Runner Heidi Caldwell is accumulating mileage along many different avenues.
Running the Boston Marathon for the first time last month, the 26-year-old former Hanover High and Brown University distance specialist finished in 2 hours, 54 minutes, 31 seconds, placing 29th among all females and easily outpacing her personal goal to finish in fewer than three hours.
That was just the beginning of a busy couple of months for Caldwell, who in two weeks graduates from the University of Vermont with a master’s degree in counseling. She’ll head to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom after that to become Craftsbury Outdoor Center’s first full-time running coordinator.
Caldwell was a running coach last summer at COC, which is known widely for its vast cross country ski trail network, but it also offers running camps for all ages in the summer and fall.
As for the Boston Marathon, Caldwell got the inkling after running in the Vermont City Marathon last year in Burlington, where her time of 3:09.08 was third among women ages 25-29. Her performance in Beantown was a cathartic experience.
“It definitely felt great,” Caldwell said in a Tuesday phone interview. “There was a lot of energy there, a lot of support from the crowds.”
This despite heavy rain, high winds and cool temperatures on April 16, weather that postponed the traditional Red Sox matinee and created some of the most averse conditions Boston Marathon runners faced in decades. It didn’t bother Caldwell.
“Honestly, I feel like the weather added to the adventure,” she said. “We definitely got wet, but that just made it more epic. It was so much fun. I don’t think it slowed me down. I might have even run a couple of minutes faster because of it.”
Caldwell enjoyed the experience so much that she may continue to pursue marathons. “At first, I thought of it as (a one-off), but now I’m not so sure,” she said. “I definitely enjoyed it.”
After graduating on May 19, Caldwell heads east to COC, where she already has experience both as a skier and runner. She competed on the ski trails there as a member of the Ford Sayre Ski Council during high school and helped lead a number of the running camps there last summer.
Caldwell previously had been an assistant running coach for the women’s cross country and track teams at Tufts University after graduating in 2014 from Brown, where she was a two-time Ivy League champion and holds multiple program records.
Caldwell’s heart appears planted in the north of Vermont.
“I had never been (to Craftsbury Outdoor Center) in the summer until last year when I coached there, and I just fell in love with the place and the community,” said Caldwell, a former five-time NHIAA champion in cross country and track events. “I couldn’t be more thrilled that this opportunity came up.”
COC’s running camps include 7- and 14-day programs for high school cross country runners, as well as an all-comers retreat for all ages and four-day foliage-themed outings in the fall. Caldwell will focus on expanding and improving these programs while aiming to strengthen relationships with Twin State running groups.
“The camps are the heart of the running program, so there will be a lot of community outreach to let people know about them, whether it be schools, adult running groups, youth groups,” Caldwell said. “There are a lot of amazing running trails there, so I imagine we’ll be looking into creating more events.”
Caldwell hopes she can tie in some of the knowledge gained while earning her counseling degree at UVM, particularly where running can be used as therapy for the disadvantaged.
“There are lots of ways to merge (counseling) into the sport. Running can be used as an intervention for people with mental health issues, especially anxiety and depression,” she said. “There are a lot of studies that show the benefits of running as a therapeutic service, so I’d like for that to be part of our community outreach.”
Caldwell also would like to help introduce non-runners of all kinds to the sport, regardless of background or age.
“I think the thing I love about running so much is just how accessible it is,” she said. “All you need is a pair of sneakers and you can run.”
In Caldwell’s experience, physical exercise is only the start to the benefits of running.
“Once you get to know the running community, it’s a huge network of people. When you start doing group training, the support system is in place to help you in so many ways,” Caldwell said. “We hope to be an avenue for people to enjoy the sport.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.