COLBY CROSS COUNTRY CAMP INFORMATION NOW AVAILABLE

2004 Season Outlook

With the graduation of only two seniors, Colby looks to improve on its fourth place New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) finish in 2003. In that meet Colby followed only Tufts, Williams, and Amherst in one of the strongest conferences in the country.

The 2004 team will be led by co-captain Peyton McElyea '05 (Pacific Grove, Calif.), who combines strength with speed, having run 3:54 for the 1,500 meters in 2003. McElyea is joined by a deep sophomore group, which includes co-captain Jeff Alden '07, Sam Crocker '07, Fred Bailey '07, and Dan Vassallo '07. Alden (Caribou, Maine) was a member of the U.S. Junior Biathlon Team and the State of Maine Class C 1,600-meter record holder at 4:17.12. Crocker (Yarmouth, Maine) is a 9:42 two-miler who looks to return fit after injury forced him out the 2003 season. Bailey (Andover, Maine) and Vassallo (Wilmington, Mass.) scored consistently in the team's top five during 2003 and look to move up the ranks this fall.

Adding depth to the team will be a strong first-year class that includes Sam Reid '08 (Greenfield, Mass.), Jon Reno '08 (Maple Grove, Minn.), Brad Woodworth '08 (Weston, Mass.), and Philip Mason '08 (North Thetford, Vt.). The team's summer training program will provide the first-year runners the opportunity for maximum impact upon their arrival in the fall of 2004.

Program Overview

Blessed with a 714-acre campus that overlooks the Kennebec River Valley in central Maine, the Colby harriers are forever grateful to Judge and Mrs. Levin Campbell and their daughter Eleanor S. Campbell '81 of Cambridge, Mass., for their gift of The Campbell Trails, a racecourse trail system that winds through this spectacular pastoral setting.

Colby's harriers spend virtually every day running on trails, both for the benefits of a softer training surface and to better simulate the rigors of cross-country racing. In the early part of our season the team develops a strong base with long aerobic runs, hill work, and lactate threshold runs. As the team moves into the competitive part of the season, we add intensity with VO2 max intervals that develop our anaerobic energy systems. We prepare for the championship season with the introduction of shorter, faster intervals and a taper in overall mileage.

Daily runs are complemented with pool work consisting of aqua jogging, lap swimming, and water polo. Pool activity provides our runners valuable active recovery time for injury prevention. The team also works hard to develop core body strength that lends the stability needed for cross-country racing. Core strength is developed using medicine balls, thera-balls, and calisthenics.

Colby's cross-country program includes training trips throughout Maine. Popular destinations include Acadia National Park, the Belgrade Lakes region, and Sugarloaf Mountain. We thoroughly believe that variety in our training regimen has been instrumental to our success.

About Campbell Trails