We love to run.

And we love sharing this passion with young people. We believe that adventuring outdoors should be safe, fun and challenging, no matter one’s experience or ability. That is why we founded Lynn Canal Running Camp in 2011. After nearly a decade conducting our annual week-long high school summer running camp, we morphed into our own nonprofit in 2020: Lynn Canal Adventures. We now offer year-round, holistic opportunities to run and snowshoe on Juneau’s world-class trail system.

Who We Are

(And what we probably look like to a fish.)

Tristan Knutson-Lombardo has no middle name. Raised in Juneau, he finished his undergraduate studies in 2009 at Willamette University where he ran for four years. Juneau’s mountains lured him back home and, two years later, co-founded Lynn Canal Running Camp alongside Merry. Tristan has made his career in the nonprofit sector and has been coaching cross country running and skiing, snowshoeing, and track and field since returning home. The amount of love Tristan has for his family is matched only by the amount of porcupine quills pulled from the family dog, Bungee.

Merry Ellefson has a middle name (Cecile), and lacks a mustache, but as her name implies she does have a lot to be happy about: trails, trees, mountains, fire pits, snow, lefse-making tools, and the super special team that collaborates to create LCA’s programs! Merry is a high school xc running, skiing and snowshoe coach (with Tristan) because she’s a lifelong addict of these sports and loves the laughter of teens. Because she co-founded Lynn Canal Running Camp with Tristan, Merry’s son Arne has been attending since age 10, and he seems to have turned out OK (in large part because Merry’s husband rocks). When she’s not outside, Merry is a playwright, committed to sharing the stories of folks less-often heard.

Claire Geldhof has a middle name (Suzanne), and she uses it often as a soft cushion. Claire is a lifelong Alaskan fueled with inspiration from nature. Fresh produce is her love language. Claire is an Itinerant Public Health Nurse, supporting seven remote communities in the Southeast region. In May 2025, she celebrates commencement from a Doctorate in Nursing Practice and Masters in Public Health with the University of Colorado. In her lucky 13th year as a nurse, she draws on experiences and partnerships to explore social and health needs of communities, and listens attentively. Claire really likes bats, creating art, running, and making nourishing food. Claire joins LCA for a 3rd summer as the “Hellness” coordinator– learning, sharing, and guiding health and wellness with the LCA community.

Jesse Miller also has a middle name (August), but his birthday is in October. Born and raised in Juneau, Jesse spent 5 years racing for the Seawolves of UAA where he is 7th all time for the 800 and a former school record holder for the Distance Medley Relay. He graduated with his Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering in 2017, and has been a licensed professional engineer since 2022. Jesse is currently hypnotized by South Central AK’s hidden charm, but keeps Juneau in his heart always. He continues to cultivate his love for the outdoors through running (or shuffling when injured), mountain/fat biking, and alpine skiing with his wife Kassandra and their canine children, Finn and Siggy. After 5-years as a counselor, Jesse brings his loud yell and passion for camp to the coordination staff. You can find him at XC and track meets as a coach for Service High School in Anchorage.

Arne Ellefson-Carnes has a middle name, Atsa, and as it would suggest, he does enjoy the occasional berry. Arne has spent his life exploring Juneau’s rain, clouds, and incredible trails, as well as the cornfields of Minnesota, where he attended college. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Sociology/Anthropology and Philosophy and continues to look into the structures and systems within our society as he pursues a career in social work and dipping his toes into cross country and track coaching. Arne thoroughly enjoys being around young people (maybe partly because it helps him hold on to his own youth) and interacting with their insights, grit, and laughter. He also has been known to play music and enjoys playing the Zimbabwean marimba. While he is currently in Salt Lake City trying to acclimate to desert conditions, he longs for the dampness of Juneau and looks forward to being back there for running camp next summer.

Katie McKenna allegedly has a middle name, but whoever can guess it correctly gets 100 points for their Olympic team. Katie was born and raised in Juneau, where she discovered a passion for exploring running, skiing, and being outside amongst the likes of those above. Her story includes a jaunt to the East Coast, where she competitively ran and rowed crew at Williams College, in Massachusetts. With her freshly acquired B.A. in Biology and Sociology in hand, Katie has recently moved to Jackson, Wyoming, where she works in outdoor education and youth therapy, and is thoroughly excited to explore the trails of a new, sunnier climate. Katie fell in love with Lynn Canal (the running camp, not the body of water) as a camper, has dabbled in the role of counselor throughout the last five years, and is excited to step into new terrain as a coordinator this summer! 

Our Programs

High School Running Camp
Alaska’s premier youth running camp! Two, week-long overnight sessions of the renowned camp that started it all for high school athletes of all abilities with an interest in furthering their ability as an athlete in a supportive (and fun!) community.

Middle School Running Camp
Modeled after our wildly successful high school camp, this day camp brings all the thrills and experiences of its older sibling, but you get to sleep in your own bed each night.

Snowshoe Running Team
Building strength and endurance while exploring Juneau’s backyard in the winter! Includes preparation and support for Arctic Winter Games qualifiers.

Elementary Cross Country, Track and Field Clubs
Trying new things is the name of the game! Meeting after school, students are grouped by grades where they get a chance to try new sports in an encouraging environment. 

Collaborations and Partnerships
Have an idea? Let’s partner! We love hearing from others and collaborating with diverse groups throughout our region to foster a love for endurance sports and an appreciation for place, with the goal of making our communities places we can all call home.