Learn about trail running through expert education and interactive runs in one of the top trail running locations in the US
Fall camp was outstanding! I loved everything about it! The location, hosts, food, trails, learning and of course Coco!It felt like being at a home away from home and I came away having built some lifelong friendships. You didnt tell us how to run, but built on our strengths as runners and introduced some very helpful ideas!! Thankyou!
Trail running is poised to become the fastest growing outdoor sport in the country. You will find out why when you experience trail running in the majestic Rocky Mountains! Come and join us for six days focused on trail running, with expert coaching, interactive group trail runs, workshops on physiological training and mental training, floor or yoga session, video of running form, great food, camaraderie, and more…
Whether you’re a newbie to trail running, or an experienced trail runner, this camp will ignite your natural response to trail running, connecting you with nature and how incredibly alive and joyful this can make you feel. Trail Running has become our passion – the Estes Park area is an incredible area for trail running; challenging, inspiring and breathtaking. Miles of trails with choices varying from easy to extremely challenging. This is a runner’s paradise, with over 300 days a year of sunshine, clean clear air, and majestic views pretty much whichever way you look.
For 2020 our popular camps are 6 days and 5nights in length, running Tuesday afternoon through to Sunday morning. Camps include comfortable accommodation for 5 nights, as well as all meals, drinks, camp transport, interactive workshops, and more….
Many runners come with an expectation that trail running will be too hard for them – the reality is that it is challenging; however the mental, and spiritual benefits far outweigh the physical challenges, and it takes us back to a natural environment where we can feel more at home. If you have never been to a Trail Running Camp before and don’t know what to expect, here is a great article written by Diana Norcross after her experience at our April 2011 camp!
Special guest athletes We have been fortunate to have some pretty darn amazing trail runners join us for our camps in previous years. The list of star athletes has included folks like Sage Canaday, Melody Fairchild, Hillary Allen, and Peter Maksimow.
If you’re not sure if one of our trail camps is right for you, we encourage you to reach out and connect with us, and we can offer you our expert guidance for which camp we think will match with your goals, status, and experience. Use this link to connect with us.
These camps are in partnership with ATRA (American Trail Running Association) – the only non-profit corporation to serve the trail and mountain running community. Their mission is to represent and promote trail and mountain running. They offer individual, club, race and corporate memberships – each participant in these camps receives a one year membership of ATRA, including all member benefits, and an annual subscription to both Trail Runner Magazine, and Runners World. We encourage all Trail Runners to become ATRA members!
We are honored to have been featured by Runner’s World magazine as one of six bucket list running retreats for adults in the US in January 2020.
Read the Runner’s World feature here
We were also featured by CNN in 2015 as one of t
he top 11 adult running camps in the USA!
Read CNN feature here
Our camps are for both beginner and more experienced trail runners. We give you tools to either start your trail running career, or kick start a renewed love for trail running if that’s what you are looking for. We recommend that runners attending our camps can already complete at least a 10K distance on roads without stopping.
If you’re unsure about your suitability for one of these camps, feel free to contact us, either by e-mail or call Terry on 303-304-9159.
Click on the register button on the page below. This takes you to the registration page for this camp – complete your personal details along with credit or debit card details. Initial payment at time of registration is 50% of camp cost. The balance is due on or before April 1, 2020 for the Spring camp, and on or before August 1, 2020 for the Fall camp. You will receive a reminder for the balance payment and be able to pay online.
Each camp includes accommodation (2 women per room sharing in a double room – 3 in bunk room – single room and shared room options available), coaching, interactive workshops, video review of running form x 2, all meals, water and juices, all sessions, group transport, journal, towels, bedding and a year’s membership of ATRA, that includes a subscription to Trail Runner Magazine (for US runners only).
Camps start at 4.00 pm on day one, and finish at 10.00 am on day 6. Here is a typical day’s schedule:
The nearest airport is Denver International (DIA) – the airport is a 1.5 hour drive away from Estes Park. We provide transport during the camp, so you don’t need to bring your own. We recommend a local shuttle service that can pick you up at DIA, and drop you at the camp door here in Estes Park. They will also make the same run in reverse at camp end. To arrive in time for camp start, use the 1.00 pm shuttle from DIA. For return to DIA, use the 10.00 am shuttle. The round trip charge is $85 per person. See more details and to book at Estes Park Shuttle.
If you choose to drive here, there is room for car parking.
Food will be primarily vegetarian – special diets can be catered for. We have successfully nourished vegans, gluten free, and various dietary allergies. Make sure to let us know if you have any restrictions during the registration process.
Camp Director and Head Coach is Terry Chiplin. He is an endurance and positive running coach, and owner of Active at Altitude. Terry has over 20 years experience working and inspiring athletes of all abilities, from Olympic marathoner to a runner completing their first 5K! Terry is a certified Lydiard Level II coach – Athur Lydiard was the most successful running coach in history, and his sustainable training principles live on today – see more about the Lydiard Foundation here. He has also been a coach for Revolution Running based in Boulder.
We are often fortunate to have guest star athletes come and join us for runs, workshops, or maybe both…keep an eye on our news section for updates on who will be joining us for your camp!
Each camp includes runs, activities and sessions from the following:
We hope you never have to cancel your place for one of your camps once you have registered. However, life does happen, and things can change. You can see our cancellation policy at this link. We will always do our best to work with you if you do need to cancel.
Starting in 2020, there is an option to include cancellation insurance cover during the registration process that will protect your investment in the event of you having to cancel.
The average age for campers varies from year to year – recently it has been late 40’s to early 50’s.
The youngest camper we have had is 21; we have also several women campers in their 60″s and 70’s!
Age is not a factor in deciding whether you think you could enjoy and benefit from these camps – feel free to contact us if you have any questions on your suitability for our camps.
We are thrilled to announce that our trail running camps are the first in the US to meet ATRA’s Trail Camp Standards.
You can see details of the 14 key areas that make up the Trail Camp Standards at this link.
We love Trail Running so much, we brought the first ever US Trail Running Conference to Estes Park in 2013 – the eighth annual event takes place in Fall 2020, location TBA. The Conference features sessions for both Trail Race Directors and Trail Runners, with an expo, demo products, interactive workshops, speaker panels, elite athletes and more. We look forward to seeing you there!
