About

Our Mission

Our mission is to implement Carl Anstrom's vision

The CAMP Foundation mission is to honor and preserve the legacy of Carl Anstrom by creating and sustaining a public park and cross-country running course that inspires a lifelong love of running, promotes health and well-being, connects people with nature, and brings the community together through recreation, fellowship, and a shared passion for the outdoors.

CAMP works to acquire land for the development of parks and recreational spaces, either directly or in partnership with local governments and other public entities. We may seek to provide financial and other support to help public entities acquire, develop, maintain, and operate parkland and recreational facilities. When consistent with our charitable purposes and providing a demonstrable public benefit, we may also support privately owned property used for parkland or recreational activities.

Through charitable fundraising, community partnerships, and educational initiatives, CAMP promotes running, outdoor recreation, and greater access to the natural and recreational spaces that enrich our communities.

But ultimately, the objective is to create a world-class cross country venue so that the everyone in the community can "Run CAMP."

The inspiration and motivation

Carl Anstrom (1973-2026)

Carl Anstrom was a runner, a coach, a cook, and a connector of people, and he did all of it with enthusiasm.

Born in Johnson City, New York, the third of four boys, Carl started running around age 11 simply because his older brothers did. He never stopped. At Cornell, where he studied Agricultural and Biological Engineering, he ran cross country and track, and he left with a degree, lifelong friendships, and at least one memorable finish. In the fall of 1992, he raced the NCAA Regional Qualifiers in Lehigh, PA, on a torn ligament in his foot. In discomfort, Carl settled into dead last by the one-mile mark, and then gamely pressed on to pass roughly 200 runners to finish as Cornell's fifth scorer. His finish helped Cornell beat several other ranked teams, ultimately leading to Cornell qualifying the NCAA National Championships for only the fourth time in school history.

Running stayed his passion into adulthood as he settled in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park region. He ran as a hasher. He ran with the Bull City Track Club Masters team. He coached his sons, their friends, and anyone else who wanted to build a running community. His pancakes were legendary, and his pig pickin's reportedly converted vegetarians. He also appreciated a good beer, and a live show was his version of utopia.

Above all, he loved his family: his wife, Paula, their sons, Jack and Eli, and Brooks the dog, building a homestead in Pittsboro, NC. Carl and his family planned to visit every National Park in the U.S. Carl made friends deeply and fiercely, and he happily showed others how to grow their own circles.

Carl lost his final race to cancer after a three-year battle, but he ran it the way he ran at Lehigh: steady, gritty, and never giving up on the next mile.

The CAMP Foundation carries that spirit forward as it seeks to create a park and cross country course where people can run, gather, and share a love of the outdoors. Carl would have approved, and he would probably have shown up early with pancakes.