Update on impact of COVID-19 on our running camps

As a premier provider of running camps for adults in the US, we’re grappling with an issue that is already having an overwhelming human impact. At Active at Altitude, we believe it is our role and responsibility during this time to prioritize two things: the health and welfare of our clients and the running community, while also providing running camp experiences that inspire, and educate our clients to enable them to achieve a higher level of running performance and experience. Through that lens, we will continue to make decisions on our running camps and services informed by the latest science-based information and the current legislation of the State of Colorado, Larimer County, and the Town of Estes Park.

We are fortunate that Colorado, Larimer County and the Town of Estes Park have been proactively responsive to minimize the potential growth for COVID-19 in the area. Early decisions made to offset the damage could be restrictive and expensive in the short term but lead to faster management of the potential damage and a faster recovery, enabling events held in the area to continue during Summer 2020.

Here is a summery of the key decisions that have been made to safeguard the Summer activities and events in Estes Park:

On March 19, 2020 – Rocky Mountain National Park was closed until at least mid-April to reduce the numbers of visitors to Estes Park

On March March 25, 2020 – Larimer County declared a stay at home public health order effective 5.00 pm March 26, until April 17, 2020.

By March 25, 2020 various jurisdictions around Colorado have issued stay-at-home orders including: the City and County of Denver, and Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties.

March 26, 2020 – State of Colorado issues a state of emergency including stay at home order.

May 1, 2020 – Partial lifting of restrictions on short term rental and other accommodations. Limited re-opening of some shops and businesses in Estes Park. Mandatory face masks must be worn in public.

May 6, 2020 – to date we have had 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Estes Park.

May 27, 2020 – Rocky Mountain National Park starts phased re-opening of park properties.

We are hopeful that with the leadership of our community administrations, these short terms restrictions will have the required effect in effectively restricting growth of the COVID-19 virus on our area, and that we may be in a position to return to a semblance of normality in time for Summer 2020.

We are also fortunate that our camps are deliberately small in number, with a maximum of 8 athletes, and usually 2 coaches, so a group of 10 runners. This number is within the maximum for a meeting or gathering, so that aspect should be fine.

With all of this in mind, we intend for our camps to be able to run to the previously announced schedule – however there may be modifications we will make to the content of the camps depending on the situation at the time of each camp. We will communicate with all of those campers already registered for our camps this year on an individual camp by camp basis. If any registrants have any questions on any of the above and the impact of COVID-19 on our camps, please e-mail terry@activeataltitude.com, or call or text on 303-304-1959.

We will be following CDC guidelines for best information to protect ourselves from COVID-19 – we are also fortunate that our base for all our camps is somewhere we can take detailed and exact measures to ensure all surfaces that are frequently touched on a regular basis are cleaned and sanitized.

One of the best ways to keep you, your family, and those around you healthy, is by properly washing your hands. This guide from a website that provides training materials for Certified Nursing Assistants includes details on how to properly wash your hands. Hand washing will form a central component of maintaining safety and health while at camp. We also recommend that you follow these guidelines ahead of camp and during any travel to reach us here in Colorado.

COVID protocol – to make clear the guidelines for how we plan to operate our camps, we created a COVID protocol document that we used very successfully for our 2020 camps. Following these guidelines we were able to ensure the health and safety of all our campers and staff, and had no symptoms or issues at any time. You can also see our COVID liability waiver that all campers are requested to complete and sign at the start of each camp.

Another aspect of concern for campers may be air travel to reach Colorado. We thought this recent opinion piece from the WHO may be helpful when deciding travel arrangements.

Thank you for your interest in our camps. We wish you and your family and loved ones good health, and hope you are able to join us for one of our camps.

Terry & Jacqueline Chiplin, Estes Park, Colorado

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