Final SHARC camp held after nearly 20 years of providing high-altitude training to runners from Idaho and beyond

All good things must come to an end.

The well-known SHARC running camp recently wrapped up its final session after nearly 20 years.

The Soda Springs High School cross country team began hosting this running camp in the summer of 2005 around the summit of Georgetown Canyon just outside of Georgetown.

Athletes from near and far have been attending this camp as part of their summer training.

SHARC got its name from the acronym Summit High Altitude Running Camp.

Many of the professional distance runners in the world will flock to high altitude areas just for the benefits of long distance training in the mountains. These benefits include increasing aerobic capacity, tolerance in lactic acid, and more oxygen flow to muscles as well as increasing red blood cell production, which allows the body to have more oxygen to utilize when competing at sea level.

This kind of training was something Cardinals cross country coach Jeff Horsley wanted to make available to the region's younger athletes.

With Georgetown Canyon's camping summit at 7,500 feet less than a 30-minute drive from his home, Horlsey had the best location to provide this kind of training.

Horsley and Ty Draney, coach of the Star Valley High School cross country team, have co-led this camp from the beginning with guest host Dan Grimes, who formerly helped coach the Idaho State University and Pocatello High School cross country teams.

Horsley and Draney met in high school when both were just beginning their running careers. The friendship has lasted through their many years of running in high school and college and now during their time as coaches. They each coach at the high schools where they attended as students.

This year's SHARC camp lasted for two nights and three days and consisted of high altitude running, clinics on various running topics, instruction on running form and technique, and competitions.

One of the toughest parts of the camp is the brutal uphill race in the summer heat.

The SHARC camp was strategically held toward the end of July as a great way to complete summer running miles and kickstart the upcoming season.

Nearly 1,500 runners from schools in states as far away as Arkansas have participated in this camp over the years.

Horsley said, “This was such a tough decision (to no longer hold the camp). We would like to thank the countless hours that volunteers have put in over the years to make this camp succeed for so long. Especially our families who have allowed us to disappear to the mountains for days each summer. It’s time to move on and try something different. I’m so thankful for everyone who helped make my vision a reality.”

Though SHARC has come to an end, the legacy of Coach Horsley leading the Cardinals cross country team continues. Soda Springs High School will begin its cross country season with its annual Midnight Madness in August.

Cardinals runners will meet at Soda Springs High School at 11:45 p.m. on Aug. 11 for their first run of the season beginning right at midnight. Tigert Middle School runners along with any Cardinals runners who can't make Midnight Madness are asked to be at Soda Springs High School for practice at 9 a.m. Aug. 12.