First week of August we launched our first Central Oregon Youth Running camp. Our main goal was pretty simple: bring in some young leaders from all of the diverse communities in Central Oregon (Bend, Madras, Warm Springs, Redmond, Sisters) and see if by sharing some miles and meals together we could build unity. Relationships are always the key for community and even though it was risky bringing in some kids that had never met, we were hopeful that the leadership potential these kids had shown would shine through. I’m so happy to report our time together was special and magical. We are still seeing fruit from these relationships and are confident it will only continue. It was such a special week that we immediately decided we needed to do this again.
This whole camp was made possible by the fundraising done during the 100k Treadmill World Records Max, Renee, and Mario put on in 2020. We weren’t able to have the camp that first year because of COVID, but we used the $9,600 raised to provide 100% of the costs for this camp. Money was spent on lodging (Suttle Lake Lodge), transportation, food, gear, insurance, permits, and did I mention food (my gosh this kids can eat). As fun as it was to attempt world records so that we could fundraise, our hope is to be able to apply to some grants and not have to suffer as much as we did. Anyone who doesn’t know what I’m taking about should check out the post for the chaski challenge. Max, Renee, and Mario suffered tremendously on the treadmill, and are still traumatized from it. Please help us not have to do that again.
Big thank you to our cooks who provided home cooked meals for both lunch and dinner. They completed volunteered their time and we simply provided the costs of the food. These meals were very special and equally highlighted the purpose of this week along with the miles we shared together.
What also made this camp unique is that Max, Renee, and Mario each have a different area of expertise. We did have some great guest speakers come and share (thank you so much Boaz family), but we wanted to also use the knowledge these three professional runners have. Max taught us about Trail Safety, and how to be competitive but keep the sport fun. Renee taught us about strength training and creating healthy habits that will become a part of our daily routines. Mario taught us about the passion to build bridges and seeing communities come together.
Central Oregon Daily did a little story on our Central Oregon Youth Running Camp