Our Story -
Written by Rob Berry, CTC General Manager
First, the CTC logo was designed by Eric Schroen of Sherman St. Studio in 2018. My reflection several years later - money well spent x 100! Love it! Our shirts and logo are sold for $100+ dollars - representing the history and sacrifice it took to build the team. As I have said to many… if you want a cheaper shirt with little meaning, go to Walmart. Our logo is earned!
The vision for the Colorado Track Club (CTC) originated in 2007 with near-annual training trip and vacations to Colorado, coupled with the state’s dominant running scene and history at the collegiate and pro levels.
Iconic Colorado teams included those coached by:
Damon Martin (Adams State),
Joe Vigil (Adams State / US Olympic Team), and
Mark Wetmore (University of Colorado, Boulder)
These teams have inspired many fans and have accumulated over 60 national team or individual championships. Many professional distance runners from around the world resided in, or at least spent time each year training in Colorado.
Legendary programs and athletes aside, the state’s landscapes and training diversity make for great living. The picture here was taken from the deck of our first home in Colorado at Snow Mountain Ranch. We lived on the west side of the Continental Divide in Granby, CO - one of my favorite towns of all time. I worked as a department director for the resort and some of our first athletes worked in laundry and housekeeping while training throughout Granby, Tabernash, and Winter Park. Almost all running was on trails, dirt roads, or the track - all around 8600’ elevation. I taught ski lessons at Winter Park Resort on the weekends, coached track at the high school in the Spring, and we spent significant time running and mountain biking in the summer. Midnight trips to Rocky Mountain National Park on the outskirts of Grand Lake made for a memorable life in the outdoor paradise.
There were other teams with the name Colorado Track Club, dating back to at least the 1970s. For the 2016 version - our version - the mission is to build a multi-national, professional sports team that competes at the highest levels within the sport. The financial aspect of the goal is to link our strengths and build a viable, stand-alone business bringing value to our clients and eventually supporting our runners - mission accomplished since 2019!
The “team” planning began in August 2016, and we registered with the state in 2017 as ELEV8 Endurance. The team is a for-profit, LLC that provides training resources and coaching for individuals and businesses.
The coaching and services extend beyond the fitness industry and include technical services, marketing, training videos, leadership coaching, presentations, financial work, web design, and consulting projects for businesses.
As expected, the first two years in Granby were expensive with zero revenue and zero pro athletes as we worked to establish the framework for the team. That challenging situation would begin to change in 2018, and then take off in 2019.
World renowned track educator and coach, Scott Christensen, was brought on as a member of the original Board of Advisors for CTC. Alan Culpepper, Olympian and NCAA Champion, collegiate coach, and eventual Pro coach was the other member of the Board. The business plan, mission, vision, and goals for the team were set in place and the next goal was to set a two-year plan to be able to afford the first runner in 2020.
By the summer of 2018, ELEV8 obtained the naming rights and website and became the Colorado Track Club / ColoradTrackClub.com. The website launched with a clear goal of providing detailed accounts of racing and training principles by accomplished athletes, coaches, and business leaders.
[Specifically, by 2025 and beyond, I want top-level athletes and coaches recommending ColoradoTrackClub.com as the BEST source for middle distance and distance performance articles.]. As of 2023, the website is used by top-level high school athletes and coaches, collegiate coaches, and other Pro teams. We have worked hard and spent a lot of money to provide the running community with this website.
Thomas Awad - Ivy League Mile record holder and Philadelphia legend - wrote the first detailed article, which included reflections from his college coach, two teammates, and his dad. Alan Culpepper and Scott Christensen quickly followed up with the next eight articles - these detailed articles could nearly guide an elite athlete to success without a coach.
By early 2020, Olympic 1500-meter runner and collegiate / pro coach Juli Benson provided her first article. By May 2020 Lorraine Moller - 4 time Olympian and leader of the Lydiard Institute - contributed to the site as well.
I am humbled and proud to reflect on the progress of this team and website.
By July 2019, we moved to Colorado Springs. The lower altitude (6500’) and more reasonable weather made for a better training and living experience for would-be athletes. With the framework for the athletic side of the business mostly in place, the next focus was aimed at providing different services of value to other people and companies, so we could start to make money for our would-be team.
Wellington Parkway Studios - named after a beach in Delaware where we had an almost flippant discussion / challenge on how to start a business and website - was designated as the trade name for business operations (non-running) of the Colorado Track Club.
We secured our first contracts and the three year old company had its first profitable years, in both 2019 and 2020 - starting within 60 days of that flippant conversation:)
Clothing sales for CTC kicked off with our first online sale originating from New York City. Several months later, the customer wrote, “It’s still one of my favorite tops to run in.”
Like our high quality running education articles, we knew the clothing line was good - the website and team just needed TIME to grow and basic marketing skills to make customers aware we existed.
Time to Run
As the business was finally getting off the ground we started getting contacted by athletes by the Summer / Fall of 2019. The challenge, for CTC anyway, is finding the RIGHT athlete for our team and business: Do we have a large team, small team, all pros, mix of semi-pros, or even a 1-person team? With some great and timely feedback from other pro teams we made the decision to stay small and remain a tight-knit family-type program that kept in line with our budget, founding values, and mission.
After years of focused work, many painful and costly decisions, mistakes and successes, thousands of practice days and hundreds of meets over a near 30-year period, we brought aboard our first pro athlete.
Fedra Luna Sambran of Argentina demonstrated the specific mindset, durability, and work ethic that we wanted in a CTC athlete. Fedra repeatedly exemplified the values of our team during her first 6-month training cycle with CTC.
In a seemingly blink of an eye, CTC excelled as a business. We purchased our Colorado Springs property / team house AND rented our apartment building / team training center in Iten, Kenya… both converging on December 15, 2020! With both properties, we could now provide tangible support to our athletes. Titus Mutua became our 2nd sponsored athlete and applicants began to increase.
Our team trains with a strong awareness of the science of proper training and running fast, but we are equally committed to studying the history and actual performances of fast runners as well.
The training density and mental pressure of competing well internationally requires a special athlete who can accept the burden and find joy amidst the difficult work that the professional distance runner confronts on a routine basis.
One author phrases the challenge as, “The trial of miles.” That phrase hints to the physiological and psychological toughness that is required for the person running 60-120+ quality miles per week, striving for the scarce chance to toe the line against the fastest runners in the world. Like success in any endeavor, you’ve got to fully embrace the process or you won’t last.
Our team in Kenya has been successful, stressful, and entertaining: Olympians, Diamond League competitors, and Athletics Kenya qualifiers - we have given significant support to help athletes build a business and support their families. From 2021-2023, Fridah Ndinda rose above her peers and became the Pro focal point of CTC. Her improvement, from 800m - Half Marathon was given us confidence that what we are doing works. Francis Kotatoi was the ideal challenge for us: Had run 1:47+ as a 20 year old with lots of races. After one year with CTC he went on to run 1:45.0 in the Diamond League (not assigned to CTC at the time). Paul Sunte also excelled after one year with CTC - progressed form 3:47 - 3:39 at the 1500m (at altitude), again - not assigned to CTC at the time of the 3:39. Separate, interesting story - we are all friends, no drama!
CTC is an experiment in a specific training philosophy. If athletes need to deviate (for good or bad reasons), it often results in separation from the team. Our goal is to see who the CTC training method works for, and who it doesn’t work for. The financial resources for a Pro running team are precious - we need to stick with the athletes following the protocol, even at an increased risk to financial gain.
Fridah Ndinda is an amazing story and a star for CTC. You can see her time trials and race results on our home page and social media pages. We have stuck together, even amidst the struggles and she continues to improve.
The high school and community runner part of our business / membership grew significantly in 2020. Athletes from several states and overseas began to enroll in our membership services, supporting our Pro athletes. Note: CTC has NEVER retained a salary for the head coach / GM - all income is generated via non-running business opportunities. All (100%) of membership revenue goes directly to the athletes.
Support our athletes directly, sponsor our team, or simply leave a tip at our Team Store - Thank you! You may contact Rob (Head Coach) for questions or comments at Rob@ColoradoTrackClub.com. Or text to: (970) 509-0213