Run Camp University Concept Faces First Test

In an attempt to become accredited as a "Run Camp University," Borgess Run Camp has established its first series of 400-level courses for peer review.

"Phoenix has a University. Sports Center has a University. Heck, I've even heard that Central Michigan has a University," said Chris Crowell, Run Camp co-founder, in explaining the pursuit.

Campus Uniforms (above) Have Been Pre-Selected

"This has been a dream of ours as we've attempted to elevate our status from a rag-tag collection of ne'er-do-wells to runners who have every right to be snobs."

The Council of International Run Camp University Systems (CIRCUS) is reviewing the "Psychological Warfare" course material currently being offered at camp in collaboration with Nike's Just-Do-It University.

"These courses had their origins in camp clinics on How To Brag, Why People Make Excuses, and How To Say No and Still Be Loved," Crowell explained. Course material includes ways to silence people on Facebook, methods of dealing with sibling rivalries and the immensely popular I Know You're On My Team, Dude, But This Is The Only Time I Have To Be Alone!

If accreditation comes through, Run Camp University officials will be seeking tenure and pay raises, raising tuition, looking to convert part of Fontbonne Manor at Nazareth to a student union building and joining a conference, presumably the Big East. "Mostly, though, we just need the status," admitted Crowell.

Given the camp's rich tradition with rodents, mascot selection is expected to be limited.

We Get Letters . . .

To The Editor:

As a Run Camp veteran, I have to tell you I enjoyed the camp a lot more in its heyday -- free puppy give-aways most Saturdays, the Rattlesnake Roundup in the YMCA parking lot, and I loved that week we spent in Hilton Head. You guys have taken all the fun out of it. Is it because Run Camp is so large now?
-- Disappointed in Portage

Dear DIP: Granted, the numbers have taken their toll on "how" we do things, but we still have all the same excitement built into camp. Because of the numbers, we now rely on team leaders for basic communications. Indeed, we conducted the Rattlesnake Roundup last Saturday morning, but did so in the Bronson Trauma Center parking lot (because of the abundant sun and liveliness of the snakes this year). And we gave away a lovely Cocker Spaniel puppy named Argus to Corrine "JimmyTwo" Sallaz. The Hilton Head experience is a little trickier to explain. As it turns out, Run Camp has been moved this coming week from Gazelle to the Coral Sands Resort in Hilton Head, just outside of Sea Pines, with the out-and-back run to the lighthouse at Harbour Town Marina. Research shows that when you try to communicate a date change or location change directly to more than 180 people, you create more problems than you solve, so camp organizers are leaving it up to Team Leaders to communicate the location and course change, and they've been given the option of remaining at Gazelle. As an aside, DIP, note that Run Camp will improve when your attitude does.


Run Camp's Popular 'Name That Goldfish' Contest Still Exits; Just Not As Widely Publicized





To the Editor:

I just read that a stalk of celery gives me 2% of my daily recommended allowance for fat. I have also heard it is a good source of fiber. Does eating 50 stalks of celery a day fit into our training regimen?
-- Confused About Dieting

Dear CAD: The timing of your question is most appropriate, as Run Camp coaches and team leaders are getting an increasing number of questions about nutrition and diet. Stand by for news regarding clinics. Regarding your specific question about celery, those numbers have been re-calculated, and we now recommend eating 100 stalks of celery per day.

Catching up with Kathy . . .

Reader advisory: Unlike much of what is 'reported' on this blog, the following is not fabricated. Just fyi.

Kathy Crepas lost a close family member this past winter. He had been training for a half-marathon, and family members decided to pay their tributes by "finishing it for him." Not being a runner and not particularly liking running, she figured run camp was the best way to get through the training ordeal. She shared with us this note:

"You know why I'm running...it isn't something I would have chosen to do without persuasion. I was pretty focused on the goal of completing a half marathon but dreading the training process because I just don't enjoy running. Run Camp changed all that! Yesterday, while running my four miles I realized that I actually feel like a "runner". What a great feeling. So, thanks for creating an opportunity for me to meet the runners in my group, for giving me the tools to succeed (training guide, instruction in dynamic stretches and injury prevention), and for making the journey fun. It's so fun that I'm not only going to run a half marathon in Madison, WI at the end of May, I just registered for the Borgess run in April. Run Camp is simply amazing. Thanks!"