Travis Floeck
Assistant Camp Director
Hometown: Canyonville, Oregon
Education:
B.S. Communication/Journalism
Southern Oregon University
USATF Level One Certified and Level Two (Distance) Coach
First year at Steens: 1997
Career/Professional/Coaching Highlights/Achievements:
Currently the Director of Track & Field/Cross Country at Colorado Mesa University. Travis has been coaching for 20 years and has coached at the middle school, high school, college, and professional levels. During his first year at Colorado Mesa, his women’s cross country team qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in 10 years and placed 23rd in the D2 NCAA national meet and the distance group broke four school records.
Travis has coached NCAA All-Americans, USATF National Qualifiers, USATF National Champions, and IAAF World Championship Qualifiers throughout his career and coaches athletes from the 800m-10,000m on the track, professional trail and ultra athletes, as well as numerous marathoners. Travis coached at the University of Idaho for 10 years as the head distance coach, there he coached three NCAA All-Americans (Alycia Butterworth in 3000m Steeplechase who would go on to compete in the 2020 Olympics, Kinsey Gomez in the 10,000m, and Lorenz Herrmann in the 800m where he set the school record of 1:46). While at Idaho, Travis also coached 17 NCAA National Championship Qualifiers, Six Conference Champions, and seven school records were broken under his guidance. Steens Camper Kelsey Swenson broke the Idaho School Record in the Indoor 5000m while being coached by Travis and ran 16:08 in her time as a Vandal. Former Steens camper and camp assistant Andie Condie also ran for Travis at Idaho and improved her 5000m best from 19:15 in HS to 16:22 in college. Another notable Steens camper and camp assistant Tim Stevens improved his 1500m time from 4:00 in high school to 3:43 at Idaho working with Travis.
Travis has coached numerous professional and post-collegiate athletes during his career. He coached Kinsey Middleton (formerly Gomez) to two IAAF World Championship appearances, one in the half marathon in 2018 in Valencia and in 2022 in the marathon in Eugene. Kinsey also won the IAAF Gold Label Ottawa Marathon. He also coaches Steens staffer Samantha Lewis, who runs professional for On and has won a USATF National title in the trail half marathon, has represented Team USA numerous times at the World Mountain Running Championships, was named the USATF Sub-Ultra Trail Runner of the Year in 2019, and recently placed 17th at the OCC UTMB World Championships in 2024.
Prior to Idaho, Travis had coaching stints at Oregon State University for four years where he helped coach Laura Caryle to three NCAA All-American awards and helped Head Coach Kelly Sullivan reestablish a comprehensive track & field program in Corvallis, at Lane Community College, at Siuslaw Middle School and High School, and at his alma mater, Southern Oregon University. Travis has other extensive experiences in the sport having worked for Nike’s running department in his first two years out of college and as one of the first employees of Runnerspace.com.
Athletic Highlights/Achievements:
Two-time National Qualifier at Southern Oregon University in 800m. Member of Four Conference Champion teams at SOU, including the 2005 track & field team that finished sixth at nationals and the 2004 conference and regional champion cross country team that finished 12th at Nationals. 2000 Oregon 3A State Champion and school record holder in 800m while at South Umpqua HS, where he was coached by John Blomberg. Anchored former Steens water bottle relay record team.
Why Travis continues to return to Steens Mountain Running Camp each summer:
Since I’ve been attending Steens every summer since I was 15, it is really one of the places I’ve grown up. Harland has been one of the most influential people in my life. His guidance, along with other mentors I have on the mountain like Ron Smith, have taught me so much, allowing me to have an amazing opportunity to pursue my dream of coaching in college.
Without Steens, I wouldn’t be the person I am today, that inspires me to continue to attend each summer in hopes that I can contribute to providing the same type of experience for the campers that attend every summer. Steens goes far beyond making each camper a better runner, but can make them a better person and provide lessons for the rest of their lives.