Our History

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Running camps at Camp Varsity in Madison, Virginia have taken on some form since August of 1971 when Coach Ed Trimm, the newly appointed cross country and track coach at the recently built T.C. Williams High School (now Alexandria City High School) in Alexandria, Virginia decided to bring his team to Camp Varsity for a week of running and bonding before the opening of their new school.  This was important to Coach Trimm as the City of Alexandria was desegregating its high schools for the first time and Coach Trimm believed it would be important for his runners to get to know each other before the pressures of the school year became real.

When Lake Braddock Secondary School opened in 1973 Coach Trimm took a job there and continued to bring his teams to Camp Varsity every summer for the next decade while also starting himself to work at Camp Varsity where he and his wife, Roz, eventually became the owners of Camp Varsity in 1981.

In 1983 John Cook, the coach at George Mason University established the first formal high school running camp to be held at Camp Varsity, building off of what Coach Trimm had been doing with his T.C. Williams and Lake Braddock teams for years.  The running camp operated as the George Mason Running Camp at Camp Varsity during that first summer and then officially became Camp Varsity Running Camp in 1984, the name it would carry for the next 40 years.

In 1990 John Cook left Camp Varsity Running Camp and it was taken over by George Watt.  In 1992 George hired Rick Crump to serve as the director of the running camp and Lake Braddock track coach, Bob Digby, to serve as the activities director for the running camp.  In 1995 George Watt left Camp Varsity Running Camp and Bob Digby and Rick Crump took over as co-directors of the camp.  In 1997 Bob Digby became the owner and director of Camp Varsity Running Camp, a role he would retain until he sold the camp in 2024.

In 2006 former Lake Braddock runner Denver Davis had started his coaching career at Lake Braddock and was invited by Bob Digby, his former track coach, to join the running camp staff in 2008.  Denver served on the camp staff working his way up to an assistant director position and in early 2024 took over running camp from Digby.  Denver has been the owner and director of running camp since 2024 and works to continue the long tradition of successful summer running camp experiences for high school athletes at Camp Varsity.  Rick Crump remains on the staff, having served running camp since 1983, as an assistant director and running director.  Former Lake Braddock and Penn standout Nick Tuck also serves as assistant director for running camp. 

We're excited to continue the long legacy of running camps at Camp Varsity and Gaar Mountain Running Camp has stayed true to the program that has been successful for so many years - blending elements of a traditional summer camp with high school cross country training.  Giving our campers the opportunity to create life long memories, bond with their teammates and connect with our staff remains our running camp's primary focus and we look forward to serving the high school running community in Virginia for years to come!