Camp River Runners Summer Youth Run Camps are back, bigger, and better for 2018. We had a blast in 2016 and 2017 with over 40 young runners in each of our Middle and High School day camps. We are super excited about our overnight High School Camp July 22-25. We continue our Middle School Day Camp July 25-27. The camps focus on the joy and play of running, skill development, building endurance safely, drills and supplemental exercises to stay injury free, and how to eat like a champion. We are proud to partner with innovators Altra Running who share our philosophies and principles.
Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and Katie Nolan Thompson will again be hosting the camps. Dr. Mark brings over 30 years of running and teaching in the sport and has taught countless courses for runners, medical providers, coaches, and military members all over the world. A passionate race director, runner, and with 10 years of outdoor camp experience, Katie shares some of her best running and outdoor experiences. Dr. Mark also has a passion for helping and enriching the lives of youth with Type 1 Diabetes so we welcome you with open arms and give the support you need to have a safe camp experience. Generation UCAN which is a super slow release carbohydrate source is perfect for athletes with Type 1 Diabetes as well as anyone wanting sustainable energy without the hi-low sugar crashes. Dr. Mark is a proud ambassador of their products and principles and thankful for their support for our camp.
Co-directing the High School camp is Coach Joan Hunter. Under Joan’s guidance, the Loudoun Valley boys XC team has won 3 consecutive state team titles, including this past 2017 season, where the Viking boys scored a perfect 15 points at the state meet. ! The boys then qualified for Nike Cross Nationals where they won the National Championship with the lowest team score in the event’s history. The Viking girls have been state runners-up in XC for four consecutive years and are looking for their first team title, hopefully next year! Joan and Marc are parents to Drew Hunter, national indoor high school record holder in the mile, who now runs professionally.
We also are excited to have my teammate at University of Virginia, Meg Waldron, has her MS in Sport Psychology and is a mental performance coach. As a high school All American she ran the fastest 800m split for a high school girl in Penn Relays history. While teaching and coaching in Philadelphia, Meg’s middle school teams medaled numerous times at Penn Relays, and she started You Go Girls a girls’ empowerment running program. With a highly successful running career, and a staff member of Nike Running Camps for 20 years, Meg will provide essential skills needed for these young runners to stay healthy and happy in the sport both physically and psychologically.
We are thrilled to have Altra as a partner! Altra Running and Two River Treads will supply all high school overnight camp runners a free pair of the Altra Golden spike and for day campers we will offer the spike for $10 a pair. Footwear that is anatomically designed for a young runners foot is critical for their health and development.
Camps are hosted by Freedom’s Run, who organize the largest races in the state and invite runners from all over the country to take in the rich scenery and history of our region. Camp River Runners provide the youth with the opportunity to explore these beautiful trails and National Parks with runners from other schools and states. The camps tailor the activity for both beginning and performance runners and give all athletes the experience of learning and growing.
The campers will explore some of best of the regional trail runs of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and the C&O Canal. Between runs and drills, campers will get to hear training tips and advice from the experienced camp staff of lifelong runners and coaches. Overnight campers will stay and eat on the Shepherd University Campus giving a mini college experience as well as sunrise group run through Antietam National Battlefield and tubing trip on the Shenandoah River.
“Fun first” is the overriding principle of our camps. Distance running is not supposed to be punishment, it can be and should be fun. The two overriding rules and principles are (1) have fun and (2) stay healthy. We believe young runners should not have running injuries, rather running should make the youth injury resilient. As kids we ran around all the time and never got hurt. Every time we ran it made me stronger and more resilient.
Part of having fun for a youth (and adult) is discovering one’s limits and pushing these limits. It is accepting the challenge to improve. We do this in a way that makes them want to come back the next day. The young runners do a loop run that crossed the Potomac River at Pack Horse Ford and for many this is the highlight of the week.
Visit http://freedomsrun.org/YouthPrograms.aspx to register. Prices increase May 15 so register now.
The middle school camp will be hosted at Morgan Academy for middle school students July 25-27. For more information contact Katie@freedomsrun.org or call Two Rivers Treads 304-885-8843.
Our camps are affordable and any revenue from the camps go to the Freedom’s Run Grant.
Freedoms Run Grant Page
https://www.gofundme.com/freedomsrun
