Even in a town that radiates physical fitness, the toned, tanned, and energetic Team Prep USA runners decked out in red, white, and blue are a sight to behold in the Crested Butte Fourth of July parade. Who are these young people, where do they come from, and why are they here? It’s really a story about one man who discovered the power of running to transform his own life and the destinies of others.
Trent Sanderson landed in Crested Butte more than two decades ago as the athletic director and running coach for the Crested Butte Academy. Maybe it was fate, but it was also the result of bold moves, hard work, and a network a year, transferred to Southwestern Michigan. His running skills flourished, and he captured the attention of the University of New Orleans, which provided a full-ride scholarship that led to a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
After graduation, Sanderson purchased a one-way plane ticket to Aspen. The goal was simple: hang out with successful people. As with most young adults in mountain towns, he secured multiple jobs to make ends meet, working at the Aspen Institute, Hotel Jerome, The St. Regis Aspen Resort, and a gym in El Jebel along the way. Through the Aspen Institute, Sanderson met and shared his story with Paul Meyer, who invited him to live above the garage at his Snowmass Village residence, on the same block as Neil Diamond and Chevy Chase. Meyer, a successful innovator and the founder of Leadership Management International, kept asking, “What do you want to do? What are you passionate about?” Sanderson began talking to Meyer about his interest in coaching, but lamented the profession’s lack of earning potential.
“He said there is money where you put value,” Sanderson recalled. It was Meyer’s guidance and pushing that would eventually change Sanderson’s trajectory. As Meyer was heading out of town to the Cayman Islands one day, he issued a major challenge: “When I get back, I expect you to have a job coaching or pack your bags.”
It spurred Sanderson to pursue various schools in the area, leading to a job at Glenwood Springs High School as an assistant coach for long-distance running from 1997 to 1999, while keeping other jobs to pay the bills. He also served as the head coach at Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale from 1998 to 1999 and Team Elite USA–Aspen Club from 1997 to 1999. Sanderson still recalls Meyer encouraging him to approach coaching like rocket science or curing cancer.
“Put your entire life into it, and don’t do what others tell you to do or expect of you,” he said.
The philosophy paid off. The Glenwood Springs High School team won several individual championships and included All-American athletes, and Sanderson worked with regional and national champion runners from Glenwood Springs and Carbondale. This success landed him interviews with Stanford University, Florida State University (FSU), and the University of Arkansas, with FSU offering Sanderson a volunteer coaching job in 2000. He was assigned the tough job of working with athletes with full-ride scholarships who were not performing at expected levels. Sanderson successfully guided several major turnarounds in runners’ careers, placing him in the fast lane for coaching.
After only one year at FSU, he became the head men’s and women’s cross-country coach at the University of Maryland-College Park from 2001 to 2004. Along the way, one of the Maryland athletes asked Sanderson if he was pursuing his dreams, which was ultimately to start a business. Again, he was at a crossroads. Never one to take the easy path, Sanderson decided he needed a challenge again and headed to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska with a one-way ticket, a tent, and the intention of working on fishing boats.
“I was looking for an element of difficulty to experience. I wanted to go somewhere difficult to help me appreciate what I had,” said Sanderson.
While he experienced many life lessons during his months working on fishing boats, Sanderson quickly realized his true calling was coaching and soon landed back in Colorado as athletic director and distance running coach at the Crested Butte Academy, which, at the time, was transitioning from a ski academy to a sports academy.
Upon arrival in 2004, he discovered the academy did not have money for a salary but would pay $5,000 per student recruited. Sanderson only landed one student in his first year, making it necessary to stay in people’s homes before securing an apartment on Elk Avenue above Shades of Crested Butte. He was warmly embraced by locals like the Rijks family and others who provided furniture, made introductions, showed him around the area, and enlisted his help training their student-athletes. The kindness and support of the local community made all the difference in Sanderson’s future success.
Sanderson’s mentors, which included his mother, Jeannie Jo, whom he often refers to as his biggest fan, encouraged him to stay true to his business startup goal. Team Prep USA officially launched in 2007 after running a few weeklong camps during prior summers starting in 2004. He set up shop above the Brick Oven (predecessor to the Bruhaus) until the owners told him that the vibrations of running on treadmills overhead were a bit much during business hours. Today, Team Prep USA is based at Three Seasons Condominiums in Mt. Crested Butte, where Sanderson resides full-time.
“I wanted to find a small, high-elevation town that was safe for students to spend their summers with an organization that we created over time,” Sanderson explained. “The low humidity and high elevation with beautiful dirt roads and organizations like Crested Butte Land Trust, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service protecting our natural community for years to come played a big role in the future idea.” Team Prep USA now offers a six-week Rocky Mountain XC Summer Camp in the Gunnison Valley; a Winter Distance Project over the holidays near Tampa, Florida; and private coaching for 20 to 25 runners throughout the year.
As the organization grew, Sanderson moved the busiest part of summer programming to Western Colorado University. About 140 athletes, ages 11 to 18, participate in some or all of the first four weeks, including a pre-camp and three-week program, staying in the dormitories at Western. Approximately 35 athletes stay in Mt. Crested Butte for the final two weeks.
Athletes from as many as 44 states and seven countries attend in any given year, and local students are invited to participate at a considerable discount. It’s not all about running. “We teach our kids that they need to have a hobby and not just be a runner,” he said. “I want them to be great at whatever they do.”
Over the last 22 years, around 3,500 athletes have participated in Team Prep USA’s program, and many have gone on to interesting endeavors. “Some of our students have created nonprofits, played pivotal roles with Teach for America, and become Rhodes Scholars, NCAA champions, doctors, lawyers, Olympians, and more,” Sanderson noted.
Many are academically gifted and find a sense of community through Team Prep USA. At night, team-bonding activities like bonfires at Blue Mesa Reservoir campsites help create deeper connections. “Now we have people in their forties who are still friends, and many have run together in college,” Sanderson said.
“We have started reunions, as the students now have their own families and a bit more free time to come out for a long weekend. I love hearing how Team Prep USA was a magical moment in their lives.”
The spillover factor has been even larger as some Team Prep USA families are so inspired by the valley that they become part or full-time residents. These types of relationships have continued to propel Sanderson forward. “I am so fortunate to keep meeting the right people in my life,” Sanderson emphasized. “Networking and these relationships have changed the trajectory of my career.”
DENA O’BRIEN
O’Brien was only 12 years old when she traveled from Alabama to take part in Team Prep USA’s first camp.
“My sweet dad researched the best distance-running coaches in the U.S. and found Trent,” said O’Brien, who attended five or six camps as an athlete and college counselor.
“Team Prep USA propelled my running beyond measure, helping me get a scholarship out of state and run at two fantastic Division I programs.”
She competed for the College of Charleston before transferring to the University of Virginia, securing full scholarships at both. The scenery and trails in Crested Butte are among O’Brien’s fondest memories at camp. Exposure to runners from around the country and Sanderson’s “relentless dedication to bringing out the best in all of his athletes” also rank high on her list.
Today, O’Brien resides in New Zealand and is a medical device representative for U.S.-based Stryker. She said, “I love New Zealand, and it reminds me a lot of Crested Butte!”
KYLIE MCCOY
McCoy first attended Team Prep USA’s Crested Butte camp in 2009 and returned the next two years as an athlete and in 2015 to film and photograph the Team Prep USA experience for its growing media needs.
“It was the first time I truly understood the power of our environments, the people you surround yourself with, and the mindset you cultivate determines your trajectory. The structure, discipline, and high-performance atmosphere at camp completely
shifted my approach to running and life,” she shared. After attending her first camp, McCoy returned home, broke five school records, and received more than 10 full scholarship offers from Division I schools during her junior year. She accepted the opportunity to run at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Conversations at the camp’s bonfire nights also had a significant impact on her career choice.
“Hearing how others navigated challenges and pursued their ambitions made me realize the power of storytelling. It was about learning from each other’s journeys, taking ownership of my own, and recognizing that our stories have the ability to inspire and create change. That realization is what ultimately led me to journalism.” McCoy now resides in Boston and is vice president of partnerships at Newsweek.
BRYCE SEYMOUR
Seymour participated in about 10 summer and winter camps, some as a college counselor while running for Furman University.
“My first year at camp, I was an okay runner. I really bought into the process and listened to everything that Trent said and improved significantly over the years,” he said.
“Those summers are some of the best summers I can remember from my teenage years. Team Prep taught me how hard work and consistency pay off; it is something that not only applied to my running but also to everything I did and continue to do today,” he said. “I have many great memories from the camp, but the best are the people I met and still stay in touch with.”
Today, Seymour lives in South Carolina, where he is a cross-country and track coach for a local high school and works for a nonprofit as a senior program manager leading climate resilience programs.