“I attended the first Boulder Running Clinic and have attended every subsequent Boulder Running Clinic.
The learning environment is transformational, the collegiality is unparalleled, and the collective commitment to continuous improvement is both exemplary and inspirational. “
- Jeff Messer, PhD
Seven Presentations from expert coaches
Two Coach’s Socials
Access to recordings of all presentations after the clinic
“The Clinic Book” with all slides and handouts
Saturday Morning Run on the Boulder Creek Path
Over 90% of the coaches travel from out of state
Friday, January 14th, 2022
11:00 – 11:45 Registration at the Millennium Harvest House, 1345 28th St, Boulder, CO 80302 - Please be at the hotel by 11:30 at the latest to ensure there isn’t a line for registration.
12:00 – 12:10 Welcome
12:10 – 1:25 Jonathan Dalby - Middle Distance Running: A Case Study in 800m and 1600m Performance
1:25 – 1:35 Break
1:35 – 2:50 Melody Fairchild - Ensuring Long-term Development: Supporting Your Athlete’s ‘Why’
2:50 – 3:00 Break
3:00 – 4:15 Jay Johnson - Seeing the End at the Beginning
4:30 – 5:30 Dinner on your own - 29th St. Mall has many options - click here.
5:30 – 9:00 Coach’s Social – Embassy Suites, 2601 Canyon Blvd, Boulder, CO 80302 - Cash Bar, food not provided
Saturday, January 15th, 2022
7:00 - 8:30 Easy Run on the Boulder Creek Path
9:00 – 10:15 John Sipple - Training Philosophy at Downer’s Grove North
10:15 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:45 Renee Williams-Smith - The Importance of Team Culture in Developing High-Performance Teams
11:45 – 1:20 Lunch (not provided) - 29th St. Mall has many options - click here.
1:25 – 2:25 Jeff Boelé - Ancillary Training
2:25 – 2:40 Break
2:40 – 3:50 Jeff Boelé - The Warm-Up
3:50 – 4:00 Closing remarks
4:00 – 5:30 Dinner on your own. Foodtrucks at the Rayback: Grey Duck Eats and Arepas Caribbean
5:30 – ??? Coach’s Social – Rayback Collective, 2775 Valmont Rd, Boulder, CO 80304
Sunday, January 16th, 2022
Directions to multiple locations for runs, including directions on how to get to Magnolia Road, Rollinsville, and Doudy Draw will be provided at check-in. Note that the iconic Village Coffee Shop, a favorite of CU runners for decades, is just 5-6 minutes from the two hotels.
Tickets
$185 –Click here for tickets.
Covid Protocol
Millennium Hotel: We will follow Boulder County guidelines for indoor events, which is currently a mask mandate. Speakers, because they'll be on stage, will not wear masks, but the audience will wear masks.
At the two coach’s socials, the local guidelines are to wear masks when not “actively” eating or drinking. An example of this would be needing to wear masks when walking to the restroom or walking to the bar for a beverage.
Travel
For those flying to Denver International Airport, you’ll travel between 40 and 60 minutes to get to the hotel, depending on the time of day and if you take the toll roads. A Lyft/Uber will be between $60-$70. You can take the RTD AB bus which is less than $20 each way and it will drop you off in downtown Boulder, then you can take a Lyft. The buses are coach buses and clean. Finally, renting a car is a great option as parking at the hotel is easy, though the rental car area is a 10-15 minute bus ride from the terminal.
Two Hotel Options
There are two hotels, each with its positives and drawbacks.
The Millennium Harvest House is where the clinic presentations take place. This hotel is quite old and shows it, yet we’ve been assured that our room block is in the newest portion of the hotel. The room rate is $109 a night.
Pros: Being in the clinic hotel, being on the Boulder Creek Path, and paying the lowest room rate in town.
Cons: An older hotel that’s not as nice as others in town.
The Embassy Suites is where the Friday Coach’s Social will be held. It is one of the newest hotels in Boulder.
Pros: Nicer rooms and, at $134 a night, the best value you’ll find for the weekend with a nice lobby/bar for socializing, and closer to a variety of places to eat.
Cons: Needing to get to the Millennium for the presentation. It's 10 to 15-minute walk or a $12-$15 Lyft/Uber fare.
The link for Millennium is here (Note: the link takes a long time to load in your browser).
The link for Embassy Suites is here. This rate ends on December 15th!
Questions
Please email us at info@boulderrunningclinics.com with any questions and we’ll get back to you promptly. We’ll add information to this page as the date nears, and we will send everyone who is registered emails with clinic details prior to the event.
Speakers
Jeff Boelé
Jeff has a proven track record of fostering a culture where athletes of all ages and abilities are able to develop and see continued progress in their athletic pursuits. Jeff holds USATF Level I and II (endurance) certifications and a jumps event specialist certification from the USTFCCCA. Additionally, he is a licensed massage therapist in the state of Colorado
In his nearly 20-year career, he has worked with middle school, high school, collegiate, professional, and masters athletes, including his current work with the Elevated Performance athlete.
In 2015, Jeff met renowned coach Dan Pfaff at the ALTIS training enclave in Phoenix, AZ. Through this mentorship, Jeff was inspired to pursue a massage therapist license. The combination of sports therapy, speed/power, and endurance training have equip Jeff well for his current role of working with professional and semi-professional distance athletes in Boulder, CO.
Jay Johnson
Jay Johnson has coached collegiate, professional and adult runners for two decades. He ran on the University of Colorado team featured in Running with the Buffaloes simultaneously earning his M.S. in Kinesiology and Applied Physiology.
Johnson started his career as the head track and cross country coach at Pratt Community College in Pratt, Kansas, before returning to CU to serve as an assistant cross country coach, middle-distance coach, and recruiting coordinator. After eight years as a collegiate coach, Johnson transitioned to coaching post-collegiate athletes, three of whom won USATF titles, the most notable being Brent Vaughn, who won the USATF 2011 Cross Country championship.
Johnson’s second book, Consistency is Key: Fifteen Ways to Unlock Your Potential as a High School Runner, came out in 2020 and has sold over 10,000 copies.
Melody Fairchild
Melody Fairchild grew up running in the mountains west of town in Boulder, CO. In 1990, Melody became the fastest high school girl in the U.S. when she won a Footlocker cross country championship, setting a course record that still stands. On the track, Melody was the first American girl to break 10 minutes in the two-mile (9:55).
After high school, Melody faced challenges common to young female athletes. With resilience, she overcame them and won a bronze medal in the junior race at the 1991 World Cross Country Championships.
Melody is a top master’s runner and inspiring coach who works with youth athletes in her Boulder Mountain Warriors program.
Renee Williams-Smith
As a student at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach California, Renee was on the first ever girls Cross Country, Track and Soccer teams. She began her professional career with the 1984 Olympic Committee in treasury where she experienced firsthand the success that comes from a commitment to teamwork in the corporate environment.
Renee began as an assistant cross country coach at Mira Costa in 2001 and became the girl’s head coach in 2004 The results during her tenure include 11 state finals teams out of the last 13 years, two- time NXN team qualifiers, two individual California State champions, two Footlocker Finalists, and nine individual finalists in the California state track and field championships.
In 2014, she was awarded the Brooks National inspiring coach of the year. What she gets most fulfillment from is creating a team culture where girls gain confidence and a sense of self in an environment that is inclusive, loving, and of course competitive.
John Sipple
Sipple is a Chemistry teacher and started at Downers Grove North High School in 2007. During his time as the Head Track Coach, he coached the sprinters and the athletes he coached set 12 school records.
In cross country his teams have won two state titles, qualified for NXN twice, finishing 4th in 2017 and 12th in 2016.
In Track and Field, Sipple has coached multiple All–State athletes from the 4x400m relay up to the 3200m. In 2014, DGN became the first team since 2007 to have an All-State 4x800m Relay, and All-State runners in the 3200m, 800m, and 1600m. Since taking over as the distance coach, Sipple has had 5 athletes run 4:14 or faster in the 1600m.
Jonathan Dalby
Jonathan has been coaching for 18 years and has been the head cross country and track coach at Mountain Vista High School for 15 years.
Mountain Vista has become a national power for boys and girls. The boys have qualified for NXN 4 times, including a 3rd place podium finish in 2017. The girls were 6th at NXN in 2017, and have qualified for NXN 3 separate times.
Vista Nation teams have won a combined nine Colorado 5A State Championships (7 boys and 2 girls), three NXR Southwest titles, six individual state championships, three boys 4x800 state titles, and 18 boys and girls Continental League XC Championships.
Vista athletes have earned 117 Colorado 5A All-State Cross Country and Track & Field finishes since 2007 including 4-time state champion Jenna Fitzsimmons (1600, 3200, and twice in XC) and Harrison Witt, the Colorado All-Classification State Record Holder in the 800 (1:48.5) and 1600 (4:04.36) meter runs in 2021.
Dalby graduated from Lee's Summit (MO) High School where he ran for legendary coach Dave Denny (Coach of Joe Falcon) and was teammates with two-time Olympian and US 2-Mile national record holder Matt Tegenkamp. After college Dalby returned home to coach with Denny at Lee's Summit West from 2004 to 2007.