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2025 Roy Griak Results
2025 Roy Griak Results
Another very impressive race! I love the Roy Griak race because of its history, that it is 99% grass and that the hilly course is difficult and is excellent training for our state championship. I will be sad to see it go - at least from this historic location where it was held 39 times. Maybe if the new course is good next year - if they have a new course/meet next year - we will return.
If we do, it will be to defend our tremendous second place finish by the boys, and perhaps step up to the top of the podium. They boys raced fantastically, finishing just 24 points behind #18 ranked in the nation Sioux Falls Lincoln who went to NXN last year and are expected to return this year. And that was without Johnny and with Carter not having his best race. Every one of the top ten teams in Minnesota were there, and we beat them all. We also beat several top teams from Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Kansas and Missouri.
The girls had just five runners. No back up. Lila did an admirable job filling in for our normal #4, Milla, and our 6 and 7. We still placed 31st of 43 teams in the Sweepstakes division and beat most teams in the other divisions.
Dual Meet Record - If Cross Country were scored like individual dual meets, the boys would now have a record of 270 Wins and 2 Losses. The girls record would be 198 wins and 32 Losses - against many of the best teams in Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota.
Full results are here: Boys, Girls. Click the "Results" tab for individual times and the Splits and Split Scores to see where individuals and teams moved during the race. The Summit boys were in 4th place at the mile split, still 4th but with fewer points at 2 miles and finished strong to move up to 2nd at the finish! Owen and Crosby made big moves forward after the first mile to be our 3rd and 4th finishers..
Jay ran 76 seconds faster than last year to move up from 51st last year to 4th this year. And that was with him feeling at "80%" due to some congestion. Cain was our only other repeating boy and ran 14 seconds faster than last year. Lukas was aggressive, initially running in the top 20. He held on strong for 25th.
Kayla was super impressive, finishing in 8th place. Outstanding for a freshman. Sophie ran another strong race to place second for SHS. Lily was our only returning girl and knocked a second off last years time to be our third scorer. Leah suffered stitches but braved through for fourth, while Lila ran her first varsity race and finished under 25 minutes on this hard course - and high humidity.
WHEN: Saturday, 20 September 2025
WHERE: Les Bolstad Golf Course, 2275 Larpenteur Ave W, St Paul, MN 55113
TEAMS ENTERED: 120 teams - mostly from Minnesota but also the Heartland region and the nation.
SHS HISTORY: This will be our third, and perhaps last - as the golf course is being sold - time competing in the Roy Griak Invitational. Ella was the individual champion in 2023 and 2024.
MEET WEBSITE
RACE SCHEDULE:
9:00 AM - Lefty Wright Boys Maroon Competition
9:45 AM - High School Girls Maroon Competition
10:30 AM – High School Boys Championship Race
11:15 AM – High School Girls Championship Race
12:00 PM – High School Boys Gopher Competition
12:45 PM – High School Girls Gopher Competition
1:30 PM - Larry Zirgibel Boy’s Gold Competition
2:15 PM - Gary Wilson Girls Gold Competition
We hope to be in the Championship races, but won't know until the week before the meet. 2025/9/15: Just received word - boys and girls are in the Championship Race.
TICKETS: Athlete's family and friends can purchase spectator tickets at the link below. Tickets are only sold from the link below, not at the gate.
https://gophersports.evenue.net/events/GRIAK
TRANSPORTATION: Eva and I, all the boys and Lila are on the below flight. Other girls are flying with a parent. We will provide van transportation for the boys to Dana McDonald's house - 1815 113th CT NE, Blaine. The girls will stay at my sister's house in Wayzata - 249 Chicago Ave N - with transportation provided by their parents.
High School Preview: Roy Griak Invitational Showcasing Talented Heartland Region
Webcast: Watch Live
Schedule - all times are rough estimates:
Schedule - all times are rough estimates:
Friday ~5:45 pm - Meet at the "Team Parking" (see map below) lot off Larpenteur Ave. This meeting time is dependent on quickly getting the rental van and minimal rush hour traffic. It might be delayed. We will do a "pre-race workout" on the course.
Friday ~6:45 pm - I will drive the boys to Dana's house. Eva and Lila will get a ride with a parent (to be arranged) to my sister's house for dinner.
Saturday morning - breakfast at host homes.
Saturday ~9:00 am - Boys depart Dana's for the race. (I will stay at my sister's in Wayzata and will drive the van to Dana's and pick up the boys ~9:00 a.m.)
Saturday ~9:30 am - Girls depart for the race. The team camp area will be just northeast of the "Team Parking" lot, but you won't be allowed to park there. Drop off the racers on Larpenteur Ave and park on a neighborhood street and walk to the race, or park at S101 (on the corner of Cleveland and Commonwealth) and the Gortner Ave. Ramp. Shuttles will transport to the golf course.
Saturday afternoon and evening - relaxation and dinner out
Sunday ~8:45 am - Van departs Dana's for airport and flight home.
course Map
course Map
2024 Results
2024 Results
This is a great event, because it is a real cross country course - a grass and continuously rolling course that is challenging and rewards the tough and prepared. Next year we will try to take full teams.
Josh had a fantastic race, bouncing back from a subpar Liberty Bell. He got out well - in a good position without going too deep at the start. He was in about 20th place a few hundred meters in. Close enough to the tip of the spear where he could move up without being impeded. That he did, with great patience and determination. By the mile he was in 7th place and at 3,000 meters had moved up to 5th. Josh moved up to 4th place with a couple hundred meters to go, getting passed by just one of a pack of runners close behind him. Josh's race was one of the best I've seen from him or anybody of executing a great race plan. Josh's patience and determination were fantastic.
Jay also had a good start, placing himself well up in the over 400 racer Championship field. It was perhaps a bit of a gamble starting that fast, and Jay fell back some over the course of the race, but it was a gamble worth taking. The Roy Griak course is difficult, exposing lack of miles. Jay did very well considering he is still early in his comeback and still building his aerobic base.
Cain didn't get out fast enough and found himself caught behind too much of the pack at the choke. Cain started fast for 50 meters or so, but then backed off too much, too soon. Courses like this, with a large field racing towards a choke point less than 200 meters into the race, demand racing hard all the way to the choke point. It isn't the best pacing strategy if there isn't a choke, but is required in this situation. Cain was in 300th place after a mile, and despite passing over 100 runners, simply lost too much time being held up in the first part of the race.
Ella raced smart and tough for a repeat victory at Roy Griak, becoming the fifth girl ever to repeat as Griak champion. She was at the front the whole way, running with confidence and pushing a pace that gradually reduced the following pack to just one, last year's runner up Libby Castelli. Over the last two kilometers, Ella gradually built a small gap on the very determined Libby. Finally in the last 500 meters she opened the gap wider, finishing with a eight second margin of victory.
Avery and Lilly's races were similar to Cane's. They simply didn't get out fast enough, putting them out of contention early for the higher placing they were capable of. That is why we go to higher level competitions - to get an understanding of just how fast and large the pack is and developing the confidence - and knowledge of the requirement - of getting out fast. It isn't the pacing you would use in a smaller race or TT, but is simply required. A valuable lesson learned that all three will benefit from in coming races.
Press
Press
Ella Hagen Is Ready For Roy Griak, Big XC Season [Interview]
ELLA HAGEN WINS SECOND STRAIGHT GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AT ROY GRIAK INVITE
Girls Championship 5k XC - Roy Griak Cross Country Invitational 2024 [Full Replay]
Boys Championship 5k XC - Roy Griak Cross Country Invitational 2024 [Full Replay]
ROBERT MECHURA, ELLA HAGEN RISE TO THE OCCASION AT ROY GRIAK INVITATIONAL
Joshua Shriver 5th Place Boys Championship 5k - Roy Griak Cross Country Invitational 2024 - Interview
Ella Hagen 1st Place Girls Championship 5k XC - Roy Griak Cross Country Invitational 2024 - Interview
Summit’s Ella Hagen defends title at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota
More great photos by Dillon Benbow are here.
RunnerSpace likes our yellow jerseys - featured on all three of their Roy Griak articles and videos!
RACE SCHEDULE: Collegiate races in the morning, high school in the afternoon. We are in HS Championship races.
Box Assignments
Box Assignments
2023 Results
2023 Results
2023/9/22: Hagen Takes the Win and the Wayzata Girls Go Back-to-Back
2023/9/22: Boys Championship Finish
2023/9/22: High School Results
2023/9/23 DyeStat: WAYZATA GIRLS AND STEVENS POINT BOYS TRIUMPH, WITH CAL BAPTIST SWEEPING AT ROY GRIAK INVITATIONAL
Boys Championship Video
Girls Championship Video
Speed Ratings From the 2023 Roy Griak Invitational
Summit Results:
Summit Results:
The timing service took splits at the mile and 3000m, and showed the movement up or down compared to other runners and other teams. That is really interesting to analyze, particularly the team movement in the standings. For instance, the Minnetonka boys (one of the favorites) were in second place through 3000m but then lost 90 positions individual in total over the last 2k which dropped them into sixth as a team. The Wayzata girls were in third place at 3000m but moved up 50 positions which earned them the win. If you click on Wayzata you will see that all five of their scoring girls moved up at 3000m and the finish, by a lot.
Summit did great – definitely earned our place in the Championship division. 3 Summit runners on the podium and Jay was the fastest freshman by 33 seconds and 54 places.
We will definitely consider returning to Roy Griak next year as a "team road trip" to a big meet. There were 40 teams in the Championship races, plus 40 more in each of the Gold and Maroon races (plus the college races), so Griak definitely qualifies as a big meet.
I think if we send full teams next year, both would be in the Championship, and do well!
The course is wonderful. All grass and very rolling, with a few rather steep climbs. Definitely a good course for a strong Summit team coming from the mountains. Pencil in September 20th, 2024 for a possible trip to Minnesota.
Championship Races results - https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=5803
More photos here.
WHEN: Friday, 22 September 2023
WHERE: Les Bolstad Golf Course, Minneapolis, MN
TEAMS ENTERED: 120 teams, mostly from Minnesota but also the region and nation.
SHS HISTORY: This will be our first time competing in the Roy Griak Invitational
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