Here is an article that recently ran in The News Reporter by NR writer and longtime TTL volunteer, Diana Matthews...

In spite of changes brought by the coronavirus pandemic, 68 people from North and South Carolina have registered for Take The Lake this year, said steering committee chair Stuart High Rogers. “The oldest is 88 years old, and the youngest is 4.”

The free event, which will occur virtually under social distancing guidelines, begins Sunday, Aug. 23, and ends Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. It is not necessary to be at Lake Waccamaw for any part of Take The Lake 2020.  Click here to register.  Click here to purchase a TTL t-shirt without registering to participate. 

During those 15 days, participants will walk, run, bike, paddle or swim, or do any combination of those things, at the places and times of their choice, logging their way toward personal and team mileage goals. The registration page suggests goals in multiples of 15 miles to represent one, two or more times around the lake, but it is possible to change goals after they are set. Here is the link to register: https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/LakeWaccamaw/TTL2020

“You can set a goal to ‘walk the lake’ three times if you want,” Rogers said. “Since it is a virtual event, any participant, wherever they are, can set their own TTL challenge this year.

“Participants can complete a mile a day for 15 days or complete a challenge in one day,” said Rogers. “How a participant completes their mileage is their own decision.

“Every day you complete part of your challenge, you can go to the RunSignUp registration site and submit your distances,” she said. Rogers recommends bookmarking the site when registering. The site will keep a running total of all distances entered during the 15 days.

The free-form nature of this year’s TTL means less demand on law enforcement and local businesses, Rogers said. Many businesses that sponsored TTL in past years are dealing with pandemic restrictions and loss of revenue, she said. “and with T-shirt sales and online donations we are able to cover our expenses this year. We are acknowledging our sponsors’ past support by including the 2019 sponsors on the back of each T-shirt.”

Sign-up is free, but donations and T-shirt sales help to defray expenses of technical management by SetUp Events, registrant packets and the special-edition 2020 John A. McNeill Award poker chip given to each participant.

“We hope JAMA collectors will enjoy this one-and-only special edition chip,” Rogers said. The simplest way to register is by going through takethelake.org, where the user chooses “register” from the drop-down menu and is taken to the RunSignUp site.

In past years the events have depended on at least 50 helpers to staff walk-up registration tables, hand out water, put up and take down signs and equipment, direct traffic, supervise safety and record times over the long weekend. This year, with no organized site or group starting times, there will be nothing to set up or take down, no lining up at tables to register, no portable potties, no blocking off roads. Participants will be on their own to find their way along their chosen routes while staying safe and hydrated.

Even carbohydrate loading is going to be on a do-it-yourself basis, as Lake Waccamaw United Methodist Church cannot host a large gathering for th “Take The Plate” spaghetti supper as it has in past years.

“We have 19 members on the TTL steering committee,” Rogers said. They will organize and distribute packets and shirts, “and we will not need additional volunteers this year.” She said that volunteers’ contributions have been very much appreciated in the past and would be needed again next year if a traditional event is possible.

The RunSignUp platform, which manages the online registration and records participant mileage for SetUp Events, offers a virtual route tracking tool.

Registered participants will be able to share goals and training milestones and post photos within a Facebook group.

There were five teams registered by Sunday. Rogers pointed out that team members need not be in the same place to carry out their challenges: “We know family vacations and group gatherings may be canceled for the summer, but with Team Take The Lake you can still take the lake together from virtually anywhere. Each person on your team will log miles individually, but the miles will add together for a team total.”

Some teams will choose the run/walk challenge, others the bike-only event, while others will want to take on “a little bit of everything.” The options to “Create Team” or “Join Team” are on the registration page.

Rogers said those with questions may email her at stuartrogers@nrcolumbus.com.

As with many fun runs and competitions that have gone virtual this season, participants in Take The Lake can download bibs to wear as they cover the roads, promoting safety and showing motorists that they are part of an organized event. The TTL committee will hand pre-ordered T-shirts at two curbside pickup sites. Body Shapers Gym at 28 Whiteville Plaza will be the site Aug. 18 from noon-2 p.m. and 4:30-6:30 p.m. The next day pickup will be during the same hours at Elizabeth Brinkley Park in Lake Waccamaw. Registrants can have their packets mailed to them on Aug. 17 if they prefer.

Those who order shirts by Aug. 5 will have them in time for the start of the 15-day period. The committee will make a second order of shirts for later arrival by mail. T-shirts will be mint green with the same bold sunshine-over-water logo as last year and will cost $15 each.

“We will use the same t-shirt brand and blend as the popular 2019 T-shirts,” Rogers said. “The women’s V-neck shirt runs small, and we suggest you order one size larger than you would normally wear for a slim fit and two sizes up for a loose fit. You can purchase a T-shirt without registering for the event” at the registration website, she said.
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The 2020 special edition JAMAs are here and each registered participant receives one. We will only use this unique border and design this year as we remember the year that COVID couldn't stop us from staying fit and striving to reach personal fitness goals. 

We have set-up a Take the Lake t-shirt online store so you can purchase a t-shirt without having to go through the event registration process. T-shirts are $15 each, and we offer youth, adult crew-neck and women's v-neck shirts. The women's v-neck shirts run small, and you should order one size up for a fitted shirt and two sizes up for a looser fit. Click here to place your order.  Below are examples of the t-shirt logo and shirt color. We will post a photo of the actual t-shirt once we place our first order August 5th with Tim and Edna Dowless and locally owned TLD Screen Printing. Shirts ordered by August 5th will be delivered by mail  or drive-thru packet pick-up the week of August 17th. Final t-shirt orders need to be placed by September 10th for delivery by mail. Your t-shirt purchase supports 2020 TTL. Thank you! Want to register to participate in 2020 TTL Virtual Challenge? Click here.

Super fresh and super cool mint green is the Take the Lake t-shirt color this year. Orders can be made online during registration. Shirts are $15 each with required sales tax added at checkout. You can choose to have your t-shirt mailed with your packet the week of August 17 or pick it up at one of our curbside packet pick-up dates listed below. Be sure and check your delivery preference during registration.  Your t-shirt purchase helps us cover 2020 Take the Lake expenses. Register for TTL at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/LakeWaccamaw/TTL2020.
1. Have your packet mailed Monday, August 17.  Select "Mail My Packet" during registration.
2. Curbside Packet Pick Up. Please print your name and your bib number on a sheet of paper and display in your car window.  We will pull your shirt and hand it to you - you will not even need to get out of your car!  Just click "Curbside Packet Pick-Up" during registration for this option.  
Curbside Packet Pick Up Times and Locations
Tuesday - August 18 
Body Shapers - 12:00 - 2:00 PM and 4:30 - 6:30 PM (28 Whiteville Plaza #000, Whiteville, NC 28472)
Wednesday, August 19 
Lake Waccamaw location TBD -12:00 - 2:00 PM and 4:30 - 6:30 PM

Our partner and technical wizard for our 2020 virtual TTL event, SetUp Events, has registration open! Click on this link to register https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/LakeWaccamaw/TTL2020. We are so ready to get to know our 2020 fitness friends and support each other while "Taking the Lake." All events are free. Let us know if you have any questions or have any problems going through the registration process. We're here to help!

Take the Lake t-shirts are available for purchase online in the registration link and will be delivered by mail the week of August 17 or you you can pick-up your t-shirt packet at our drive-thru pick-up events in the parking lot at Body Shapers, 28 Whiteville Plaza, in Whiteville, Tuesday, August 18, noon to 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. or at Elizabeth Brinkley Park in Lake Waccamaw on Wednesday, August 19,  noon to 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. 
 
How will you Take the Lake in 2020? Set a goal with friends and family near and far and track your progress in one or more virtual personal challenges around Lake Waccamaw. Choose your own distance or mix and match a little bit of everything goal. Create YOUR challenge. 

Thank you for supporting Take the Lake 2020. Keep you and your family safe from COVID-19, and   remember to  practice smart social distancing.

Thank you for your patience while we have been evaluating the uncertainty of holding a traditional Take the Lake event this year.

The heart of Take the Lake is promoting health and wellness in our community, and it is in this spirit we are making plans for the only sure and safe event we can count on this summer which is a virtual 2020 Take the Lake.

The technology supporting virtual run, bike and swimming events has taken a major leap since smart distancing and government regulations are the new normal until the COVID-19 pandemic is under control. Virtual races create an online support system, a community of participants, and the ability to creatively track progress and goals. 

Our 2019 5K event coordinator, SetUp Events, is helping us plan and execute an innovative and fun event with a focus on building community. We hope to share an event website and link with registration and fun tips to get started on your personal challenge within the next few days. 

Here are few of the highlights we can look forward to as we get ready to 2020 Virtual Take the Lake ...

2020 TTL will be a 15-day event ending on Labor Day Monday…Participants will have two weeks and Labor Day Monday to complete as many of the personal fitness challenges as they choose. All events are FREE.

The challenges will include a virtual 15 mile run/walk, 15 mile bike, 15 mile paddle and 4 mile swim along with 7.5 mile family walk, bike and paddle options. Participants can complete a mile a day for 15 days for each challenge or complete a challenge in one day. How a participant gets their mileage is totally their own goal and decision.

RunSignUp (who manages the online registration and records participant mileage for SetUp Events) offers a great virtual route tracking tool. For example in the 15 mile walk/run around the lake when a participant posts their mileage for the day, they can see exactly where you are on the route whether it’s in the state park, Waccamaw Shores, or Canal Cove, etc. Participants from anywhere in the world can "walk around the lake" and see where they on the course. I think this will be really fun way to track progress and invite friends and family to participate together even when they are far away.

TTL will set-up a Facebook Group for registered participants to share goals, training milestones, post photos, etc. We hope this Facebook community keeps us connected and helps us get to know each other better. 

We will sell awesome TTL t-shirts online during the registration process and will offer shipping to your home with a postage charge. Also, we will offer a drive-by packet pick-up on a specific day during a specific time. Drive-by packet pick-up allows participants to put their name and bib number on a sheet of paper in their car window and drive through the pick-up point to receive their packet. Specific pick-up details in Whiteville and Lake Waccamaw to follow. 

Online t-shirt sales help cover the cost for 2020 Take the Lake, and we appreciate your support with a purchase. We will use the same t-shirt brand and blend as the popular 2019 t-shirts and are updating the women's v-neck shirt supplier so these shirts will run "true to size." Tim and Edna Dowless of locally-owned TLD ScreenPrinting will supply t-shirts again this year. Thank you Tim and Edna! 

Our traditional Take the Lake event would not be possible the past 10 years without the loyal support of our sponsors, community volunteers, civic groups, Town of LW, Lake Waccamaw State Park, Columbus County Parks & Rec, Boys & Girls Homes, and the incredibly dedicated  LWPD, LWFD, LW-EMS and Whiteville EMS. The impact of COVID on these businesses, organizations and families is profound, and the virtual event will give everyone a break this year so they can focus on recovery. It is our hope we can return to our traditional event format in 2021. 

Everyone who registers for 2020 TTL will receive a Special Edition JAMA (John A. McNeill participation award) this year.  We hope JAMA collectors will enjoy this one-and-only Special Edition chip.

Take the Lake looks different this year, but we hope it is different in a good way and you will join us on this virtual adventure with the resilience and fortitude of each person since 2010 who has ever worked for and accomplished their personal TTL fitness goal. 

Start thinking your 2020 TTL fitness training plan and look for details and a link to register in the next few days. 

Diana Matthews of The News Reporter shares last minute Take the Lake updates...
Although Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to affect coastal weather increasingly over the next week, local meteorologist Christopher Cawley predicts mostly sunny weather for Saturday’s Take the Lake events. Saturday temperatures will warm up by afternoon, with the chance of thunderstorms only around 20-30 percent, he said, based on the best data available Wednesday.
Cawley predicts a 50 percent chance of “typical” scattered North Carolina summer thunderstorms Monday, the day of the two water events. He thought there could be “thunder and lightning, then some heavy rain, and then they’ll be done.”
Cawley emphasized that any thunderstorm should be taken seriously.
Stuart Rogers, chair of the organizing committee, recommended that participants check Take the Lake’s Facebook page and takethelake.org for weather updates and other current information over the weekend.
Rogers felt “pretty excited” over the cool temperatures of about 70 degrees F being forecast for early Saturday morning. “All of our Saturday events will be over by noon,” she said.
“Monday is the day I’m a little more concerned about,” said Rogers. “That’s the day of our water events. Folks do need to keep an eye out and watch our website for updates.”
One change already announced is the cancellation of the planned 1-Mile Swim. “It was a new event this year,” Rogers said, “but it didn’t receive the interest and participation we hoped for.”
Not too late
Online registration is still open at takethelake.org for six free events and one certified 5K walk-run costing $25 (t-shirt included). A portion of each 5K registration fee will support trail improvement efforts at Lake Waccamaw State Park.
T-shirts are still available for purchase while supplies last through the weekend.
T-shirts and preregistration packets will be available for pickup at Take the Plate, tonight’s pasta fundraising dinner at Lake Waccamaw United Methodist Church, 506 Lakeshore Dr., from 5:30-7 p.m. Donations for the eat-in/carry-out meal will support the church’s outreach missions in the community. Members of the public are invited to Take the Plate regardless of whether or not they plan to participate in Take the Lake.
Participant packets not picked up tonight will be at the check-in table for each event.
Schedule
The 5K Run/Walk will be the weekend’s first event at 8 a.m. tomorrow, beginning and ending in Elizabeth Brinkley Park. Parking is next to the ballfields on Bald Cypress Circle, accessible from N.C. 214 (Sam Potts Hwy.) Columbia Avenue will be closed between Schley Ave. and Bald Cypress for registration and start/finish sites.
From 8-10:30 a.m. Elizabeth Brinkley Park will be the site of the first-ever Take the Lake Family Celebration, with free games sponsored by the Columbus County Parks and Recreation department.  DJ Terry Basobas of Play That One DJ will provide music and announce events.
“The Family Celebration is going to be really fun,” Rogers said. Culinary students from Boys and Girls Homes will prepare breakfast items for purchase, including breakfast burritos, fruit cups, muffins and sports drinks. Proceeds will benefit the Homes. “Everyone in the community is invited to come enjoy the Family Celebration,” said Rogers.
Rules of the road and water
The 9:30 a.m. Family 1-Mile Fun Run and 10:30 a.m. 10K Family Bike Ride are free. Every bike rider must wear a helmet.
Parents are responsible for the safety of their children at all times. Minors need an adult to sign their waivers at check-in. Pets are not allowed.
Swimmers will assemble at 7:45 a.m. Monday to receive instructions for the traditional 4-Mile Lee J. Greer Labor Day Swim. Depending on conditions, the starting location, either Dale’s Seafood or the dam, will be posted on Facebook early Monday morning.
As always, each swimmer must be escorted by a boat or kayak. State boating laws require everyone in a boat to have access to an appropriate personal flotation device and everyone under 13 must wear vests at all times.
A swimmer may take a break by holding onto a boat that is sitting stationary, but her or she may not receive propulsion toward the finish.
Goggles and swim caps are recommended, and wetsuits are allowed. Swim fins and snorkels are not allowed.
The final event, the free 6-Mile Paddle, will commence at the dam at 12 noon Monday, following the perimeter of the lake to Dale’s Seafood. A clockwise or counterclockwise course will be determined that morning based on wind direction. A shuttle will return paddlers to the dam after their finish.
Participants are urged not to undertake the water challenges unless they have prepared for several weeks. N.C. Wildlife rangers will patrol the lake to enforce the life vest rule. Experienced paddlers and swimmers also recommend bringing a supply of water and snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses, a long-sleeve but cool shirt and a hat.

Stop by Body Shapers Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. to pick-up your bibs and t-shirts. Packets will be available for pick-up at Take the Plate Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Lake Waccamaw United Methodist Church. Eat-in or take-out. Donations appreciated. The fastest way to the start line is to pick up your packet before your event. 

Take the Lake is what we've been thinking about, training and preparing for all summer! Join us for Take the Plate Friday night, Take the Lake "land events" and family celebration Saturday morning at Brinkley Park with music by Terry Basobas and children's games provided by Columbus County Parks & Recreation. The Boys & Girls Homes culinary class will have muffins, biscuits and fruit for sale as a fundraiser for their program. Take the Lake swim and paddle events make a big splash Labor Day Monday. Cheer on family and friends taking on a challenge and check out event dates and times below. It's not too late to register at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/LakeWaccamaw/TaketheLake

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The JAMAs (John A. McNeill Award) are here! Are you ready to add 2019 to your collection?

Register for events online:
- Avoid the line – register online! at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/LakeWaccamaw/TaketheLake-- Choose from four free events and two that require registration fees. Find out more about events at takethelake.org. 
-- Register and train for your run, walk, bike ride, paddle or swim.
-- Your fee for the 5K and 1 Mile Swim covers professional event timing, safety and logistics, plus a T-shirt, and a portion of your fee will support trail improvement in Lake Waccamaw State Park.

Training tips:
Check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise program.
Walk, run, ride, swim or paddle regularly, increasing your distance.
Drink water before you get thirsty.
Recruit friends and family members to join you.
Wear sunscreen and bug spray; watch out for fire ants on the roadside.
All adults and children in the bike events must wear helmets. No exceptions!
Every participant in the 4-Mile Swim must have an escort boat; line yours up now.
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In the homestretch:
Setup Events can take online registrations up to 30 minutes before your paid event. Walk-up registration is available for free events.
Saturday, Aug. 31:
8 a.m. 5K certified by USA Track and Field (registration fee)
8-10:30 a.m. Take the Lake Celebration at Elizabeth Brinkley Park goes on during events, featuring children’s games and a breakfast fundraiser.
9 a.m. 5K awards presentation
9:30 a.m. 1-Mile Fun Run (free)
10:30 a.m. 10-K Bike event (free)
Sunday, Sept. 1: Event-free day. Take it easy!
Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day):
8 a.m. Traditional Lee J. Greer 4-Mile Swim leaves from Dale’s Seafood or the dam, depending on wind direction (free)
8:30 a.m. 1-Mile Swim starts and finishes at Dale’s (registration fee)
12 noon 6-Mile Paddle from the dam to Dale’s (free)

 By Diana Matthews dianamatthews@nrcolumbus.com
“It’s a year of rebuilding for many,” Take The Lake organizers say, in an epic understatement. It’s also the year for the undecided TTL watcher to become a first-time TTL participant.
For 2019 the Take The Lake committee has taken on Part One of a three-year rebuilding project.
They did it to accommodate the reality that many Lake Waccamaw people and institutions are still facing a long road of recovery from Hurricane Florence. It takes a lot of hard work by dozens of public health and safety officers, town officials, volunteers and Lake Waccamaw State Park rangers, to pull off a full-scale TTL.
“They were there for Lake Waccamaw” in the harrowing aftermath of Hurricane Florence, my friend and magazine editor Stuart Rogers said to me the other day. Now that she is head of the TTL committee, Stuart could not ask those same people to make the level of sacrifice and effort they have on past Labor Day weekends.
That’s why she and her fellow committee members have streamlined their approach: they are holding shorter events and also hiring an outside race coordinator to handle registration and recordkeeping.
The shorter events appealed to me, as I am also in a building mode. So, look out, Lake Waccamaw, here I come: 2019 will be my first year to join the TTL kayak event.
In my once- or twice weekly training outings, I’m up to about three miles, which takes me over an hour in my little, non-speedy beginner’s kayak.
Up till now the TTL Paddle event has been the province of people stronger than I am, who were willing to be on the water for four to six hours, enduring sun, dehydration, fatigue, hideous cramps and whatever weather came their way.
(And a whole lot of weather can come your way on Lake Waccamaw in one afternoon.)
In 2017 I interviewed the amazing Chet Sechrest after his fourth TTL X-Treme. He recommended Gatorade, energy gel packs, sunscreen, a long-sleeved coolshirt, hat and gloves. This year we kayakers, including the super-capable ones like Sechrest and just ordinary folks like me, will cover six miles one way. The TTL committee has figured out logistics for us to get back to our starting place and pack up our crafts at the end.
When it comes to paddling skills, I am trusting what my instructor friend Fish told me in one kayak lesson two years ago. “Slow is steady, and steady is fast.”
Fish taught me to hold the paddle correctly and use one arm to push while pulling with the other and winding my body first one way then the other to create spring power from my core muscles.
Prior to  that one lesson, I didn’t have anything you could call “technique.” I still am no expert, but I think I’m developing a little muscle memory each time I paddle on Lake Waccamaw.
“I can do this,” I tell myself, “even if I’m not the fastest. I know I can do the distance if I build up to it. Besides, just being on the water is a good thing.”
Every time I go paddling, I see something I wouldn’t have seen on foot or in a car. You can see turtles, ducks, schools of fast moving little fishies, and the even faster birds that eat those fishies as you push-pull your way along.
On one of my first outings, I was sitting quietly in a patch of grass near the dam when a great blue heron dove past me and caught a large fish in its talons. I watched it climb back up into the blue sky carrying the weight of its wriggling, dripping dinner.
Sometimes Wow is the only word.
My new goal is to paddle to the sandbar at the outlet of Big Creek and back.
I’ve been on Lake Waccamaw when the surface of the water was still and when it was choppy, with and without rain. I’ve known it to turn from one condition to the other in a hurry, just when I was approaching my turnaround point, so that I had to race the weather back. Sometimes, when the wind turns against me, it feels exactly like I’m paddling uphill.
Whatever conditions I run into — including some that make me reconsider my outing — I tell myself, “It could be raining (or blowing or choppy or hot and muggy) on Labor Day, so I’d better practice and get used to it.”
Saturday I paddled out of a rain shower into a clear area, but with mist ahead; as the sun shone from behind my right shoulder I saw a partial rainbow seeming to beckon me onward.
If you decide in favor of trying one of the weekend’s four challenges for the first time, I wish you well, and I look forward to seeing you there. 

"Thank you" Southeastern Community College for sponsoring Take the Lake AND featuring Take the Lake in Southeastern Community College Presents. View the entire program  here. 

5K route - 8 a.m. start Saturday, August 31 at Elizabeth Brinkley Park 

1 Mile Family Fun Run -  9:30 a.m. start Saturday, August 31 at Elizabeth Brinkley Park 

Laythan and Gracie Stocks stopped by Lake Time Vintiques with their grandmother, Julie Stocks, to check out the youth-sized Take the Lake t-shirts. Marie has youth and adult size shirts available at Lake Time. Body Shapers in Whiteville is helping us with t-shirt sales, too.
T-shirts available online at https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/LakeWaccamaw/TaketheLake.  Thank you to our t-shirt sponsors: Columbus Regional Healthcare System, The John A. McNeill Family, Liberty Healthcare, Lake Waccamaw Lions Club, Hills, Friends of Rube McCray Memorial Library, Council Tool, ATMC, Southeastern Community College, Carolina Sports Medicine, BB&T, International Paper and Joe's Barbeque. 

Stop by Body Shapers in Whiteville and see Jeff & Cindy Faulk and Donnie Hammonds to purchase your 2019 Take the Lake t-shirts. Body Shapers will offer packet pick-up Wednesday, August 28 and Thursday, August 29 from noon to 6 p.m. each day. T-shirts also available for purchase at Lake Time Vintiques (photo coming soon!). Youth to adult size XL are $12 each and 2XL $13 each. Ladies v-neck shirts available (run small, so size-up).  Order t-shirts online and pick them up at packet pick-up at Body Shapers, Take the Plate, or during TTL weekend before your event. Click on this link for online registration: https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/LakeWaccamaw/TaketheLake