Coaching Staff
Craftsbury running camps have been a sought after running destination for 40 years. One crucial reason is our coaching. Every session, our coaches share their knowledge of speed, strength and endurance training. Whether you are a long-time runner working on your tenth marathon, a fitness runner hoping to train more progressively or a new runner who wants to advance their fitness and knowledge, our time-tested mix of structured runs, videotape analysis, lectures, drills and circuit training will help you to achieve your goals. Plus, you'll enjoy swapping stories with our coaches on runs and in the dining hall all week!
Alanna McDonough
(she/her) Running Director
This summer will mark Alanna's sixth season with Craftsbury Running Camps. She holds a Masters Degree in Exercise and Sports Studies, and is currently the head cross country coach and assistant track coach at Thomas College in Waterville, ME. Alanna's impressive coaching resume includes coaching stints at Hamilton College, Smith College, Colby College, and Falmouth High School. During her undergrad years at Colby she competed in a little bit of everything but excelled at the mile and steeple chase in which she earned All-American honors. When not running, Alanna likes doing a wide variety of outdoor adventures such as hiking, biking, backpacking, and skiing.
Heidi Caldwell
Our former Running Director now works as a high school guidance counselor but she’ll always have a home in the Craftsbury running community. Heidi ran collegiately at Brown University, where she set several school records and was a two-time Ivy League champion in the 5k. After graduating from Brown, Heidi spent two years coaching the women's cross country and distance track team at Tufts University before earning her Masters Degree in Counseling at the University of Vermont. Heidi loves sharing her experience, energy, and love of running with athletes of all ages. In 2018, Heidi raced to a 29th place finish at the Boston Marathon in a time of 2:54 and ran a half marathon PR of 1:13 at the Newburyport Half Marathon. She followed this up with a 2:42 at the 2019 Hartford Marathon to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials, where she finished 89th in 2:43. She also tied for the win at the Mount Washington Road Race in 2019.
The Craftsbury running community extends beyond a week or two in the summer – you’ll bring your Craftsbury ties with you when you leave!
Sam Davis (he/him)
Sam has been running for over 45 years. Beginning with his collegiate career at the University of Vermont, Sam was a Cross Country Champion and record holder at both the 5,000 Meters (outdoor) and Distance Medley Relay (indoor). As a post-collegiate runner, Sam has had a well-rounded running career competing in the Marathon (2:32 PR), Half Marathon (1:08 PR), 10k (30:00 PR). He was the 2012 inductee into the RunVermont Hall of Fame. In addition, Sam has certifications from USATF (Level 2 Endurance), Road Runners Club of America (Level II), Lydiard Foundation (Level III) and is VDOT O2 and UESCA Certified. He has been the marathon instructor for RunVermont since 2005, and currently he serves as the on-line coach for RunVermont's Rdy2Run training program. Sam works with runners of all abilities including a world record holder and an Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier. Sam has also completed 6 Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim excursions of the Grand Canyon.
Craftsbury is in the backyard of where I grew up and developed my love for running. I thoroughly enjoy helping others as we come together in the shared fellowship of running!
Kimberly Penharlow
Kimberly is a native Vermonter, runner and entrepreneur. She founded her own company and is an organizational psychologist and certified leadership and performance coach with over 20 years of experience. She's worked with C-suite leaders at nonprofits and Fortune 500 companies ranging from the UNHCR, UN World Food Program, Friends of UNFPA, Accenture, Kingdom Trails and more. She has been an attendee at Craftsbury Running camp for over 8 years. As a child living with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, running was not an option for Kimberly. Her running journey began in her mid 30's. At 46, Kimberly ran the 2018 NYCM in 3:57:11 and her second in 2019 in 3:33:26. Kimberly is the Head Coach and helped develop the first virtual Women's Running Retreat (during Covid) at Craftsbury. She is pumped to return again this year Head Coach for the Women's Running Retreat this fall. Kimberly lives in Brooklyn where she has been a GOTR coach and raised money for GOTR to run the 2023 NYC Half.
As a Northeast Kingdom native, I am thrilled to return to Craftsbury this summer as Head Coach for the Women's Running Retreat. My goal is to create a safe, inclusive experience for all who attend.
Andrew McCullough (he/him)
Hailing from the Montpelier area, Andrew has spent most of his life running, biking, and hiking in the Green Mountains. Andrew attended Connecticut College for Architecture and Italian, where he also ran track, focusing on the 800m. After college he returned to Montpelier, and transitioned to cycling. He’s been coaching running, skiing, and cycling in central Vermont for the past 7 years and works at a Montpelier architecture firm. He is most passionate about working with teenagers, and helping to create an environment that helps them fall in love with the sports that have defined his own life here in Vermont. This will be Andrew’s 7th year of coaching at Craftsbury and he can’t wait to return!
I am happy to be in Vermont and returning to my roots as a runner. I'm thrilled to be able to do this in beautiful Craftsbury, and to be able to focus on helping runners of all abilities develop strong technique, implement well-rounded and ambitious training plans, and push themselves mentally and physically.
Jack Pilla
Jack Pilla, from Charlotte, VT has been coaching at Craftsbury since 2016. Jack was late coming into his running career but was always an endurance athlete. After his first marathon in 2001, he continued going farther and longer and started to compete in the ultra events in 2004. Jack can be found running a local fast 5k or traveling to Europe to run a 200+ mile race in the Alps but is happiest when running along mountain summits and on the trails. To date, Jack has run over 80 ultra distance races, 30+ road marathons along with hundreds of other road and trail races. Jack has been a personal running coach since 2009 and was the assistant XC coach for the girls at SB High School. He has certifications from USATF and Road Runners Club of America, is a member of the Green Mountain Athletic Association and is the Pace Team Coordinator for the Vermont City Marathon. Jack currently coaches through The Run Formula and has helped numerous athletes accomplish their running goals whether it’s a win at a 100 mile race, achieving their BQ marathon time or just finishing a challenging 5k.
Craftsbury is a wonderful place to run with fabulous trails and quaint Vermont back roads. I'm looking forward to coaching there again and sharing my experiences and knowledge with many athletes.
Molly Peters
Molly fell in love with running at a very young age, when her Dad, the Champlain Valley Union running coach, would bring her on the bus to all his meets. She loved running with the High School girls and was excited when she was finally old enough to race for CVU herself. At CVU, Molly ran Cross Country, Nordic Skied and ran Track where she was a multi year State Champion. After High School, she went on to run Cross Country, Nordic ski and run Track for Middlebury College. She was an NCAA qualifier in Cross Country, Nordic Skiing (three times) and Track where she was an All-American in the 1500m her Senior year.
Currently, Molly coaches at Saint Michael’s College, where she has been for 17 years. Go Purple Knights! She coaches Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Men’s and Women’s Nordic Skiing. Molly loves coaching athletes of all ages and watching them improve with hard work and dedication to the sport.
Molly’s son Levi and her husband got her into Mt. Biking a few years ago and now she really enjoys going camping and biking in their home-made camper.
Molly is super excited to coach a running camp at Craftsbury for the first time this summer because she LOVES running on the amazing trails there and LOVES eating the delicious food in the dining hall!
Doug Welling (he/him)
Doug has a broad background in sport; from equestrian, traditional team sports, and snowboarding in youth, to four years of collegiate rowing while attending Bates College in Maine, and the University of Otago, New Zealand. Post-college, Doug coached rowing at Middlebury College, the University of California Santa Barbara, and is currently the head coach at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME.
Soon after graduation, Doug found the sport of triathlon to fill all competitive voids. He has raced extensively, qualifying for numerous World Championship events, including the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Doug has coached hundreds of multisport athletes with a focus on training plan development and enhancing form/ technique. Trail exploration is a favorite pursuit, and his most recent endurance journey was the 100-mile Crazy Mountain Ultra in Montana.
Jada Wensman (she/her)
Jada moved east from Minnesota to run cross country at Bowdoin College and discovered the pull of the mountains and trails of the Northeast. Since then, she’s switched her focus to trail running and racing marathons, half marathons, and anything in between. In 2020, Jada completed her 200hr yoga teacher training, and she most recently completed a master’s degree in nutrition from Tufts University. Jada looks forward to returning to the trails & community of Craftsbury!
Haley Markos
Haley ran collegiately at Smith College where she is now assistant coaching the cross country and track & field teams while pursuing her masters in exercise science and sports studies. In her time between Smith degrees, she lived in Portland, ME, working in the Portland Public Schools and coaching at Memorial Middle School, Bowdoin College, and the Portland Porpoise Swim Club. In addition to running, Haley has a background in competitive swimming and triathlon. When not outdoors or in the classroom, Haley enjoys musical theater, napping with her cat, and cooking with her friends. 2023 marks Haley's first year at Craftsbury and she could not be more excited to join the team!
JP Krol (he/him)
JP has been a runner since high school. After his time at Indiana University, where he competed in the storied Little 500 bicycle race, he discovered trail running. He loves running (mostly hiking uphill, then jogging when possible!) in his beloved White Mountains. When he isn't running, his favorite activities include reading in bed with his cat, Beast, commuting to work on his gravel bike at Ledge Brewing & spending quality time with his wife Mackenzie and their puppy, Felix. JP is a second year coach at Craftsbury. This Fall will be his second season as the Head Coach at Fryeburg Academy, ME (Go Raiders!). He previously spent three years as the Assistant Coach at Montpelier High School. JP is thrilled to share his enthusiasm for running with Craftsbury’s athletes and explore a new set of dirt roads and swimming holes!
Clare Salerno (she/her)
Clare is thrilled to return to Craftsbury for her second season as a coach. She grew up in Johnson, VT and found running at Girls on the Run in 6th grade. Clare ran cross country throughout middle school and high school and was lucky to have close friends to join for long dirt road running adventures. Clare walked on to Wellesley College’s cross country and track teams and enjoyed participating in a more competitive and close-knit women’s team. After college, Clare spent several years working (and running!) in Washington, DC before returning to Lamoille County in 2021. She works at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture providing grants to farm, food, and forest businesses across the state. In her free time, Clare coaches Girls on the Run and middle school nordic skiing and jumping into local races or going for outdoor adventures. She also enjoys watching soccer, reading YA fiction, coming up with cooking and craft projects, and hanging out with her angora rabbit. Clare looks forward to providing spaces at Craftsbury for everyone to connect and grow through running and to gain confidence in running and life.
Abby Schaible
Abby is returning for her second season of camp coaching at the Outdoor Center. A lifelong runner, Abby joined the track and field team in middle school and hasn’t stopped running since. She ran cross, indoor, and outdoor track for Utica University in central NY and continues to run and race today. Now, she competes mostly on trails at the 50K distance but has also recently fallen in love with the road marathon.
When not running, Abby is also an avid mountain biker, skier, and backpacker. Really, she’s happy to be doing anything outside especially if it’s with her two dogs Gunner and Kaia.
Abby is greatly looking forward to camp this summer and is a little jealous she never attended an Outdoor Center camp herself! Abby is passionate about youth participation in sports and time spent in nature and is excited to help foster that in young athletes this summer at camp.
Tara Nelson
Tara is a native of the Northeast Kingdom and the Assistant Athletic Director at Northern Vermont University’s Lyndon campus. She started running in high school and has done 13 marathons and numerous road races throughout the years. She also enjoys swimming and loves the beach. She is thrilled to be a first-year coach!
Thorin Markison (he/him)
From the dairy farming/ hippie tradition of Vermont I’ve been an aficionado of barefoot running long before it became trendy. Manure feels remarkably good after trodding on thistles.
I was exclusively a runner through school, but various circumstances led me to find the joy in multi sport training and racing- triathlon and adventure races- though running will always be my first love.
A carpenter by trade, I use the quiet time of winter to put in miles, on Vermont back roads or trails of a warmer clime that calls to me.
I am relishing the opportunity to share in the joy of self propelled locomotion with this wonderful community.
Emma Pyles (she/her)
Hi everyone! My name is Emma Pyles and I am from Amherst, New Hampshire. I am currently a junior at Connecticut College studying government and environmental studies. At Conn, I run cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track where I focus on the 5k and 10k. I started running through the Girls on the Run program in third grade and have returned as a running buddy and coach in recent years. Out of season, I also love to run outdoor adventure races such as Winter Wild and Ragnar. In my free time, when not running, you can find me hiking, nordic skiing, reading, or knitting!
I am so excited to be joining the Craftsbury Running Camp community again this summer. I first found Craftsbury through nordic skiing and was a coach at both high school camps last summer.
I am excited to share my love of running with other athletes. I am looking forward to some great runs and fun this summer!
Grace Erholtz
My running career began in 6th grade when I determined that I liked the running around part of soccer more than the game itself. After recently finishing my college running career, I am excited to be able to share my love for running at camp this summer!