Border Battle Set for Saturday in Grand Forks With Record Field
The short version
- Fifth annual Border Battle runs Saturday at Lincoln Park in Grand Forks, opening at 9:45 a.m.
- 2,682 runners registered, including 98 high school teams and 134 teams counting middle school.
- Hillsboro-Central Valley's Claire Grinde, the top-ranked North Dakota Class B girls runner, headlines the field.
- Red River eighth-grader Peyton Thompson broke a 30-second course record in last year's seventh-grade race.
- Admission is $5, with a fan bus from Red River High School beginning at 10 a.m.
The fifth annual Border Battle cross country meet at Lincoln Park expects 2,682 runners, headlined by record-setting eighth-grader Peyton Thompson of Grand Forks Red River.
Grand Forks will host its largest cross country meet on Saturday, as the fifth annual Border Battle brings many of the region's top runners to Lincoln Park. Competition opens at 9:45 a.m. with the elementary mile, followed by middle school races.
The varsity slate features four races. The Class A boys 5K goes off at 12:30 p.m., with the AA boys following at 12:55 p.m. The A girls race begins at 1:20 p.m., and the AA girls run at 1:50 p.m. Four junior varsity races and a community 3K close out the day.
The meet has grown steadily since its inception. "Each year, it gets bigger and better," said Nicole Kopff, the Grand Forks Red River girls cross country coach. She said organizers borrow ideas from other major races while adding distinctive touches with awards and atmosphere to make the event special.
Last year's edition drew 2,625 runners representing 98 high school teams from Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, with an estimated 3,149 spectators watching six new division records and two 5K course records. The 2026 field is expected to be even larger, with 2,682 runners registered. The team count stays at 98 high schools but climbs to 134 when middle school programs are included.
One of the area's top entrants is Claire Grinde of Hillsboro-Central Valley, who set the Class A course record last season at 18 minutes, 7.1 seconds. She enters the weekend ranked No. 1 in the North Dakota Class B girls coaches poll.
Defending team champions include Perham in AA girls, Sioux Falls Lincoln in AA boys, Bowman County in Class A boys and the Burros in the A girls race. Red River's Cohen Dunnigan was the top local boys finisher a year ago, placing 14th, and currently sits eighth in the North Dakota Class A coaches poll.
The highest-ranked local girl is Red River eighth-grader Peyton Thompson, seventh in the state poll. She will run in the eighth-grade race after breaking Red River's school record — a mark previously held by Lauren Dosch and Jocie Schiller, who set their times as seniors. Last year, as a seventh-grader, Thompson broke the Border Battle course record in her race by 30 seconds.
"Her goal is to do the same exact thing," Kopff said, calling Thompson extremely dedicated with a genuine love of the sport and someone who does all the little things.
Admission is $5. A fan bus will run from the Red River High School main entrance starting at 10 a.m., with return trips continuing until all spectators are back at the school. Food trucks and bake sales from Central and Red River will provide concessions at Lincoln Park.
