Plains cross-country runners will compete in the Whitefish Invitational Tuesday but their running minds will be focused on the 2026 Eleven Miles to Paradise race scheduled for this Sunday, with event activities centered at Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort.

“It’s something that we are really looking forward to, a mid-season fun thing to do,” coach Jesse Jermyn said. “This is a very popular race put on by Anders Brooker, his parents Tim and Carol and the Runner’s Edge,” he added. “It usually fills up pretty fast so we feel lucky to be able to get in.”

Jermyn said the 10.6 mile race will begin in St. Regis and end at Ferry’s Landing, with most of the course running through Lolo National Forest land on a rolling single-track trail alongside the Clark Fork River. A course that he personally helped clear out recently he said.

He said that runners will start at different times in fleets of competitors beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday, and that final results will then be calculated off the times posted. After the race, competitors will be shuttled to Quinn’s for post-race food, drinks and a welcome soak in the hot pools.

Jermyn and his runners competed at the Thompson Falls Invitational at River’s Bend golf course outside of Thompson Falls Friday.

Junior Cord Greer led Plains by winning first place individually in the boys varsity race, clocking an impressive time of 16:06.4 for the 5K course.

Jack Cockrell (19:39.4), Finnian Ercanbrack (20:55.3), Bryan Lakko (21:59.1) and Riley Geenen (22:59.4) also competed for the Plains boys, and Emmy Russell (23:21.0), Annika Ercanbrack (24:44.8) and Kylie Silva (25:23.1) all ran for the Plains varsity girls in Thompson Falls.

Jace Russell won ninth place in 13:16.6 to pace Plains in the middle school boys race and Gracelynn Larsen (16:32.3), Jordyn Albertson (16:45.3), Ashlynn Weedeman (17:07.9), Pearl Ferlen (19:29.2) Dillyn Doble (19:33.3) and Lianna Lovell (19:34.7) all ran for the Plains middle school girls.

Coach Jermyn said his son John Owen Jermyn, the reigning State B cross country champion, was held out of the T-Fall race due to illness but expects him to run in Whitefish Tuesday and, of course, in the Eleven Miles to Paradise race Sunday.

    PLAINS FRESHMAN Emmy Russell runs down a fairway at River’s Bend golf course during the Thompson Falls Invitational Sept. 25. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)