The Purpose of Our Camp Time Trials

It's one of the best questions we get from parents and new campers: "If your camp isn't focused on being the fastest runner, why do you start and end the week with a time trial?"

It's a fair question, and the answer gets to the very core of what we believe in. The time trials are not about competition, at least not in the traditional sense. They are about courage, growth, and celebrating a personal journey.

The First Time Trial: Drawing the Map

Think of the first time trial on Monday as drawing a map of where you are right now. You can't truly appreciate how far you've traveled if you don't know where you started.

That first run isn't a test or a grade. It is simply a snapshot in time—a "You Are Here" sticker on your personal running journey. On that first day, we don't care about the time on the stopwatch. We care about the effort. We celebrate the courage it takes just to show up to the starting line and give your best on that particular day. It’s a brave thing to do, and it provides a benchmark that belongs to you and you alone.

The Final Time Trial: Celebrating the Journey

Everything we do during the week—the form drills, the strength work, the fun runs—is designed to help each camper discover a strength they didn't know they had.

The final time trial on Friday, then, isn't about who comes in first place. It's a celebration of distance traveled. It's a chance for every single camper to answer one simple question: "Am I stronger, smarter, and more confident than I was on Monday?"

This is the ultimate expression of our camp theme, "Chase Your Personal Record." The only person you are competing against is the you from Day 1. When we see a camper run on Friday and they are beaming with pride—not because they beat someone else, but because they beat their own time by ten seconds, or because they ran the whole way without stopping for the first time—that's the victory.

The time trials aren't there to measure speed. They are there to measure growth. And that's a lesson that lasts long after the finish line.

1600m Run 

200m Sprint 

Brooks Top Runner Award

More Than a Finish Line: What Our "Top Runner" Award Really Means

At the end of each fun-filled, sweaty, and action-packed day at the =PR= Youth Running Camp, we gather everyone together. The energy is buzzing. And one of the last things we do before sending the kids home is give out our "Top Runner Award."

When you hear that phrase, "Top Runner," what comes to mind? The fastest kid? The one who crossed the finish line first in the time trial?

That's a fair assumption, but at our camp, it means so much more than that.

Our mission isn't just to find the fastest middle schooler in Richmond. Our mission is to ignite a lifelong love for movement. It's to show these young people that running is about joy, resilience, and community. With that in mind, we realized our most prestigious daily award couldn't be about a stopwatch. It had to be about the heart.

The "Top Runner Award" is our way of recognizing the camper who best embodies the spirit of our camp theme: "Chase Your Personal Record." And as we teach all week, a "PR" can be so much more than a time.

So, what do we look for in a Top Runner?

• We look for the Teammate. The camper who, after finishing their own run, turns around and runs back to encourage a friend. The one who gives a high-five to every single person in their group after a tough drill.

• We look for Courage. The camper who was nervous about trying the hurdles but did it anyway. The one who pushed themselves on a hill they thought they couldn't climb.

• We look for Character and Leadership. The camper who listens intently when a coach is speaking. The one who includes a new friend in their group, or who helps clean up without being asked.

These actions are their own kind of Personal Record. A PR for kindness. A PR for teamwork. A PR for courage.

When we call that camper's name at the end of the day, we're not just celebrating one person. We're holding up an example of the character, empathy, and spirit that defines the very best of our running community. Because at the end of the day, running isn't just about how fast you go. It's about the person you become along the way.

And that's the "Top Runner" we're all striving to be.

• Top Runner Day 1: Nate Sawyer
• Top Runner Day 2:  Yahkira Warren 
• Top Runner Day 3: Jacen Walger
• Top Runner Day 4: Alexandra Shoppell
• Top Runner Day 5: Lilah Willis 

MVP Awards 

• 1600m Most Improved Runner:  Bryson Conner (48 sec time trial improvement)
• 200m Most Improved Runner: Lillian Markivich (1.9 second time trial improvement) 
• Overall 1600m Winner: Zern Small 
• Overall 200m Winner: Lilah Willis 
• Hard Hustler Award: Andrew Segura 

1600m Run 

200m Sprint