(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

Hundreds of young cross-country runners from around the region took to the trails in the heart of Lincoln Park today for the first-ever West Seattle Rust Buster meet, presented by the West Seattle Road Runners.

9 groups of runners, from 6-and-under to 15-18, ran short courses, 800 meters to 1K, to start their season. The meet was scheduled to wrap up a little more than an hour ago with a one-mile run for parents/coaches. Among the organizers, Rebecca Ross, Raegan Powell, and Hadley Rodero:

This was the first Junior Olympics USTAF-sanctioned meet that the Road Runners hosted.

The Road Runners have sent athletes to the national championships every year since 2015. (P.S. Today’s races had girls’ groups too – we just happened to stop by when a boys’ group was running, and that’s who our photos show.)