August Running Camps Recap

As September brings chilly morning, turning leaves, and the start of school, we take a look back at the sun, sweat, and s’mores of our August running camps. 

The August High School Camp enjoying s’mores after a very goofy gift exchange.

The August High School Camp enjoying s’mores after a very goofy gift exchange.

August started out in energetic fashion with hot temps, sunny days, and our second high school running camp of the summer. This was a fantastic group with athletes from NH, CT, MA, NJ, and several local towns in northern VT.  We were also lucky to be joined by three collegiate coaches from Dartmouth’s cross country team, all of whom brought great perspective into training and competing at both the high school and collegiate levels. We are excited to follow along as these runners compete in their cross country seasons this fall!

High School Camp #2 rocking their camp shirts outside of Cedar Lodge.

High School Camp #2 rocking their camp shirts outside of Cedar Lodge.

Coach Trey walking the campers through the MOST EPIC Paw Paddle course of the summer.

Coach Trey walking the campers through the MOST EPIC Paw Paddle course of the summer.

Enjoying beach and water time at Lake Willoughby at the end of a hot, fun Endurathon day!

Enjoying beach and water time at Lake Willoughby at the end of a hot, fun Endurathon day!

Next up came our second All Comers Camp of the summer. Made up of mostly camp “newbies”, this group brought a contagious energy and curiosity to every part of the week. There were many highlights of this camp, including a sensational sunrise ridge run, a spicy and impressive hill workout, and a tour of the windmills on the Lowell Mountain Ridge by Green Mountain Power. Sharing Craftsbury with people for the first time is always special, and gives us coaches a fresh appreciation for the magic of the Craftsbury running community! 

All Comers Camp #2 having way too much fun during their interval workout and 400m relay!

All Comers Camp #2 having way too much fun during their interval workout and 400m relay!

The windmills!

The windmills!

Learning from GMP.

Learning from GMP.

Getting that shot!

Getting that shot!

An absolutely beautiful Endurathon day!

An absolutely beautiful Endurathon day!

Our most wonderful All Comers Camp #2 coaches, Kimberly and Mike (aka Schmidty).

Our most wonderful All Comers Camp #2 coaches, Kimberly and Mike (aka Schmidty).

And to round out a happy August of running camps, we recently hosted the annual Trails 2 Ales long weekend camp. This is always a fun camp, but this group brought it to a whole other level! With runs in Greensboro, Stowe, and Craftsbury, and visits to Hill Farmstead, Ten Bends Brewery, the Alchemist, and the Trapps Bierhaus, we managed to do it all in three days. It was a blast to play tourist and to hit some of the most beautiful trails (and drink some of the best beers!) in the area. And the group even elected to do a sunrise ridge run the final day of camp too!

The Trails 2 Ales crew after a beautiful (and very hilly) trail run at Trapps!

The Trails 2 Ales crew after a beautiful (and very hilly) trail run at Trapps!

Mallory admiring her drink!

Mallory admiring her drink!

Nancy modeling with the Rapture.

Nancy modeling with the Rapture.

Roommates Natalie and Anne loving life!

Roommates Natalie and Anne loving life!

Our amazing coaches Sam and Jack grabbing a feed during the Ridge Run.

Our amazing coaches Sam and Jack grabbing a feed during the Ridge Run.

Scott embracing the tourist life at the Alchemist!

Scott embracing the tourist life at the Alchemist!