Ultramarathon and Trail Running Camps

With the Wasatch 100 lottery out of the way, all the major American ultramarathon lotteries are done for the year.* As Heidi Klum would say, “You’re either in or you’re out.” (Ah, what a long time I’ve been waiting a long time to say that!) Either way, it’s the time of year when an ultrarunner’s schedule really starts to come together. Whether or not you’re one of the lucky ones toeing the line at Western States, Massanutten, Hardrock, or Leadville, you might be considering adding running adventures other than races to your schedule. One kind of race alternative that’s quickly gaining popularity is the trail running or ultramarathon camp.

We’re not sure when or where the first adult trail running camp was held, but adult running camps in general have been around for quite some time. These days you can find the trail running sort scattered all over the country… and the world. Some of these trail running camps are put by races or with particular races in mind, while others are simply a reason to step away from everyday life and enjoy the trails. In addition, these camps feature educational sessions from the hosts and very often from invited speakers. It’s on this educational focus that we distinguish trail running camps from the many trail running tours or travel packages that have sprung up around the world.

Based on the continued expansion of their camp line up over the past few years, the Dreamchasers Outdoor Adventure Club (DOAC) is the premiere purveyor of trail running camps in the United States. Over the past year the Dreamchasers have put on trail running camps in such great trail running locales as the Teton Mountains, Tucson, Arizona, and the Galapogos Islands! In 2008, DOAC offered both general trail running camps and camps tailored towards specific races, such as a Marathon des Sables/desert stage race camp.

While the Dreamchaser’s full 2009 schedule has not yet been released (it will be soon!), they have announced a women’s running camp from women of all abilities from March 2d through the 8th. The camp will be based at the Teton Springs Lodge and Spa on the west side of the Tetons and will feature a great lineup of speakers. (download the speakers’ bios) Of course, DOAC co-founder Lisa Smith-Batchen is herself a huge reason for attending the camp. We have met few people who have such an ability to help people find, pursue, and achieve their dreams as does Lisa. For more information regarding the camp, download the full camp description.

So if you are a woman looking for a running vacation away from home in early March, consider attending the Dreamchasers women’s running camp in the Tetons. Also, for all you folks with a special trail running lady in your life, this camp would make a great Valentine’s Day present!

A number of other notable ultrarunners have also hosted ultra running camps in recent years. Scott Jurek has held many popular camps in the past, but did not hold any in 2008 and we haven’t seen any scheduled for 2009. Karl Meltzer stepped into the ultrarunning camp scene in 2008 with a 4-day camp prior to his Appalacchian Trail record attempt. Like Jurek, we have heard no word on Meltzer offering a camp this year. One top ultrarunner who we’ve heard may be holding a running this year is Jamie Donaldson. (read iRF’s interview with Jamie Donaldson) We’ll be sure to post an update if we hear of additional details regarding any future camps put on by Ms. Donaldson.

Two races in the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning put on training camps – the Western States and Leadville Trail 100s. We’re not sure whether or not they have the educational speaker lineups of the other trail running camps, but as race-specific camps the trail and knowledge of race-veteran participants is more than educational enough to meet our criteria. Experience is, after all, a wonderful teacher. Check out more information on the Western States 100 camp held Memorial Day weekend each year and the Leadville 100 camp being held June 27-29 this year.

Although it does not appear to be put on in conjunction with the Vermont 100, the Ultra Running Camp of New England was a three-day camp held last May near the Vermont 100 course in May 2008. Again, no word on a repeat camp in 2009.

That’s it for now. If you’ve ever attended an adult running camp… be it trail, ultra, or neither, please share your thoughts on the experience. In addition, we’d love to include other trail running or ultrarunning camps in this post, so please let us know if you’ve heard or learn of any others.

[* Note: Badwater is not a lottery.]

Related posts:

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2. Ultramarathon Coaches A guide to ultrarunning coaches....