STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Through snowboarding and ultra running, Steamboat Springs resident Penelope Freedman has learned that no elite competitor can be successful alone. 

“Behind every great athlete, there is a whole team of experts that is integral to their success,” Freedman said. “I thought it would be very cool to bring all the people together, especially keeping it local in Steamboat, with the people who are leading the workshops.

“Trail running in Steamboat is absolutely beautiful,” Freedman added. “I definitely want to give people a piece of that, but I want to bring all these people together and show them that they’re contributing to the success of a good trail runner.”

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Freedman’s team helped her place third at the 2015 Xterra Trail Run World Championships. Wanting to provide the athletes in Steamboat with the feeling of having a supportive crew behind them, she constructed a team of local professionals to put on workshops as part of a trail running camp, open to people of all ages and all abilities. 

The three day camp will run from Aug. 7 to 9, with six workshops from experts, daily runs on iconic Steamboat trails and a keynote address from Steamboat native and Olympic snowboarder Justin Reiter. 

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“He’ll be at the opening banquet — the healthy living banquet — and giving a speech about how it took a team of people to help him become a successful athlete and the importance of giving back to the community and giving recognition to the kind of, behind-the-scenes people,” Freedman said. “Everybody knows it takes a team to produce an incredible athlete.”

Freedman wants this camp to be financially accessible to anyone who has an interest. She is offering full and partial scholarships to cover the cost of the camp, so price doesn’t keep anyone away. 

“There’s a tremendous amount of talent out there, and it makes me very sad that a lot of times, it’s only the kids that have money that are able to achieve that high level of success in sports,” Freedman said.

The camp will be held at various spaces, depending on the workshop. A concrete schedule will be available to participants as the event gets closer. The runs will be determined by who signs up and the information they provide on their current activity level. 

Freedman said you don’t even have to be a runner to get something out of the workshops. Any athlete can take home applicable knowledge. 

“I really feel these workshops are an important resource for any athlete of any caliber competing in any type of sport,” Freedman said.

Workshops include: “Strength and Conditioning” presented by Charlie Chase; “Functional Movement” by Cinthy Carson; “Reaching Your Full Potential” by Greer Van Dyck, psychologist and founder of Windrose Coaching and Mentoring; “Holistic Health” by Douglas Kenyon, owner of Yampa Valley Chiropractic Center; and “Earthing Yoga” with Narisa Wild. Freedman, who founded Kenchuto Bliss, will contribute a “Raw Foods” workshop in which she teaches participants to make their own superfood-packed bars. 

“I’m just extremely excited to bring the community together and showcase some of the local professionals we have right here in Steamboat working with some of the most top elite athletes,” Freedman said. “(I’m excited) for those people to meet each other, network with each other, bring each other clients. I’m extremely excited to share my passion.”

To reach Shelby Reardon, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.