Camp Renegade
Camp Renegade, hosted by Renegade Running, was a week long, free running camp for high schoolers in the Bay Area. We hosted 50 runners and welcomed all abilities. The event was sponsored by Nike Running, which provided funding for catered lunch, snacks, buses to transport the runners on a daily basis, and really cool swag for the runners to keep.
I’ve lived in many metropolitan cities now and have immersed myself in the running culture. What I’ve seen is that youth who grow up in cities designed for running (i.e. Boulder, Portland, Flagstaff) have easier access to running camps and expert resources. Through those experiences, they are at an advantage to train at a higher level than those in lower income communities where not much funding goes into sports.
Renegade Running found a way to make running accessible to high schoolers by making the camp completely free. To get a better glimpse of what Camp Renegade included, check out the website itinerary Each day had its own agenda and buses transported the runners to a different location (berkeley marina, Laney College Track, Redwood Regional Park for trail running, and the Polo Fields at Golden Gate Park). Running was only one component of the camp though. The high schoolers had a 1 hour injury prevention talk with me, had a session with an academic advisor on applying to college, and getting to know local elite runners in the community.
It was truly a privilege to be the guest speaker on injury prevention. While I thought for many years, it’s important to teach the younger generation of runners how to “prevent” injury, the truth is that we can’t prevent all of them. My approach this time around was Injury Preparation. How can I normalize the talk of running injuries to this group of 50 high school runners, teach them to communicate about their pain, and when to seek help. I started by asking the group if they knew what physical therapy was and what we do. About 30% of the high schoolers knew. Not bad - I couldn’t tell you what a PT did when I was 16. Many have access to athletic trainers, but it was important to me to distinguish the role of each health care professional. I then did an ice breaker where I asked the students to raise their hands if they’ve had “x” injury. About 75% of the students have had shin splints and 75% have all experienced some type of knee pain. I think the students find comfort in knowing and seeing how normal it is to experience these injuries.
While running injuries are multifactorial, we highlighted the main things runners can do to reduce risk of injury. These are things like prehab exercises to strengthen the hips & core, a regular recovery routine of foam rolling, do’s and don’ts or running mechanics, eating enough, and avoiding doing too much too soon. We also had a great discussion on how to rate your pain level and when to continue running vs. stop completely.
I hope that Camp Renegade inspires other communities around the country to create opportunities for high schoolers to make running more accessible. I consider my role to by quite small compared to the significant amount of work that Hannah, Victor, and Ellis at Renegade Running put into the entire summer to plan the event. They are truly passionate about community and it was great to see their hard work and dedication result in the coolest youth running camp I’ve ever seen.
~Photos by the talented Miya Hirabayashi