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Make no mistake about it, the 2020 Thompson Falls Invitational cross country meet will be unlike any cross country meet ran at River’s Bend Golf Course ever before. Of course all races held in 2020 have to be different to accommodate the circumstances of a global pandemic.

The 18th annual Thompson Falls Invitational will held at River’s Bend Golf Course west of Thompson Falls Thursday and will be conducted in sessions to keep everyone as separated as possible. In addition to that, unlike races in previous years, no course walkthroughs will be allowed and the clubhouse will not be open to the public this year.

All athletes and coaches will be expected to follow Montana government and MHSA direction for the wearing of face coverings.

What’s more, the racing will be broken down into morning and afternoon sessions, and it will involve possibly the largest field of teams ever entered in the Thompson Falls Invitational.

In the morning, teams from Arlee, Charlo, Hot Springs, Loyola, Mission, Polson, Ronan, St. Joseph, Drummond and Thompson Falls will compete. The junior high race will be at 9:30 a.m., the high school boys’ race will begin at 10 a.m. and the high school girls’ race will be a 10:45.

In the afternoon session, Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Darby, Deer Lodge, Eureka, Frenchtown, Seeley-Swan and Whitefish will race at 2, 2:45 and 3:30 p.m.