What 22 Kids Taught Us at Camp This Summer: Recapping the 2026 Marin Running Camp

Every July, for one week at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, our Imagining More running camp arrives on campus — sneakers pounding trail, kids counting down Decathlon Challenge events, and me remebering why I love running so much. This year was our fifth summer running it, our second at San Domenico, and if felt like one of the best yet.

Twenty-two kids came through camp this year — a mix of first-timers who'd never run competitively and eight returning campers who came back for round two (or three). Six of those spots were half-off scholarships, made possible by our partner Impala Racing Team who believes, like we do, that a week like this shouldn't be out of reach for any family that wants it. That's the whole point of Imagining More: give kids the role models and the confidence-building we wished we'd had.

The days were built around trail runs, skills work, strength training, and our signature team event — the Decathlon Challenge, a mashup of games and mini-competitions designed to get everyone laughing while they're also, quietly, getting stronger. When we surveyed campers afterward, the response to that event was unanimous: 100% said they enjoyed it. Same story with the daily workouts — every single camper said the training load was "just right" for their level, whether they were brand new to running or already chasing varsity times.

One of my favorite parts of the week is sharing my own story — the Olympic runs, the setbacks, the long unglamorous middle of a career most people only see the highlight reel of. This year, 92% of campers said that talk and the accompanying documentary screening about my London 2012 race left a real impression on them. One 15-year-old camper put it this way:

"Shannon's presentation had the biggest impact on me — hearing her story and her experience as a runner was very inspiring."

And a 10-year-old camper, on pushing through a tough training day:

"It really pushed me to my limits in running, but I still did it, and it was fun."

That's the balance we're always trying to strike — challenge kids enough that they surprise themselves, without ever making it feel like something to dread. Judging by the fact that 100% of campers rated the facilities "excellent" and plenty told us they're already counting down to next summer, I think we're nailing it.

What stuck with campers most, in their own words, were the long trail runs, the Decathlon Challenge, and hearing about my path as a runner. But just as much, it was the community — returning members of local clubs like Dipsea Kidz linking back up, and families from all over Marin and San Francisco making the trip just to be part of it for a week.

We also heard from parents, including this note that made the whole team's week:

"Thank you for coming back and doing this camp again. I'm proud of you all for starting this camp and building on it — I'm sure it's a thousand hours of work behind the scenes, and the kids are lucky to have this opportunity." — a camper parent

It is a lot of hours behind the scenes — and every one of them is worth it for a week like this.

If you're a business or individual interested in helping us fund more scholarships for next year's camp, we'd love to talk. A sponsorship gives a young runner a week they won't forget — reach out to Paula at paula@imaginingmore.org to get involved.