Stowe Running Camp

Running camp, and camps in general, are something of an odd experience. You come into a place with a group of people that you don’t know at all and then spend a week straight living with them…and then you don’t see them again, possibly for another year. Most college teams and some high school teams as well will often take a preseason trip where they will spend a week or a few days together to become a more tight-knit group or what-have you. But running camp isn’t like that either per-se; that group of people isn’t collectively building to anything outside of the one week at camp. When the week is over, we’ll all take a picture together, say some tearful goodbyes, and then everyone goes their separate ways. You’ll see some people from camp here and there at various meets over the course of the year and stop to chat with them, but the every-day connection can only exist within that one magical week. And that’s one of the things that I enjoy so much about Stowe Running Camp: before your eyes you see a group of people come together, do some great things, and then in the blink of an eye it’s all over.

One of the things I love most about running camp is seeing different, unique people come together as one. Typically, the first day of camp is a little bit awkward. People huddle in little groups and it’s a bit quieter as people are feeling out their surroundings and coming to grips with the fact that, yes, this place is going to be their home for the next six days. As the days go on, the awkwardness starts to lift and people start to get out of their comfort zone, and by the last day the people at camp become a sort of surrogate family. No matter how many times I see it, that part of camp never gets old.

Buddhist monks create these intricate sand paintings called mandalas. They spend hours, days, even weeks building them. Then, after it has been completed, they ritualistically dismantle the entire thing, pack it up, and throw the sand into a river. To them, it symbolizes the ephemeral and transitory nature of life in general. To me, running camp is a lot like those mandalas: the experience itself is very intricate and amazing and you meet all these new people…and then, seemingly before you knew it, the week is over. But…you know that, for however brief a period of time, you were part of something special.

Reason 2 Why You Should Attend Stowe Running Camp: It’s A Great Value.

Oftentimes I find the best experiences are hard to fully describe with words, as to do so almost robs them of their magic. So I don’t know that I can fully do justice to the great experiences that so many kids have had over the years at SRC. But I can say with sincerity that the kids who come here get great value out of the camp. Year after year, we get consistently good reviews on everything from the camp curriculum to the guest speakers to the food (people love the food).

That being said, there is an elephant in the room when it comes to running camp that I wanted to address directly: the price. Stowe Running Camp costs 625 dollars per campers. If you have a sibling, you get a 10 percent discount. If you have 5 teammates come with you, you get a 5% discount, if you have 10 teammates you get a 10 percent discount. Clearly, no matter how many teammates you roll in with, you (or your parents) are going to be laying down a fair amount of money to attend the camp. The sentiment of “Why would I pay money to do something (run) I could do on my own at home?” is one of the biggest reasons why kids don’t attend running camp. I sympathize with this idea and I certainly wouldn’t expect someone to spend their life savings attending a running camp. However, I think when you break down the value of the experience here you’ll see how the price is actually quite reasonable.

Let’s start with what you get at Stowe. All campers get a pair of running shoes or spikes. We’ve leaned more towards trainers in recent years because those are a bit less specific than spikes. Last year for instance, we got the Saucony Kinvara 4’s, which on the market cost 100 dollars. Second, each camper gets the legendary Stowe Running Camp t-shirt. Last year it was from Athletics East. It was a high quality, polyester shirt that retails for 20 dollars. So right there you are looking at 120 dollars of stuff that you’re bringing home with you.  

The other thing that many do not think about are the meals. As mentioned repeatedly in the comments, the food is fantastic. One of the funnier comments we’ve received n the post-Stowe evaluations was the one that said Sue (our chef) was “the greatest woman in the world.” But when you think of the values of the meal, the cost comes out something like this:

Assume each meal costs 10 dollars. We’re looking at a total of

Sunday: 1

Monday: 3

Tuesday: 3

Wednesday: 3

Thursday: 3

Friday: 1

That’s 14 meals. If we say each one costs 10 dollars, we’re looking at another 140 dollars. So now we’re saying the shoes and t-shirt cost about 120 dollars and the meals are 140 dollars, which makes the price effectively 260 dollars cheaper. I know it’s an odd way to look at it (like those races that offer a “free” t-shirt when you’ve paid 100 bucks to sign up!) but that’s not often something that people think about.

Getting beyond the meals and shoes though, we have the experience of camp itself. I’m having a hard time not saying the words “it’s priceless” but I think if you talk to the high school runners who have been to camp, or the coaches who regularly come back, you’ll find the same adjectives used to describe Stowe. We do our best to create a camp where kids can come and learn about running but most importantly have fun. You can’t put a price on that kind of value.

Thanks for reading, I’ll try to post another blog within the next couple days.

-Coach Cusick

Greetings blog visitors! My outdoor track season just wrapped up on Saturday. I have to say as a coach it was by far the most success I have ever experienced, which is pretty humbling. As I sit here today and reflect on it, I realize how much I have grown as a coach and how, in the middle of the season, I think I have it figured out, before inevitably looking back on the year with some mild regret about things I could have done better. At any rate, I now am able to turn my attention to Stowe Running Camp and do something I’ve wanted to do for a while now: create a list of reasons why you or your friends or your athletes or your son or daughter should attend Stowe.

The first reason on my list is a pretty obvious one: Stowe Running Camp is fun! At the end of the day, no matter how seriously you take your training, the reason why most of us started running was because it was fun. This can take many forms; it could be you enjoy the running and training itself, you might love the competitive nature of races, or you might simply like being with your friends. Whatever your reason, I can promise you that, both when you’re running and when you are just hanging around the Round Hearth, you will enjoy yourself!

One of the most fun things about Stowe Running Camp for me is seeing a group of passionate people all come together over the course of the week. Truth be told, the first day of camp never fails to be a little awkward. Some years are worse than others of course, as the first year I worked at Stowe I’m not sure if a single word was uttered on that painful first day. But as the days go on and people become more comfortable with each other, it’s a wonderful experience to look around and see how people from all different areas and backgrounds are just having fun being together. Whether it’s playing a volleyball tournament, aggressively eating a Vermonster from Ben and Jerry’s the night before a long run, going for a tempo run in the pouring rain, aqua jogging at the pool, during the dance (I wouldn’t know about that, as I avoid them like the plague!) or just hanging out at night playing Mafia in the TV room, I can promise you that you will enjoy your time here at Stowe.

New post will be up tomorrow, but in the meantime if you are reading this right now and contemplating going to camp, please contact me with any questions! My email is fcusick13@gmail.com, I’m willing to bet I can assuage any concerns you might have. For now, go sign up! Here is the link: https://stowerunningcamp.wordpress.com/

Good luck to all you high school students in the waning weeks of school!

-Coach Cusick

Picture: Peyton McGovern (center) with Phillips Andover teammates and fellow Stowe campers Michaela Jones and Grace Rademacher.

Note from Coach Cusick: Peyton McGovern has been coming to Stowe for the past four summers and in that time has become one of the best runners in Massachusetts and in the region at large. This fall, she will attend Division I Richmond University. Beyond her athletic prowess, though, Peyton has been a great member of the SRC community because of how she brings people together. The time she takes to interact with all different campers and counselors has been amazing to watch over these four years. Below, she shares some thoughts on her time here:

When I was in eighth grade, I began to run more competitively and started to think about attending a running camp before high school to hone my skills and to meet other members of the running community. As a fairly inexperienced runner I did not know much, but my dad heard great things about Stowe Running Camp, so I decided to sign up. Since my first camp experience in 2012, I have returned to Stowe every summer. I guess you could say that I am addicted to SRC! There are so many things that I love about Stowe but in order to keep this concise, I will narrow it down to my favorite aspects of the camp: the community atmosphere, the Round Hearth itself and the long run on the last day.

With so many runners in one place I am always amazed at how supportive and uncompetitive the SRC atmosphere is. I think in order to attain the most success in running, it is crucial to be surrounded by people who build you up and challenge you rather than those who try to assert their status over you. Stowe running camp does this perfectly and I am always thankful for how welcoming and constructive the Stowe Running camp family is. Part of the reason, Stowe’s community is so strong has to do with the other activities we do outside of running. At Stowe Running Camp, the counselors work hard to plan activities that engage the runners as a group and help form long term bonds that extend beyond training. Along the same vein, the location of the camp at the Round Hearth is a key factor in creating such a strong sense of community. The owners are incredibly friendly and go above and beyond to provide excellent service for the campers.

While the ski dorm style of the  sleep rooms are certainly close quarters, I think it is the best way for campers to form quality bonds with their roommates. When, I came to Stowe the first year, I knew absolutely no one and therefore, I barely spoke my first few hours at camp. However, when I got to my bunk at night, my roommates opened up and shared with me their past experiences with running and Stowe Running Camp (They were returners). I think the closeness of the room made us more friendly, which is why the Round Hearth is a perfect fit.

Finally, my favorite aspect of the camp is without a doubt the long run on Thursday, the final day. I honestly believe that runners have no greater gift than a long, slow run. Not only is Stowe’s long run fun, the bike path is also incredibly beautiful and flat, which is helpful. The long run varies person to person, depending on experience and fitness level, with a range of anywhere from 7-15 miles. Although this seems like a daunting task, I am always amazed by how fast the time passes and how grateful I am to be out there pushing my body to complete this hefty task. As campers run along the bike path, it is awesome to see the other campers pushing themselves to do their best. 2 years ago during my long run, I was feeling a bit tired and unsure as to whether I could finish. It was the support of my group members and counselor that convinced me, I could and would achieve my 11 mile goal.

I just graduated high school today and although I have grown and changed over the course of high school, my love for SRC is unwavering. I am so excited to return for my fifth year!

Hello Readers! This is co-director Fran Cusick once again. We are now about 2 months away from Stowe Running Camp, and we still have many spots open! If you are a former or current camper reading this, ask your friends to go! Last year we had our largest group ever and we are looking to build on that this year. Once again, camp is from August 7th to 12th and all of the registration information can be found here: Registration Info. If there are any questions, please send me an email at fcusick13@gmail.com

A personal story that I wanted to share with you: the high school team I coach (Tewksbury Memorial High School) won the Massachusetts All-State championship this weekend. We actually tied with our rivals, Milton High School. This means that we are the best track team in the state of Massachusetts, something that I’m still struggling to believe happened. Here’s a picture of our team:

What does this have to do with running camp you may ask? Maybe nothing. Maybe I just want to brag about the kids I coached. But maybe this: the kids above (at least the distance kids) primarily focused on process over results this season. We didn’t come in at the beginning of the year saying that we wanted to win this meet or beat this team or run this time in the 4×8. We just came in ready to do the work and we let the results take care of themselves.

Going to Stowe Running Camp is an opportunity to put the process ahead of the results. I am personally a big goal setter and I think that goals are crucial to help you get through a season. But I often see high school runners have goals that they care deeply about accomplishing…in June. Then they get to the dog days of summer and they still care about that goal, but not as much as they care about going to the beach or hanging out with their friends. What they really care about is the result, not the work that goes into getting that result. I believe that going to Stowe is a great way to put the process ahead of the results and help guide you on your own path to a successful cross country season.

So, please consider signing up for this summer!

Note from Coach Cusick: Spencer Lyman has been at Stowe seemingly forever and has seen the camp as both a camper for three years and a counselor last year. He is from New Canaan, Connecticut and  just recently finished up his sophomore year at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. Here he offers a few thoughts on his experience at Stowe:

This will be my fourth year at Stowe Running Camp and I look forward to it every single summer. I originally came as a camper right before my junior year of high school, simply wanting to have a nice cross country season. Through specific exercises, solid workouts, and valuable teaching presentations, I learned what it really takes to improve as a runner. The experience as a whole enabled me to get significantly better and excel athletically in high school, as well as currently during college. Although I had gotten what I first intended out of Stowe, I continue to come back because of the people. Everyone, from the head director to the campers, has had such a wonderful influence on me. I absolutely love the positive, friendly atmosphere that was there from day one. It came as a great surprise that the focus is on the success and happiness of the high school runners, which is exactly the way it should be. Now a counselor, I cannot wait to further contribute to the prosperity of Stowe Running Camp.

Picture: Stowe Running Campers at Ben and Jerry’s in 2013!

Hi everyone! Once again this is co-director Fran Cusick. We are currently looking for testimonials from anyone who has been associated with Stowe Running Camp in the past. You could be a current camper, a former camper who has gone on to the Olympics (looking at you, Andrew Wheating!), a counselor, a former speaker, etc. Basically, we are trying to get the word out on just how amazing this experience is and the best way to do that is through the words and pictures of those who have experienced it.

So, if you have the time or the inclination to do so, it would be a huge help if you would write up a brief answer to any or all of the following questions:

-What was your experience at Stowe like?

-Why did you choose to come to Stowe Running Camp? Were you happy with that choice?

-What was your best memory of Stowe?

-What did you learn from Stowe Running Camp that helped you in your running career?

You don’t have to answer those questions; they are merely guidelines for getting you started. If you would prefer to just write an essay, a poem, compose a song, create a video, or a haiku perhaps, any and all would be acceptable. If you could also submit a photo of yourself from camp, that would be great as well. Please send this to me via email at fcusick13@gmail.com.

Thanks again!

-Coach Cusick

Hi Everyone! This is co-director Fran Cusick, I wanted to write this blog to talk a bit about the 2016 version of Stowe Running Camp. As hard as it is to believe, summer is getting closer and closer, and before you know it school will be over and, depending on your motivation level, either putting in your summer mileage or posting up on the couch watching Netflix.

At any rate, a couple announcements regarding the camp:

-If everyone reading this could follow Stowe Running Camp on Twitter (@StoweRunCamp) as well as on Instagram (just search for Stowe Running Camp) and then finally like us on Facebook. I wouldn’t consider myself a social media guru by any stretch, but we are trying to increase the audience of the camp a bit and the more likes and followers we have, the better. 

-I put this on Twitter and Facebook, but 8th graders (current 7th graders) are allowed to attend the camp. So if you’re a parent of a 7th grader right now and thinking about it, go sign up!

Finally, I am really excited about camp this year, so please spread the word to your friends, teammates, competitors, etc. I’m going to address this in a future blog post, but the main concern that I hear from most kids is that they don’t want to pay to attend camp. This is certainly a legitimate concern and if you are in a situation where you want to go, but aren’t quite sure that you can afford it, please reach out to me! You can get in touch with me via email at fcusick13@gmail.com or by Tweeting at me (@fc1345).

I am a high school cross country and track coach at Tewksbury HS, and we plan on taking a big crew to Stowe this year, but we also plan to do a ton of fundraising to help pay for the trip. So please let me know and I can try to give you some ideas or point you in the right direction.

My final message is if you are reading this and you are a potential camper, go sign up now! Here is the link: Stowe Running Camp Signup Page. I promise you it will be a rewarding, fulfilling experience that you will never forget.

Ok, that’s all for now. Happy running!

-Coach Cusick

“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

The last day of camp is always bittersweet. Though it is nice to return home after a week away, it can be difficult to go from the excitement of camp and a situation where you have been living, day and night, with a group of people that have become like a family away from your family. One of the most challenging things that occurs on the last day is that people who feel like they have only just begun to form friendships and may come from areas that are quite far away from each other realize that, in all likelihood, this is the high point of their friendship, as distance and logistics make it unlikely that they will be able to carry on such a relationship. It is particularly bittersweet for the seniors who have been coming to Stowe for years. Though we hope to have some of them back as counselors, the reality is that we only have space for so many counselors and that this is it.

Well then! After that depressing paragraph, we’ll give a short recap of our Friday activities. We got up bright and early, had a quick breakfast, and headed to Stowe High School for our final run together. The kids formed teams, with each team running a watchless mile loop in the trails behind the high school. The game was simple: the team that came the closest to hitting their announced mile time was the winner. There were some unique strategies attempted, from internal counting to attempting to belt out songs to give the runners a better sense of how long it had been. In the end, though, it was the Ridgefield girls crew of Alex B., Emma H., Rachel M., Julia H, Julia R., and Haley G. who took home the title, as they were just 1 second off their goal pace! This was a monumental victory for the squad, as they had been desperate to win something during camp but had come up short.

After this and a few extra miles for those who wanted to get something in before the car ride home, we jumped on the bus back to the Round Hearth and the kids did some frenized, last minute packing. They were given their t-shirts and we then jumped right into our awards ceremony, where we handed out awards for various campers who had impressed throughout the week. This year we had a special treat, as Grace R. and Sarah R. played the song “Home” by Philip Phillips in front of the group. Finally, we headed out the lawn to take our annual picture by the Round Hearth sign, said some tearful goodbyes, and everyone went their separate ways. #goodbyefriends

The long run is one of the signature events that we have at Stowe and we were blessed this year with tremendous weather. We started early too, so it was a beautiful day to get in a long run. Everything went off without a hitch; the campers were very smart in selecting their distances and were even smarter on the run itself. One of the things we had emphasized before the long run was being conservative pace-wise, particularly in the first half of the run. The challenge of the long run should be simply completing the distance, so there is no need to make it more challenging by running at a faster pace.

Overall, the campers completed their long runs feeling great about themselves, with many running the longest run of their summer.

After the long run, we had the distinct pleasure of having two excellent guest speakers. Our first speaker was Peter Molloy of Tewksbury High School. Coach Molloy showed the campers a number of hip mobility and strength exercises that they can implement into their training program in order to avoid injury and get stronger. He gave each camper their own band to use for these exercises as well as a list of the different exercises so they can remember them. To view that document, click here:

Our next speaker was frequent Stowe guest and 2012 Olympian Ruben Sanca. Ruben has been coming to Stowe for many years now and is definitely a fan favorite. Ruben shared details about his journey from a soccer playing high school to an Olympic athlete, including one insane story of a 30 plus mile day during the freezing New England winter this past January.

After the speakers and a solid dinner of hamburgers, hot dogs, and mac and cheese, the ever-popular lip-sync competition got under way. As always, there were a number of inspiring and comical performances. An absolute highlight was Coach Molloy jumping into the fray with a searing rendition of “Ice Ice Baby” that brought the house down. Molloy is the first guest speaker to ever participate in the lip sync, to the great amusement of the staff and campers. The winner though, was Tristan S., better known as “Buckets” for his bold one man lip sync of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” The always popular dance followed the lip sync and the campers had a great time dancing with their friends.