Christopher Palladino has taught at Cairn since 2006, and currently serves as Chair of the History Department. Years ago, he began running in as a means for training for soccer, which blossomed into a love of running. Since then, he has run several marathons (Boston included), and has finished over 50 Ultra-Marathons, as a top 20 finisher in many of them. He has run the Hellgate 100k ten times, and has completed two 100 mile races, the Lynchburg Ultra Series, and the
BEAST Ultra-Marathon Series (6 races from 50k to 100 miles in one calendar year). He has also volunteered at many race events, and served as a pacer for friends.
Christopher played soccer for a nationally ranked high school team (Archbishop Ryan), was eventually named to the Hall of Honor at Cairn University, and was selected for the Pennsylvania State U-23 team. His soccer experiences led him to coach soccer in one capacity or another at the youth, junior, and high school level since 1994.
Due to his increasing interest in distance running, Christopher was named the head coach of the Boys and Girls Cross Country team at Heritage High School in Lynchburg, Virginia. Under his direction, both teams made numerous regional meets, and several individual runners competed at the state level; one of his runners won the individual state championship. During his tenure as Cross Country coach, he was named the Seminole District Coach-of-the-Year, and became director of a city-wide cross-country camp for several years. In his first two years of coaching cross-country, the team grew from less than 6 to over 45 runners.
The Cairn Cross Country coaching staff is committed to the development of student athletes in an integrated environment, where growth is measured in more than just wins or race results, but in fulfilling the mission of the University “to serve Christ in the church, society, and the world as biblically minded, well-educated, and professionally competent men and women of character.” While running can rely heavily on individual interests, goals, and determination, it is from the community of runners that the individual draws her strength. We want students to experience running in a way that transcends sport and becomes a lifestyle that is glorifying to God.
