Take The Lake 2020 is 19 days away

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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