Last Saturday saw the Vashon High School Pirates cross-country teams travel to King’s High School in Shoreline for an invitational consisting of 12 teams. This was the Pirate harriers’ fourth event of the year in preparation for Tuesday’s home meet.

On the King’s 3-mile course, eight of the nine Vashon boys’ team runners set personal bests, and on the girls’ team, freshman Isabelle Spence set a personal best.

The Pirates have been racing below team capacity because not all of the members had their 10 practices in to make them race-eligible, but the team will double in size at the meet on the Pirates’ own 5K course in, on and around the three Vashon schools and woods.

The Pirates are hosting Nisqually League schools Charles Wright, Seattle Christian, Bellevue Christian and Cascade Christian, as well as Pacific 2B’s Life Christian. Along with the high school races, the meet will include a 3K middle school race, adding Annie Wright School to the mix.

The meet begins at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday at the McMurray Middle School play field.

— Bruce Cyra is an island runner and VHS cross-country fan.