HOKA + Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest 2026

The HOKA + Nights of Thunder Cross Country Fest is a two-day cross country meet held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Races are scheduled after dark, run under the stadium lights. It serves as a season-opening festival for the sport, featuring a showmanship style around a full schedule of races for collegiate, high school, middle school, and open or masters divisions. The venue is the Apalachee Regional Park course, which also hosts the Florida high school state cross country championships, the NJCAA cross country championships, and the World Athletics cross country championships. College men compete in an 8K race, college women in a 5K, middle school runners in a 3K, and high school varsity, junior varsity, and open divisions race 5K. Teams have the option to reserve areas for tents and amenities, and coaches receive a dedicated coaches' box, indicating the event is structured for entire teams rather than just individual participants.