This is a trail runner’s dream come true. Here’s your chance to train with an elite trail runner for four days and four nights at a pristine lodge deep in the Kootenay Mountains with professionally catered meals and unparalleled trail running in British Columbia. Glutes in the Koots brings together the best elements of a trail running camp, and then adds superb food, a professional photographer, and bountiful gifts from some of the best brands in endurance sports.
Glutes in the Koots is coached by Jen Segger. For the past 12 years, Segger has been competing at the elite level in ultra running, adventure racing, and mountain biking. Combining her passion for athletics and competition, she is an endurance coach to athletes of all ages and abilities around the world. She owns a high-performance training facility in Squamish as well as an indoor cycling studio, and she always carries a can of kickass in her back pocket. With any luck, she can teach everyone at the camp where they can secure their own can of kickass. Segger prefers to teach by example in the mountains. She says, “This is an experiential running opportunity where you will be coached through doing.”
Founder and director Greg Munby first heard the phrase “glutes in the koots” playing Ultimate Frisbee in Nelson, and it seemed to work perfectly for trail running in the Kootenays. Munby is an accomplished ultra runner, and he’s an ambassador for all of the event’s sponsors, including Pearl Izumi, Darn Tough, Nuun, and United States Ski Pole Company. He also loves the Sol Mountain Lodge.
The Sol Mountain Lodge rests in the Monashee Mountains south of Revelstoke. This modern backcountry lodge is family owned and operated. More expansive than a cabin or a hut, the three-story lodge was designed for backcountry skiers and singletrack users. Sol Mountain has comfortable private bedrooms, indoor bathrooms and hot showers, a toasty drying room, a wood-stove heated sauna, yoga and stretching studio, a full-service kitchen and bar, and high-quality chef-made cuisine. The lodge is focused on easy backcountry living so guests can focus on what is important: the outdoors.
Munby reports, “From the lodge, athletes can expect above tree-line running primarily on singletrack. In addition, a considerable amount of technical travel on rocky terrain will allow guests to reach summits and ridges on each run. Although Jen intends to coach pre-determined skills, such as hills, pacing, nutrition, safety, and night running, she will also coach to the needs of the runners. Athletes will travel as a group with a guide and sweep. Safety will be emphasized at all times.”
Finally, Revelstoke’s Bruno Long will be traveling with the group to document the experience. He continues to be one of the most prolific photographers in the mountain bike world, and he is eager to capture the beauty and wonder of this brilliant event. If you’re curious about his work, check out his website at brunolong.com.
Altogether, the program is a mix of men and women looking to extend their trail running into longer distances. The group may spend up to five hours hiking and running on the longest day, but most efforts are three or four miles on steep terrain. Guests should be comfortable running 14 to 16 miles in varied weather over rugged terrain. The event website displays a detailed event schedule, and the organizers welcome questions regarding the event’s caliber or guests’ running abilities. Space is limited so sign up soon. For more information, visit glutesinthekoots.com. //
