Meet Justin Andrade. Justin is a childhood friend of Delaney and Cameron Holland, classmates at Campbell Elementary and Oberon Middle School in Arvada, Colorado. Although they attended different high schools, the two stayed in touch. Justin and Delaney are both recent college graduates. Justin, a student-athlete graduate of Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, ran cross country and track for the school. On his trek home post-graduation, Justin decided to embark on a journey in memory of his friend no longer with us, running 280 miles over seven days, to raise money for the Cameron Holland Scholarship Fund, managed by The Denver Foundation.
He set out from Alamosa on Memorial Day, May 31, and arrived home in Arvada the following Sunday, June 6 averaging 40 miles per day, refueling with one candy bar and one bottle of water per hour. From Alamosa, Justin ran over La Veta pass (elevation 9,426′) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of south-central Colorado to Walsenburg, Colorado. Heading north from there he passed through Colorado City, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Monument, and Sedalia before reaching the Denver Metro area to complete the final legs of his journey through Littleton, Lakewood, and into Arvada. Staying with friends along the way, Justin would go to bed at 7 p.m. each night, waking at 4:30 a.m. each day to beat the heat. Some days he ran long stretches alone while other days he had support from other runners, bikers, or friends driving along the route.
Upon his return, Justin was welcomed by family, friends, and the community as he ran the home stretch along the Ralston Creek Trail to Cameron’s roadside memorial sign near 72nd Avenue and Indiana.
Cameron Holland tragically died in a car accident in Arvada, Colorado on December 7, 2019, at the age of 17. He was a high school senior just five months away from graduation. The family decided to start the Cameron Holland Scholarship and asked for donations in lieu of flowers. In the spring of 2020, the family partnered with The Denver Foundation to administer the Scholarship. Just five months after the scholarship’s inception, Kyle Zigich was awarded the inaugural Cameron Holland Scholarship. Kyle is pursuing a degree at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. The second annual Cameron Holland Scholarship was awarded to Devin McNearny in May 2021. Devin plans on pursuing a degree at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN where he will play football and run track.
Justin raised over $7,000 for his ultra marathon-like efforts, with another $3,300 pledged for the Cameron Holland Scholarship Fund. Cameron’s family deeply appreciates the donations and is in awe of Justin’s determination and strength to run nearly 300 miles across the ranging Colorado landscape to raise funds for the Scholarship.
Justin and Delaney in elementary school.
