NORTHERLY ISLAND — Northerly Island Park is set to host its first sporting event one month after opening: a nighttime cross-country meet with city lights setting the scene.
Nike's Northside vs. Southside Challenge will pit 28 high school teams across the city and suburbs starting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the new park, 1521 S. Linn White Drive.
The three-mile races are the first sporting event for the park, a former city airport that reopened last month as a 43-acre nature refuge with skyline views. The meet's events will begin at 6 p.m. with a "race kit reveal," followed by the girls' race at 7:30 p.m. and the boys' race at 8 p.m.
The race map. [Nike]
The sixth annual meet in previous years entailed the teams racing the final 2.62 miles of the Chicago Marathon. Here are the teams participating:
NORTH SIDE
• Geneva
• Jones College Prep
• Lane Tech
• Latin
• Lincoln Park
• Luther North
• North Shore Country Day
• Regina
• Rickover
• Rolling Meadows
• Steinmetz
• Taft
• Von Steuben
• Whitney Young
SOUTH SIDE
• Bremen
• Brooks College Prep
• Chicago Bulls College Prep
• Curie
• Eric Solorio Academy
• Hancock
• Hope Academy
• Hubbard
• Kennedy
• Kenwood
• Lincoln-Way Central
• Lindblom Math and Science Academy
• Little Village
• Sandburg
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