Ages 6–89 take the lake – Committee awards superlatives

By Diana Matthews,
The News Reporter
Another virtual Take The Lake is now in the rearview mirror, and organizers reported Tuesday that more than 200 participants together recorded 6,990 miles of running, walking, swimming, pedaling and paddling. 
Participants in the annual fitness challenge chose their own times and places to get miles in, then logged them on a website that showed them how far around Lake Waccamaw they had virtually progressed. 
Mileage awards

• Team CoCo Girl Trekkers logged 964 of those miles, being the most active team, said Renee Griffin of Full Send Racing, who maintained the website.  
• Griffin also recognized Sam Burgess, Lisa Fort and Carol Carr as Columbus County Loopers. Each one individually covered at least 300 Miles, equal to a walk around the border of the county. 
• In the 200 Mile Club were Dan Smith and Harry Montgomery. 
• The 100 Mile Club consisted of the following people: Marlene Ennis, Amanda Penland, De Dickerson, Beverly Housand, Miranda Pugh, Emily Read, Neal Simmons, Sagrinda Walker, Kendall Smith, Timothy Houlihan and Ivey Schofield.
• Griffin named Terry Smith Paddle Champion with 32 miles. 
• Joining Take the Lake 2021 from the longest distances were Mark Gilchrist from Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Tim and Laura Taylor from New Mexico.
• The youngest participants this year, Vivienne Thon and Gracie Stocks, were both 6 years old. 
• Griffin dubbed Donna and Grant Egley, both 89, the wisest TTL 2021 participants. 

More TTL superlatives

• The Take the Lake Spirit Award: Tie between Team CoCo Trekkers and Team WelcomePFWBchurch
• Biggest Cheerleader: De Dickerson, Moline, Illinois 
• Most Amazing TTL Virtual Location Photo: Mark Gilchrist for villages and ancient ruins near Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Best Team/Group Name: Tie between Wacca-More Miles and She Believed She Could
• Most Dedicated: Sam Burgess, Lisa Fort and Carol Carr, who together have logged over 2,290 total miles in the 2020 and 2021 virtual TTL events. 
• Most Used Hashtag: #togetherness
• Best Weather Reporter: Heather Daughtrey Rabalais, Hillsborough
• Most Inspirational: Miranda Pugh, Tabor City 
• Virtual Location We Want to Visit: Carol Carr for Virginia sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Most Likely to Crush His Goal: Wes Crutchfield, Greensboro, N.C. 
• Most Likely to Crush Her Goal: Amanda Penland, Supply, N.C. (Logged distances each day for a total of 172 miles.

Christine and Tim Houlihan searched the internet for a town with good air quality and a lake; they visited Lake Waccamaw and fell in love. “We love the lake, the people, and the country way of living that we were both used to,” she said. The mile markers around the lake aroused their curiosity, leading them to register