The Role of Running Camps in Shaping the Running Industry

 A Personal Journey Through Brevard Distance Runners Camp, by Scott Dvorak

This past July, I had a full-circle moment as I went back to the running camp that first got me into running some 40 years ago. My store, the Charlotte Running Company, had the opportunity to partner with Nike to bring a pop-up shop to the Brevard Distance Runners’ Camp, held annually at Brevard College, located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains. As a young camper, the Brevard Distance Runners Camp (formerly known as the Florida Distance Runners Camp) helped spark my love for running. Beyond training on Pisgah National Forest trails, the camp immersed me in the culture of running. I have so many memorable experiences from camp. Watching Joan Benoit’s 1984 Summer Olympics inspired me, as did hearing stories of Steve Prefontaine and Frank Shorter. Meeting elites like Lynn Jennings and Keith Brantley further motivated me to pursue running as a high school, college, and professional athlete, and later, a career in the running retail industry. This year’s camp, with similar experiences and shared by nearly 1,000 annual campers, fuels the industry by creating lifelong runners.

As a junior and senior camp counselor during college, I passed this passion forward, guiding campers through drills and team-building, and I saw how camps cultivate leadership, producing coaches and advocates who sustain the sport. In 1996, as a professional runner with Brooks Running and a 1996 Olympic Trials qualifier in the 5000m (after running collegiately at Brevard College and NC State, and later being inducted into Brevard’s Hall of Fame in 2023), I spoke to campers about my relationship with running. Hopefully, sharing my journey fueled their dreams, in the same way that it had been fueled by those elite runners, all of which illustrate how camps connect grassroots and elite levels.

Camps also serve as talent pipelines for the industry. This year, in addition to two CRC staff members, there were four Nike EKIN and PRE reps per session—many of whom were former campers,—we ran with athletes, offered wear-test shoes for feedback, and sold cutting-edge footwear, spikes, apparel, and recovery products. This pop-up shop highlights how camps can serve as hubs for industry innovation and recruitment, connecting brands with athletes and future professionals to drive the running economy.

From evening gatherings to lifelong dedication, Brevard shows how running camps shape the industry. They train, inspire, innovate, and build careers, ensuring running thrives for generations. Running camps like the Brevard Distance Runners Camp are cornerstones of the running industry, fostering talent, community, innovation, and career opportunities. My journey through Brevard—from high school camper to counselor, elite athlete speaker, and now a Charlotte Running Company representative managing a Nike pop-up shop—illustrates their profound impact on runners and the sport.

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