It was a phone call with her famed coach, Joe Vigil, that sparked the idea. Olympian middle distance runner Brenda Martinez talked about running goals, sure, but she knew her message could go beyond the track.
“I told coach I wanted to give back to the community, but I didn’t know how,” Martinez, 29, a middle-distance track runner and 2013 World Championship bronze medalist in the 800 meters, told Runner’s World by phone.
five California middle school and high school girls in 2013 own running camp for young girls. So that’s what did when she brought together Socks for Runners. While there’s currently no official camp name, this summer will mark the camp’s fifth year, slated for the end of June, after USA Track & Field National Club Championships.
Giving Back
After graduating from University of California, Riverside, in 2010, Martinez was lost.
“Coming out of college, I was having a hard time. I had no guidance,” she said. “This was before I met Coach Vigil.”
That’s when things started to turn around.
“I was in awe that Joe wanted to help me,” Martinez said. “I wanted to return the favor. Not to him, necessarily, but to the community. We have to be good citizens and give back.”
Once the idea for the camp was born, Martinez sought out her campers, whom she would host at her own residence in Big Bear, California. She accepted essay applications from middle and high school girls in Riverside and San Bernadino counties. Martinez has now expanded to other surrounding counties, including Los Angeles.
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“Picking a stack, that’s the hardest part,” Martinez said, referring to her application process. Today, she hosts 10 campers.
“They all make an impression on me,” she said. “One girl had a lot of problems at home, but she found a way to get through it. She opened up to me at camp, and I was impressed by that. And obviously I was crying. At camp, she opened up to me and said, ‘Camp is the only thing that kept me going all year long. Camp is going to help me.’”
Martinez’s campers aren’t necessarily the school’s fastest runners—but that’s not the point.
“We have so many different walks of life,” she said. “One girl was born diabetic but found running, and that’s keeping her healthy ... I appreciate my life more [because of them].”
Sophia Sousa, 17, an 800-meter and 1600-meter runner from Los Angeles county, was a camper last summer and is still in touch with Martinez today. In fact, she’s waiting to hear about an athletic scholarship from the Olympian’s alma mater, UC Riverside.
“I was crazy astonished when I got accepted,” Sousa told Runner’s World by phone. “I was with my friend who’s a runner and I turned to her, and was like, ‘Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it. I got in!’ We freaked out. I kept having to refresh [Martinez’s Instagram] and re-read my name.”
Physical and Mental Wellbeing
Over the course of about three full days, the campers, coached by Martinez and a few of her friends, get to know one another over home-cooked meals, seminars, and runs. The group runs twice a day, but the focus isn’t on intense workouts. (Looking for a similar escape to unwind? Check out one of the 2017 Runner’s World Getaways.)
“Some of the girls have coaches, but most coaches want them to experience [camp] and get to know one another,” Martinez said.
Sousa worried at first that camp was going to be a hardcore training session—she’d run in Big Bear before and knows the trails are challenging.
“I also worried they were going to make us eat crazy healthy,” she said. “I hate bananas. I know it’s a runner’s thing to have a banana, but I just can’t.”
But Sousa’s concerns were unfounded.
“The girls were really nice, and we all clicked,” she said. “When we ran, we just kind of made our own groups based on pace.”
Campers run the trails in Big Bear at 6,700 feet of altitude, checking out scenic spots for photos. They log four to five miles in the morning and do a two-mile shakeout in the evening. The days are filled with trips into town, with bowling being a regular activity.
Evening seminars, led by Martinez and her physical therapist, range from injury prevention to positive thinking.
As for the food? Hats off to the chefs: Martinez’s husband, Carlos Handler, teammates, mom, and sister.
Backed by New Balance
Martinez is sponsored by New Balance, which has stepped in to help outfit the campers and provide support to one of its star athletes.
“When Brenda reached out to us, it was really cool because she was just reaching out to ask if she could purchase product at a discount,” Tom Carleo, New Balance VP of Running, told Runner’s World. “She planned her camp out of her own pocket. That’s a real testament to Brenda and the thought process she had to put the camp together.”
Other benefactors include KT Tape—one of Martinez’s sponsors, PowerBar, and Body Armor. Martinez also chooses a book for every camper to read. Last year’s was The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor. This year will be Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.
Looking Ahead
It’s possible #BMartCamp—which is what the girls have taken to calling the weekend getaway on social media—will grow, but right now, Martinez likes what she has. She uses her experiences to try to be a role model for her proteges.
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“I want to get them to believe they can do it even when times are getting tough,” she said. “They see me as an example. I share my story with them, and they share their stories with me. It’s the reason they’re at camp. Storytelling brings us together.”
Martinez has had 36 campers over the past four summers, and they stay in touch through email, texts, and phone calls. She makes herself easily accessible to the girls for running updates, advice, anything.
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“I went home with motivation,” she said, referring to a rocky season in which the team went through several coaches. “Brenda did a clinic one night on motivation and the importance of positivity and not overthinking all the crazy things in training.”
But really, Martinez sees her camp as a solace for herself.
“I need it more than them,” she said. “I can completely give back without thinking about myself. I’m always thinking about them, even during training, when I’m having a hard time, when I need to step it up. I do it for these girls. They’re looking up to me.”
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:44 5K, and 5:33 mile. Her work has been published in High Impact Sports Bras, Popular Mechanics, The Wall Street Journal Buy Side, Cooking Light, CNN, Glamour, The Associated Press, and Livestrong.com.
