The Port Townsend Middle School Cross Country team kicked off the season with eight athletes competing in their inaugural running event last week in Sequim.

Port Townsend faced teams from Sequim and Port Angeles during the Sept. 15 race, held on a 1.5-mile course at Robin Hill Park. 

Approximately 40 runners competed.

One of the meet’s highlights included two Blue Heron runners who placed in the top three overall. 

Grady White, an eighth-grader, won the event with a first-place time of 9:50.

Seventh-grader Noah Isenberg was just behind to claim third place overall with a time of 10:02.

Port Townsend’s top two girl finishers were Leah Ferland in ninth overall with a time of 11:41 and Sienna Emerson who placed 18th overall with a time of 12:48.

Other Blue Heron runners who participated included Atom Barrett, Bella Ferland, Michael Greg, and Lily Justis.

Overall, the number of athletes that were allowed to participate in this event was limited due to many students not being eligible with the required minimum number of practices, according to Port Townsend coaches. It is anticipated that all of these teams will have much higher numbers of runners in future events. 

As an example, Port Townsend had eight athletes eligible for the first event while PT typically has 25 students at each practice. At Blue Heron, more youth have registered to participate in this year’s program, led by Head Coach Kimberly Clarke.  The numbers mark a significant increase in athletes from prior seasons.

The next middle school running event is currently scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 22 at Stevens Lincoln Park. Racing is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m.