Spokane Valley’s $7 million cross country course may not be ready for scheduled fall events

For the next few months, the city of Spokane Valley is stuck watching the grass grow on a 46-acre plot north of the Spokane River.

Crews have been hard at work to transform the plot into a world-class cross country running venue dubbed the Course since last September – the culmination of a multiyear effort to get the ambitious project off the ground.

City leaders have said that the $7 million course, funded primarily through lodging taxes, will be an economic boon for Spokane Valley once completed. Races for professional, amateur, collegiate and youth athletes will draw visitors from near and far to Valley shops, hotels and restaurants.

The economic development nonprofit Spokane Sports, a partner in seeing the Course come to fruition, already has secured a number of events to be held at the site in the years to come, including the championships for the West Coast Conference and the Northwest Athletic Conference this fall, with the latter returning in 2026 and 2027. The Course also will be the site of the 2026 and 2027 Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Western Regional Championships, as previously reported by The Spokesman-Review.

But before those events bring buses of tourists to town with cash in hand, the course needs to be usable – which is contingent on the grass being established enough to endure the crowds. That eventuality may not come until next year, meaning the events planned for this fall may wind up elsewhere.

“These events have been on the books for more than a year,” Councilman Al Merkel wrote in a news release decrying the possible relocation. “The course was built specifically for them. And somehow, no one at City Hall thought to coordinate when the grass would actually be usable with the dates of the events. How does that happen?”

Spokane Sports Chief Executive Officer Ashley Blake said 2025 was always envisioned as a sort of soft opening for the course, with the city and the nonprofit considering 2026 their true banner “championship” year. The possibility the course would not be ready was factored into their bids to host the 2025 events, so Spokane Sports identified alternate locations and ensured they’d be available, she said.

Blake declined to identify those alternate locations, but assured in a written statement that the 2025 events “will be retained in Spokane County” if the Course is not an option.

“We have always taken a conservative usage approach to 2025 and will continue to prioritize the long-term viability of the championship venue,” Blake said.

Blake stressed that the conservative approach and potential relocation has not impacted Spokane Sports and the city’s relationships with the groups interested in using the venue. She said the organizations have been “very appreciative of the ongoing communication and thoughtful approach.”

“In fact, several sports events rights holders have committed to hosting cross country events in our region on a multiyear basis or on a geographic rotation,” Blake said. “This ongoing commitment underscores the confidence in the Course Spokane Valley and our event hosting capabilities.”

City Manager John Hohman said a final decision has not been made yet on whether the events will take place at the Course this fall. Construction should be completed around September or early October, and the turf is in the middle of being laid, he said.

Hohman said the debate now is whether to try and squeeze the 2025 events in, using next spring to rehabilitate and correct any damage, or to skip the events and allow the turf to grow without impact ahead of the major 2026 events.

“We’re on schedule, on time and under budget,” Hohman said. “It’s just a matter of waiting to see how it does, and then what our risk for repair of the facility in the springtime is. That’s really what it comes down to, and that’ll be something that we’ll have to gauge once the grass gets a chance to grow.”

Mike Basinger, director of community and economic development for Spokane Valley, said the caution with which the 2025 events are being approached is to ensure the long-term viability of the course.

If the grass is destroyed to such an extent it can not be repaired in the spring, it would create a domino effect and threaten the large events in 2026 and 2027.

“That’s why we’re all really trying to be careful about not using that turf until it’s absolutely been confirmed that it’s ready to be used by the experts,” Basinger said.

“It’s going to be amazing, and we really want to do it right, so that we have something that we can be proud of and have events year after year after year.”

Blake added that the course will be an asset not only to the local economy, but to residents in the area who can enjoy its trails, facilities and green spaces when events are not being hosted there.

“The Course Spokane Valley is poised to become one of the premier cross country running venues in the country,” Blake said. “With the 2026 championship season on the horizon, our focus remains on ensuring the surface is fully established and ready to deliver the best possible experience for athletes, coaches and fans.”