I recently had the unique experience of accompanying members of Kevin Castille’s summer track team, Castille’s Distance Project (CDP), on a week long trip to “Tracktown USA ”, Eugene , Oregon .  Kevin lived in Eugene for six months during 2004 while training with Team Eugene, prior to the Olympic Trials.  Kevin’s plan was to expose the kids to the wonderful training environment that permeates the Eugene area and to put them through a week of running that few of them had ever experienced.  All of the kids have been training with Kevin this summer and have been competing in AAU Track Meets and local road races.  Several are competing in the Jr. Olympic National Championships during the week of August 1^st.

The kids numbered eighteen (18) for the trip and ranged in age from freshman in High School to freshman in College.    Eleven boys, Alden Heaphy, Peter Stelly, Adam Saloom, Marshall Kemp, Danny Theriot, Eddie Granger, Tyler Guidroz, Jacob Delahoussaye, Billy Lebas, Jordan Leavers and Dusty Dischler traveled with seven (7) young ladies, Kathryn Fontenot, Simone Domingue, Ryann-Rebecca Montgomery, Liza Jagneaux, Halie Gossen, Jasmine Journet and Lucie Pyle for the week.  Along with Kevin, the runners were chaperoned by Anne Pyle, Bonnie Jagneaux, Philip Fontenot, Doug Saloom and myself.  The runners also ranged in ability and background.  From distance veterans of 18 and 19 years old to child prodigies at 14 years old to emerging “hosses” just coming into their own, the group contained niches of ability that would become more defined as the week went on. 

We arrived in Eugene midday on Saturday the 22^nd to record-breaking heat.  The afternoon temperature hit 105 degrees and we were worried that we hadn’t escaped the drudgery of Louisiana summer time weather.  After some rest, Kevin took us out to Amazon Park, just a few blocks from our Downtown “command center” at the Timbers Motel, for an easy run.   Amazon is a public park that contains a very high quality track facility, several softball fields, a football/lacrosse field, several soccer fields, a huge pool and, most importantly, five miles of trails covered with soft wood mulch and saw dust.  Athletes were everywhere and the atmosphere was perfect.  We did a four mile run, just to shake off the rust of a full night of traveling and to adjust to the new surroundings.  Kevin sent the kids to bed that night and told them to rest up for the morning run, it wouldn’t be so easy.   

At 8:00 am , we loaded up the van and the cars and headed to Dexter Dam, about 20 miles outside of Eugene .  Thankfully, the temperature was a little better as we headed to the mountains.  The course for the day was limestone road that bordered a lake.   Well shaded, well maintained and clearly marked every mile, the road proved to be a great venue for our twelve mile run.   Kevin met some elite runners at the starting point for an eighteen mile run while Philip drove us out to the twelve mile mark and dropped us off.  Many of the kids had never completed a twelve mile run before so there was some anxiety as we started out down the road.  Things settled in nicely as the group spread out and smaller groups formed at various paces.   Everyone finished up without any extreme difficulty.  

And so it went, all week long.  Run and the get ready for the next run.  We finished the week with sixty miles of running over seven days.  Every one of the group made all the workouts.  Most days we did two runs.  On Wednesday and Friday we did interval workouts.  Every run was finished off with stretching and sets of strides.  Not once did we run on asphalt or concrete.  Every run was on a trail or on a track.  The trails in Eugene are unbelievable. Whether it was Amazon Park , or Dorris Ranch, or Alton Baker Park (the Prefontaine Trails), the trails are excellently maintained, well marked and well utilized.     The weather and scenery was just as unbelievable.  Clear blue skies, low humidity and low temperatures.  Mountain roads, one-hundred foot trees, rolling rivers and clear blue lakes.  It was a tremendous experience and one that none of us will forget.

Needless to say, it takes a special type of kid to spend a week of summer vacation running twice a day.  This group was that special.   They were focused, committed and determined.  No complaining.  No excuses.  No shortcuts.  They weren’t angels all the time (they are teenagers) but, when it was time to run, everyone was all business.   

Just as impressive was the man, Kevin Castille.  Every workout was planned out well in advance.  Careful thought was put into the activities between runs.  He was attentive to each of the runners, whether they ran well or they didn’t.  He knew when to push and when not to push.  He taught them the right way to train and how to prepare themselves for the next workout. He taught them how each workout, whether hard or easy, was important to the “big picture” of being an endurance athlete. He treated the kids like young adults but stepped up the discipline when it was needed.    He managed all of this while logging in eighteen fast miles a day himself.  Kevin served as a great mentor, a generous host and the best example of an elite runner.

So, if you happen to see some these kids running the streets of Lafayette in their bright yellow and green “ OREGON ” gear, give them a shout out for a job well done.  Wish them luck on the upcoming Cross Country season and look for their names in the paper on Sunday mornings.  If you see Kevin around, just tell him “thanks”.   He’s making sure that the future endurance athletes of Acadiana are learning to do things the right way.