Take the Lake 2012 Participant Survey

The multiple choice and rating questions are listed first, followed by "essay" responses.

Q1. My motivation to participate in Take the Lake was (check all that apply):
	Percent	Count
Improve my health	50.0%	59
Meet people	22.9%	27
Achieve a personal endurance challenge	88.1%	104
Enjoy beauty of Lake Waccamaw	53.4%	63
Q2. This is how I rate the MERIT of each Personal Endurance Challenge I participated in.
	Poor	Bad	OK	Good	GREAT!	Count
Walk/Run	0	1	5	20	46	72
Bike & Hike	0	1	5	22	38	66
Paddle	0	0	2	6	20	28
Swim	0	0	0	3	11	14
Q3. This is how I rate the ORGANIZATION of each Personal Endurance Challenge I participated in:
	Poor	Bad	OK	Good	GREAT!	Count
Walk / Run	1	2	7	25	36	71
Bike & Hike	3	3	12	18	30	66
Paddle	1	0	1	6	16	24
Swim	1	0	0	1	9	11
Q4. My experience before I began training was:
	More than the Take the Lake distance	Significant, but less than the TTL distance	Just Casually	Count
Walk / Run	5	41	22	68
Bike & Hike	19	16	25	60
Paddle	2	12	9	23
Swim	0	2	8	10
Q5. As I prepared, my confidence in my success was based on:
	Experience	Determination	Pure Luck	A Good Sense of Humor	Count
Walk / Run	13	49	1	4	67
Bike & Hike	21	34	1	6	62
Paddle	6	13	1	1	21
Swim	4	3	1	1	9
Q6. My success, considering my expectations, could best be described as:
	NatchÉ	Not as good as IÕd hoped	Pretty good	Darned good	A miracle	Count
Walk / Run	0	11	20	31	6	68
Bike & Hike	1	5	28	25	4	63
Paddle	0	5	8	6	2	21
Swim	0	2	1	4	3	10
Q7. Along the route, I wish there had been more...
	Water Stops	Portable Toilets	Count
Walk / Run	26	20	46
Bike & Hike	17	8	25
Paddle	6	1	7
Q8. Did you participate in the Walk / Run?
	Percent	Count
Yes	59.3%	67
No	40.7%	46
Q10. Did you participate in the Paddle Challenge?
	Percent	Count
Yes	18.1%	13
No	81.9%	59
Q11. This is what I sat in and paddled for hours:
	Percent	Count
A fast, expensive kayak	25.0%	3
A slow, plastic, sit-in kayak	58.3%	7
A sit-on-top ocean kayak	16.7%	2
A canoe	0.0%	0
Q12. I would recommend this craft to anyone:
	Percent	Count
Nope	0.0%	0
Not really	18.2%	2
Yes, it wasnÕt bad	54.5%	6
Definitely	27.3%	3
Q14. Did you participate in the Bike & Hike?
	Percent	Count
Yes	83.9%	47
No	16.1%	9
Q15. This year we required helmets. How do you like that?
	Percent	Count
I hated wearing it and won't ride again!	4.4%	2
I hated it, but will ride again	13.3%	6
OK	26.7%	12
I liked wearing a helmet	8.9%	4
I always wear a helmet when riding!	46.7%	21
Q16. This year we rode a "horseshoe" route, similar to the Pat Fatmucket Fun Ride. Are you planning on riding in that next spring?
	Percent	Count
No	19.6%	9
Maybe	54.3%	25
Yes!	26.1%	12
Q17. Put yourself in your position for the next few s...    If I could name my bike, I would name it this:
	Percent	Count
Rocket – A sleek, expensive racing or hybrid bike	23.9%	11
Bear – A new, average mountain / hybrid bike	50.0%	23
Daisy - One or three-speed beach cruiser	17.4%	8
Grandpa - Old clunker	8.7%	4
Q18. ... And I would recommend this type of bike to anyone
	Percent	Count
Nope	0.0%	0
Not really	13.3%	6
Yes, it wasnÕt bad	60.0%	27
Definitely	26.7%	12
Q20. Did you participate in the Swim?
	Percent	Count
Yes	7.5%	8
No	92.5%	98
Q21. My swim technique was this:
	Percent	Count
Freestyle all the way	40.0%	2
Back stroke most or all the way	0.0%	0
Whatever works	60.0%	3
Comments		3
Q23. Next year, I plan to:
	Percent	Count
Increase my participation by one or more events	45.6%	47
Participate at the same level	45.6%	47
Decrease my participation by one or more events	1.0%	1
Not participate in Take the Lake	3.9%	4
Participate in the X-TREME!	3.9%	4
Q25. About supporting the four events of Take the Lake financially:
	Percent	Count
IÕm glad Take the Lake was free and I would not like to pay an entry fee	28.2%	29
I would pay a fee, maybe $5 - $10,	25.2%	26
Throw in a T-shirt and I would pay maybe $10 - $20	46.6%	48
Comments		23

How may we improve the Walk / Run?
1	Start it alot earlier so we can beat most of the heat. My crew started on time and it took four hours so the sun was really blazing......
2	I was impressed with the event and feel it was great as it was.
3	water and places to cool when it get hot up in the day
4	It was a very good experience.
5	Start earlier.  It gets really hot close to noon and the last part of the walk (Bella Coola) was miserably hot with very few water breaks.
6	Have more cold water along Bella Cola rd.
7	DONT KNOW REALLY.
8	Quicker sign in. Put faster runners at front for a more organized start.
9	having the last stretch be the 2 miles of concrete and no shade is hard! the heat is beating down and back up off the concrete.
10	Possibly starting earlier...it got dangerously HOT at the end!!
11	I would like to add an event that is part walking and riding a bike.
12	More water stops on Bella Coola (usually there are, but so hot this year...). Have police make everyone walk against traffic- they have done this in years past but not this year.
13	Just missed getting to go through the park.
14	Have more water stations during the last 2 miles, this was the hottest time and it seemed that all the water had been used up during the beginning of the walk??
15	I thought it was great. Vehicles were not an issue and considering the route change, everything went well.
16	* Allow pre-registered participants to begin promptly on time.  If you're not pre-registered, you just might have to start later than others.  No big deal.  And it if's a big deal to you, you'll pre-register next year!  Also, manage the crowd (PA system volume) so that everyone can hear the announcements.  Have volunteers "in the crowd" to quiet folks and encourage attention.  Perhaps start at 7:30 rather than 8:00.
17	At the end there were very few water stops with cold water.  That is when the water was needed the most.
18	Fine for me
19	Towards the end of the Walk/Run, for example, the last 3 miles, provide more water stops. This is when participants need it the most.
20	Unlike many people I spoke with, I enjoyed the there and back run. It allowed me to see people throughout the run unlike last year when I was alone most of the run. Additionally it was very nice to know exactly how far I had left because I had been over the course moments before.
21	Do not do registration on the day of the event as it causes delays in the start time.  Preregister online or pay a fee for waiting until the day of.  Some of us want to start on time.
22	Runners/walkers start in two separate waves.
23	Cold water stations available on the final 5 miles or so.
24	Water stations the LAST three miles on Bella Coola.  The first ten miles was so supportive though!
25	Overall, it was great!
26	Earlier start to avoid the heat
27	Go around the lake
28	I only feel their should be maybe two portable toilets added on the bella coola road. I enjoyed all the scenery and the great people who took time to hand out water and refreshments along the way. I feel that the volunteers were superb because it takes quite a bit of time and effort to plan and organize an event that is this size with minor injuries but quite a bit of complaints that I feel is not necessary.
29	everything was good it was extremely hot which you have no control.
30	it is good the way it is
31	Would like to see my name matched up with my times on the final results.
32	Start earlier or change the location of the finish. The last couple of miles were really tough,  with no shade and no breeze.
33	1: Have some milestone points that people can abandon the 15-mi challenge but still get credit for at least finishing (i.e. 7.5 and 10 mile points). 2. Start earlier. We began late and the incredibly hot day was worse.
34	Asking everyone to stay on the same side of the road to make traffic a little less of a concern.
35	Shut down traffic - VERY dangerous to have participants doubling back thus on both sides of the road and two vehicles trying to pass simultaneously.  Start earlier.  I am an experienced runner and was getting into trouble with dehydration/heat exhaustion
36	I thought it was well organized and everything went well especially with the last minute change of plans with route!
37	Mile markers on the way back
38	start earlier in the day tons of water stops on lake shore etc, but by the time you got to bella coola there were only a couple (they were great) but that was a LONG HOT three miles with very few water breaks... Don't know how you can encourage the people that live on that road to sit in the heat and give away water, but that could really use improvement
39	It was really hot on Saturday, I think it would have been better if we could start at 7 instead of 8.
40	None
41	How about a cooler time of year or starting it earlier in the morning.  If we started at 7am we would be through before it got so hot or at least on the last leg of walk.
42	this was my first and the weather prevented me fro seeing the course as intended would love to do it again with the organelle course
43	An earlier starting time would be great.  It was so very hot and humid.  I think 6:30 or 7:00am would be good.  I know a lot of marathons have 6:30 start times now.
44	I loved that we did not have to run through the park.  It made it much more enjoyable and safer.   There were lots of water stops but they seemed to be heavy in some areas and sparse in others.
45	I thought everything went well with the walk/run.  I can think of no necessary improvements.
46	There was only one water stop in the last 2 miles of the course, and by the time we got to it, the family had given everything away. When we arrived at the finish line, now dehydrated, there was no water and no more fruit. When we asked the man who had packed up the cooler, he said he would bring us some. He then drove his golf cart to his truck, got in, and left the parking lot. At this point in the afternoon, the temperature was in the upper 90s, we had not consumed water for more than the last 2 miles of the route, and received none at the finish line. We both became sick from dehydration. Until this point, we were thrilled with the event...this, however, left us both upset. We will participate again, but we will NOT trust the event to provide adequate hydration.
47	more water stops that the end also the end was really hot on pavement
48	More water stops, ESPECIALLY toward the end. That run in the sun with no water was horrible for the last 2 miles!!!
49	I thought it was great! Don't change a thing. (Unless you can dial down the heat!)
50	More water stations down Bella Coola because there was not much shade.  and more restrooms with better ventilation (too hot inside)

 

 

How may we improve the Paddle Challenge?
1	AN OFFICIAL FINISH LINE. END OF PIER OR WHERE?
2	its perfect
3	Provide parking
4	Make sure paddlers stay between land & no wake poles
5	Not a thing

 

How may we improve the Bike & Hike?
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