Beyond the Miles

Every July, athletes on Nueva’s Upper School Cross Country team are invited to travel to Mammoth Lakes, California, where they participate in a week-long boot camp. This past summer, 25 runners took part in the camp, pushing their mental and physical boundaries by waking up at 6 a.m. and running six to 10 miles each day. Though quite a rigorous athletic experience, Mammoth offered the team a unique opportunity for mid-summer bonding.

Below, Upper School Cross Country student-athletes Henry H. ’28 and Senya S. ’26 sat down together to share more about their experience at Mammoth Running Camp.

 

What were your expectations going into Mammoth this year?

Senya: This year was my fourth year going to Mammoth, and I was determined to make the most of it. For me, the first two years of the camp involved acclimating to the team and the rigorous training schedule. During year three my goal shifted to making the most of my time at Mammoth by attempting all the workouts in full (there are options for runners to modify the workouts). For my last year, my aim was to pay it forward and actively strive to foster the team culture I had grown so fond of over the years.

Henry: This was my first summer attending Mammoth; I didn’t know what to expect, and I was feeling more than a little nervous. I was uncertain about what was to come and worried about not being able to complete each day’s workouts. The reality was both far different and far better than I could have imagined.

 

What is your favorite memory from Mammoth this year?

Senya: I really enjoyed creating a team superlatives form with my friend and teammate Julia R. ’26. Some of my favorite superlatives were “Most likely to cheer for the other team” and “Most likely to steal a single Smartie from Robert’s office and then return it apologetically.” It was gratifying to hear everyone discussing the form during van rides and bonding over assigning superlatives to teammates they hadn’t known well before the trip.

Henry: My favorite memory from Mammoth was on our second day at camp. After running seven miles, we hiked four more miles into the Inyo National Forest, got lost a few times, but ultimately ended up at a beautiful picnic spot where everyone took turns jumping from a tall rock into the frigid lake below. The camaraderie here was so incredible; each student supported those who were mentally preparing themselves to jump.

 

What is unique about running at Mammoth?

Senya: One of the most unique aspects of running at Mammoth is how, regardless of skill level or team seniority, everyone completes the same runs daily. In-season, we might do similar workouts, but everyone tends to run in different directions and with different groups. At Mammoth, the shared experience is really nice and everyone congratulates each other after finishing the runs. A fun tradition we have is making a human tunnel and cheering teammates on as they return from their runs—we even ended up doing one for another team that was running at the same spot as us!

Henry: I had always thought that running was not a team sport–until we had our first team runs at Mammoth. We were all adjusting to the altitude and the new normal of waking up at the crack of dawn. Despite how exhausted everyone was, the camaraderie was palpable. Through this shared experience, I got to know my teammates even better, forging lifelong memories and connections.

 

How has your time at Mammoth shaped how you think about Nueva Cross Country?

Henry: Being at Mammoth has made me realize that we are so much more than just a group of runners: we are a family that supports each other and shows up to cheer every teammate as they cross the finish line. The bonding experience at Mammoth brought me much closer to my teammates than I could have ever imagined.

Senya: I agree with Henry. Mammoth always reminds me of how much more this team is than just a “running group.” This might sound cheesy, but there’s no way I would have stuck with the sport without the amazing experiences and connections I’ve forged with my teammates throughout the years. Mammoth has always been the best reminder of this for me. Living together and being around others who are thinking about running 24/7 might sound awful to some people, but for me, it created experiences I will never forget.

 

What experience from Mammoth will you carry with you into this year’s cross country season?

Senya: I really enjoyed working with my fellow seniors to plan activities for the team; we intend for this to continue throughout the season. I most enjoyed creating a “Kindness Wall,” a mini-version of the Upper School tradition where, during the week of Valentine’s Day, envelopes are posted around campus for community members to write “kindness notes” for each other. On a smaller scale, we put up envelopes for each member of the team and by the end of the week, everyone was writing notes to each other. Each person ended the camp with an envelope of appreciations.

Henry: Rather than an experience, it’s a theme that I’ll take with me into both this year’s cross country season and the academic year: diligence. Robert Lopez, our head coach, always tells us to “Get it in, get it done.” Rather than procrastinating tasks or delaying them, I’m working on taking initiative and not dawdling before completing a major assessment, a run, or even the summer reading.

 

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome during Mammoth?

Henry: On our final running day at Mammoth, we drove to a mountainous area on the periphery of Yosemite. There, we ran ten miles and gained 1500 feet of elevation. My biggest challenge was telling myself that it was okay to walk, and that moving forward at any pace was progress. My teammates encouraged me to keep going, and when I began running again, I shouted cheers of encouragement to help them push others through their last miles, just as they had done for me.

Senya: My biggest challenge during camp was not a physical one, but a mental one. Attending the camp for the fourth year in a row, I was no longer scared of 10-mile runs or jumping off rocks into the cold water below. Instead, I simply wanted to make the most of the experience. As camp went on, I struggled to stay present and found myself thinking about the experience as if it were already over. Spending evenings together as a team helped me stay present. As a group, we played games like Mafia and sang karaoke after eating together.

 

What is your favorite Mammoth tradition?

Henry: My favorite (and sometimes least favorite!) tradition from Mammoth was immersing in the ice baths. Each day, after running, we would plunge ourselves into local bodies of ice-cold water. For the ten minutes that I was in the water, my teeth were chattering and I was shivering, but my conversations with teammates flowed freely. Since I wasn’t doing this alone, this shared experience of suffering brought us all together and gave us a space to be sincere in learning about ourselves and each other.

Senya: My favorite Mammoth tradition was cooking together. Every night, a different randomly assigned group was tasked with cooking dinner for everyone. Each group had to craft a meal plan and shop for enough ingredients to feed thirty people. Cooking allowed me to bond with teammates whom I wouldn’t interact with otherwise and connect over a non-running-related goal.