Dates: July 17-19
Location: Naperville/Chicago
Lodging:
We will be staying in a cabin at Camp Bullfrog Lake in Willow Springs. The cabin is air conditioned with its own bathroom and shower. There are bunk beds in the main section where athletes will sleep. Female chaperones will be in an adjoining bedroom. Male chaperones will be in a tent nearby.
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Activities:
Thursday
- Sightseeing: We'll make a stop in Springfield, where we'll get to see the burial site of Abraham Lincoln. We'll also have a picnic lunch in Peoria at Detweiller Park, site of many premiere cross country races including the Illinois State Championships.
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- Shopping: We'll spend some time strolling through downtown Naperville, which includes stores like lululemon, Aerie, Athleta, Nike, and many more.
- Long Run: We'll get a workout in at Springbrook Prairie, one of many beautiful scenic trails in the area.
- Food: We'll have a post-run dinner at Chicken Lit followed by dessert at JoJo's Shake Bar.
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Friday
- Wildwood Clinic: This is a clinic at North Central College in Naperville for female high school distance athletes and their coaches featuring speakers on a number of topics (as outlined below). There will also be an opportunity for a fun run to connect with girls from other schools.
- Food: We'll grab Mexican for dinner at B'N Chingon.
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- Fun: We'll spend the evening playing games at the cabin and discussing goals for the season.
Saturday
- Service: We'll do some volunteer work at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, a Catholic ministry staffed by the Franciscans of the Eucharist serving the poor of Chicago. We'll also get to listen to a talk by Sr. Stephanie Baliga.
- Food: Before heading home we'll have some deep dish pizza from Pequod's, one of the top joints in the city.
- Sight Seeing: We'll spend the afternoon getting to see a few iconic landmarks in Chicago, like the Bean, Navy Pier, and North Avenue Beach.
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Speakers:
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Marie Markham: A native of Portland Oregon, Marie Davis Markham won six state championship titles in track and cross country representing Lincoln HS. She was also a three-time Kinney/Foot Locker finalist and a two-time Junior World Cross Country team member. She attended the University of Oregon, becoming a six-time All American. After graduating, Marie ran for the Nike Farm Team. In 2017 Marie came back to Lincoln High School as an assistant coach. Since Marie has been with the Cardinals, Lincoln has earned a state XC trophy on the girls side each year, as well as three NXN appearances. In 2020 she co-founded Wildwood Running to serve and empower female athletes in our sport.
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Robyn McGillis: A competitive track and field and cross country runner at the high school level, Robyn McGillis went on to run for the University of California (UC), San Diego. There she was a national qualifier in the 800m and the mile relay and is still on the top 10 list for UC San Diego in the 800m. Post-collegiately, Robyn has been a successful road racer competing for the local running club, Run Portland, in races from 5k to marathons. In 2013 Robyn joined Central Catholic High School in Portland as an assistant cross country coach for the girls' team. She became the head coach in the fall of 2014, leading her team to their first appearance at state that same year. In her tenure she has been named Coach of the Year for her conference five times. In 2020 she co-founded Wildwood Running to serve and empower female athletes in our sport.
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Kate Kelley-Schneider: An athlete all her life, Kate's first love was basketball. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison before completing her degree in clinical counseling from Argosy University. While she has experience working with those dealing with addiction, trauma, or anxiety, she's turned more of her attention toward athletes, whether one-on-one sessions or consultation with parents, coaches, and teams. She brought these experiences and her proven techniques for increasing mental toughness in the world of elite athletes to her book, Pure Sports Mindset, helping them to move past mental blocks, maintain motivation, overcome fear, and reach peak performance. Kate fills her free time training for marathons and enjoying life with her four children.
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Christine Yu: From a young age, Christine has held a passion for writing. After a circuitous route that took her through Columbia University and Harvard, she ultimately ended up in the world of journalism. She's written about sports, science, and health for such publications as The Washington Post, Outside Magazine, Runner's World, Family Circle, SELF, Eating Well, VICE, and espnW. Her book UP TO SPEED: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes addresses many of these same topics. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. A lifelong athlete, she loves to run, hike, swim, and surf.
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Heidi Strickler: A soccer player in high school, Heidi Strickler pivoted to running cross country and track and field at Seattle Pacific University. Her experience with an eating disorder fueled her own path toward becoming a registered sports dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics. She earned her Masters in Sports Nutrition from Liverpool John Moores University in England. Heidi has been practicing as an RD for more than 10 years and launched her virtual private practice in 2020. She specializes in endurance athletes, female athletes and the menstrual cycle, disordered eating, RED-S and amenorrhea. Heidi brings both nutrition science and her personal story into her work with her clients and the presentations that she gives globally. Heidi is extremely passionate about changing the language, beliefs, and culture of sport with the hopes of preventing athletes from the physical and emotional harm she experienced. The way of doing this, she believes, is honest conversation and constant education.
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Dan Iverson: After a reasonably successful high school running career in Illinois, Dan Iverson competed at renowned running powerhouse North Central College. He took a job as a teacher at Naperville North High School, where he's been for over thirty years. He's been the head girls coach for track and field and cross country since 1996. In that time, his girls have won nine titles in cross country at the intensely competitive Illinois state meet. They finished in the top three on ten other occasions. The Naperville North girls have also made nine appearances at NXN, twice finishing as runner-up as a team while boasting three individual All-Americans.
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Sister Stephanie Baliga: Sister Stephanie lives as a religious sister within the Franciscans of the Eucharist and serves at the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels. Originally from Rockford, IL, she ran cross country for Auburn High School, where three times she finished in the top 25 at the state meet. After graduating in 2006, she went on to study economics and run at the University of Illinois, where she set a PR of 17:37 in the 5K and finished as high as 63rd at NCAA Nationals in Cross Country. But a foot injury in college forced her to reevaluate her priorities and focus more on her faith life. This led to a deeper encounter with Christ and an ultimate discernment that she was called to religious life. She joined the Franciscans after graduation but was able to continue to run. In that time she has completed more than 15 marathons, Each year she uses the Chicago Marathon as a fundraising opportunity for the Mission, spearheading a team that has raised more than 2 million dollars over the years. She boasts a marathon PR of 2:53 (our Midnight Marathon by comparison was 3:04). Perhaps most impressive was in 2020, when due to the cancellation of the Chicago Marathon, Sister Stephanie ran the 26.2 miles on a treadmill.
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Cost:
The cost to attend is $180. This covers all transportation, lodging, clinic fees, breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.
Beyond this cost, athletes will be responsible for dinners, desserts, and any other food or shopping purchases.
Beyond this cost, athletes will be responsible for dinners, desserts, and any other food or shopping purchases.
How to Sign Up:
To sign up, talk to Mr. McLain. Spots aren't reserved until full payment is received. Spots are limited to the first 8 athletes. Priority will be given to returning runners until April 25 before being opened to newcomers, so don't miss out!