West Virginia’s Premier Running Camps Grow for Summer 2019

Campers run up the “Rocky Steps” in Shepherdstown WV

Camp River Runners Summer Youth Run Camps are back in Shepherdstown, West Virginia for their fourth year in 2019. In 2018 almost 150 youth enjoyed the High School and Middle School camps and the staff is excited for another great year. The Middle School Day Camp takes place July 17-19 followed by the High School Overnight Camp July 21-24. Held in one of the most scenic running areas on the East Coast, the camps focus on the joy and play of running, the foundations of healthy running performance, injury prevention, improved running skills, muscle endurance, strength development, and how to eat like a champion.

Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and Katie Nolan Thompson will again be hosting the camps. Dr. Mark brings nearly 40 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. He recently published his first book Run For Your Life. Katie is a passionate race director and elite ultra trail runner with 10 years of outdoor camp experience. She shares some of her best running and outdoor experiences and running locations with the youth.

Run to the Waterfall

Co-directing the High School camp is Coach Joan Hunter. Joan is the head coach for the Loudon Valley Cross Country and Track teams and under her and her husband’s guidance both the boys’ and girls’ teams have seen amazing success. The Loudoun Valley boys’ team have won 4 consecutive state team titles, and for the second year they were victorious at Nike Cross Nationals where they won the National Championship with the lowest team score in the event’s history. The Louden girls’ won Virginia State Title in 2018.

Dr. Mark’s teammate at University of Virginia, Meg Waldron, returns to assist the High School Camp. Meg has her MS in Sport Psychology and is a mental performance coach and a high school 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 Runninly and psychologically.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Selina Sekulic joining the team. Selina a reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon, with a focus on sports medicine. She launched Final Kick Ankle and Foot Clinic in September 2017, and currently practices in Salt Lake City and Moab. Selina received her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University in 2007, and graduated from the New York College of Podiatric Medicine in 2011 and Surgical Residency in Salt Lake City from 2011-2014. While at Wake Forest University, Selina earned NCAA All-American honors in Cross Country during her sophomore year. She was a Junior National Champion at the 3000m Steeplechase during her freshman year. With her success, she also sustained numerous foot and ankle injuries. These injuries sidelined her for the majority of her collegiate running career. Chronic pain and injuries sparked her interest for understanding and preventing foot and ankle injuries in athletes. After a long hiatus, Selina started racing again three years ago. She has had success in the half marathon and marathon distances. She is currently training for middle distance events.

Dr Selina Sekulic running in her home state of Utah

The 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 beautiful trails and National Parks with runners from other schools and states. The camps tailor the activities to both beginning and experienced runners and give all the feeling of learning and growing.

The high school campers will explore some of best regional trail runs of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Blue Ridge Mountains, C&O Canal, as well as the surrounding historic towns. 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 relaxing tube trip on the Shenandoah River.

Camp River Runners is thrilled to have Altra back as a partner! Altra Running and Two River Treads will have some great giveaways and specials from Altra. Footwear that is anatomically designed for a young runners foot is critical for their health and development.

“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 Non-profit camp affordable to all. Price for overnight camp includes lodging at Shepherd University, all scheduled group activities, transportation to and from day trips (provided by River Riders), and all meals.

Located just 65 miles from the Baltimore and Washington, DC region, these camps are close to major airports and affordable pricing to allow runners from all over the country to participate in this incredible experience, in beautiful Shepherdstown, WV.

For more information contact Katie@freedomsrun.org or visit http://freedomsrun.org/YouthPrograms.aspx for more details and to register.

Freedoms Run Grant Page

https://www.gofundme.com/freedomsrun