Join us for another great season! All JLS students are welcome — no prior running experience is needed. Last year, our team had 59 athletes ranging from first-time runners to experienced competitors.
Start date: Monday, 8/18/2025
End date: late October (depending on meet schedule)
Location: Mitchell Park
Practice schedule:
Mondays: 2:45-4:00 PM
Tuesdays: 3:30-4:45 PM
Thursdays: 3:30-4:45 PM
Fridays: 2:00-3:15 PM
We will follow one of two meet schedules, depending on final approval from the City of Palo Alto.
Option 1: USATF schedule featuring 3 to 4 km races with competitive youth clubs in the region:
Su 9/28: USATF youth meet in Hayward
Th 10/9ish or similar: ADAL meet at Crystal Springs, Belmont
Th 10/16: one-mile time trial on the track
Su 10/26: USATF youth meet in Pleasanton
Su 11/2: USATF youth meet in Menlo Park
Option 2: Art David Athletic League (ADAL) schedule featuring races with other Peninsula middle schools
Three early-season meets, likely between Palo Alto and San Mateo
Th 10/9 or similar: ADAL meet at Crystal Springs, Belmont
Th 10/16 or similar: single-grade championships, likely at Gunn HS
Th 10/23 or similar: ADAL team championships at Crystal Springs, Belmont
Tom Haxton
Tyler Chenhall
Tom Haxton
2-3 coaches per practice, increasing supervision on days when the team runs routes through the neighborhood.
Please contact us if you or someone you know is interested in coaching or helping in other ways for this or future seasons.
$200
Fee waiver for families that qualify for free or reduced lunch
Refunds will be offered up through 9/5 minus any actual costs including t-shirts and coaching.
Please contact us if you have any additional questions or feedback.
Why is there also registration for a team on the City of Palo Alto website?
Our nonprofit, PAMSACO, was founded in 2024 to improve how middle school athletics are managed in Palo Alto. Last year, we successfully ran the JLS team with lower fees, more coaching support, and better resource use.
The City is currently evaluating transferring management of middle school athletics to nonprofits like ours. This evaluation isn’t complete, so they are also running a separate JLS team in 2025, similar to 2024. Similar to 2024, we expect most JLS runners will register with us as they did in 2024.
Why have we not yet finalized which meet schedule we will follow?
We’ve requested that the City allow our team to compete in ADAL league meets with other Peninsula middle schools. In 2024, the City denied access, so we competed in USATF events instead. This year, they again denied our request, and we are appealing to the City Council to help revisit this decision.
What if I already signed up for the City program?
You can withdraw from the City program and receive a refund up to 24 hours after the first practice.
Do students need to attend all practices?
Ideally students attend all four practices each week, but we understand that students have other commitments, and we welcome students who cannot attend all practices. Our goals are for students to gain exposure to the sport, feel part of the team, and see improvement in their running over the course of the season, and students can achieve these goals even if they don't attend all practices.