Why would I send my kid to the Max King TRC?

Since announcing the Max King TRC, I’ve had a few great conversations with parents and potential campers about the camp.  There have been a lot of questions about mileage, pace, extent of the wilderness/trail focus. In talking with Max about it, we thought it would be helpful to share that information more broadly, so that you have a better idea of what camp is and is not. Sound good? Hope so.  Here you go:

Do we have a cook yet? Are they cool? Will there be enough food? Yes, we have a “chef”. Her name is Melanie Mangin. She used to own Pilot Butte Drive In restaurant in Bend, OR. She has catered lots of events and throws the best parties around. She is excited to design a nourishing menu based on healthy fueling to keep us all energized and happy all week. And yes, there will be plenty of food to eat. We will be helping to make sure everyone gets enough proper nutrition…and a few treats too.

Where do campers sleep at camp? Campers will be sleeping in a camp building with multiple dorm style rooms.  Campers will have a shared room with at least one other camper. You can request a roommate if you and a buddy are coming to camp together. If not, don’t worry. Everyone coming is great. Who knows, your roommate may become your life long BFF.

Are there showers with hot water? Yes, there are showers. Yes, the water is hot. How cool is that!

How many miles will we run? We will be running/hiking a total of about 50 miles. Many of those miles will come on our “Long Day” (see the note below). These miles are to be comfortable miles. These runs will be well supported by camp staff. Paces will vary, which is great. We will have coaches covering each of the pace ranges. The group will have opportunities to come together as a whole, while not putting undue stress on any runner. All of the runs have been designed with a specific purpose (technical skill development, exposure to beautiful area, forest education, etc.). What they are not are competitive miles. We want to foster a cohesive group atmosphere.  There will be no racing amongst campers, unless it is a specific coach led activity (i.e. orienteering competition). Don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to race when you are back at home.

Are you trying to kill us with the “long day”. How can I possibly run 20+ miles in one day? The “long day” sounds intimidating since the mileage is greater, but it is really more of an experience than it is a run. The day will be broken into segments of hiking, run/walking, and running. The focus is on demonstrating grit and perseverance, not on running a marathon. It will be one of the best parts of camp, and yes, you can get through it.

There is a wide age span for camp. Will that be awkward? Come on. You can get along with anyone, right? We were going to keep the age range smaller, but then had requests from both ends of the spectrum, and decided we didn’t want to limit the opportunity to participate for those ready for the experience. Multiple ages will keep it diverse and interesting. And we think it will be great.

Is this trail thing for real, or just a gimmick to get me to sign up? Nope, the trail thing is not a gimmick. The camp is really about 50% running and 50% trail/nature/wilderness education, experience and adventure. You will come out of camp with new technical running knowledge (form, nutrition, techniques, etc.) and with a better understanding of map reading, compass use, wilderness survival, trail maintenance, forest conservation, and more.  Yes, we agree. This is really two awesome camps combined into one!