual meet drew more than 2,000 athletes for nighttime races under the lights.
Eden Prairie eighth grader Ben Donaldson (second from left) runs with the pack during the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields. Donaldson placed 80th in the varsity boys’ 5,000-meter race.
den Prairie’s Briann Peterson (right) runs alongside another competitor during the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields. Peterson placed 15th in the varsity girls’ 5,000-meter race at the meet.
Eden Prairie senior Simeon Donaldson runs in the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields. Donaldson placed 75th in the varsity boys’ 5,000 meters, finishing just ahead of teammate George Hansen (76th)..
Eden Prairie freshman Winona Nelson competes in the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields. Nelson finished 30th in the varsity girls’ 5,000-meter race at the meet.
Eden Prairie freshman Asher Koenig during the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields.
Eden Prairie seniors Zoya Hussain (left) and Dheekshitha Jayaprakash prepare to race at the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields.
Eden Prairie runners gather under team tents as night falls at the Metro Invitational on Sept. 13 at Flying Cloud Fields.