In the Summer of 2023, together with Madras Runners Club and help from the Bean Foundation, we were able to put together Jefferson County’s first running camp. We renting out a camp called the Wilderness Lakes Retreat and spent 3 nights, and 4 days exploring the wilderness and building life long friendships. This year our budget allowed for 20 youth (hoping to double that in 2024), a couple of coaches, and a cook.
Other than dealing with a few smoky mornings where we had to drive out further than planned to run, the camp was really fun. The location was ideal for what we wanted to accomplish. Basically some time for kids to learn to navigate the wilderness and being away from a city. We also had plenty of good trails and mountains around us to make the runs challenging.
When we weren’t running, we were eating meals together, enjoying some free time around the property, doing some workouts, and some team building activities. We would end the evenings with a campfire and some games. It was neat to see the impact the camp had on everyone, including us coaches. Grateful!
