X-TREME! field reaches 10, Take the Lake passes 400

There are 10 people in this region who are hoping that Aug. 27 will be mild and cloudy, with maybe a few cool showers.

With what some would say took more guts than sense, the group of men has accepted the ultimate Take the Lake X-TREME! challenge and will attempt to complete all four Personal Endurance Challenges in a single day at Lake Waccamaw.

Also, as of Thursday evening, 402 people had registered for the Take the Lake classic on Labor Day weekend, with more than 265 walking or 

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running, 232 biking and hiking, 75 paddling, and 26 swimming. This represents three times the registration rate at the same time last year.

Unlike the classic, TTL-X! will be a race against each participant, and also against time, as the race ends at midnight.

Each successful participant will receive a trophy displaying the three John A. McNeill Awards for the Walk / Run, Bike & Hike and the Paddle PECs, the Lee J. Greer Award for the swim, and a special JAMA for the all-inclusive X-TREME! event.

The winner, determined by overall time, will receive a custom-made TTL-X! flag signed by everyone at the start of the race.

Participants will first swim four miles across Lake Waccamaw, then they will Bike & Hike 12 and three miles around. In the afternoon, they will kayak 14 miles and then walk or run 15 miles. 

The trend in triathlons and extreme sports nationwide has shown much strength in the older age groups, and TTL-X! is no different, with an average age of 49. Organizers were surprised, however, that only one participant is in his 30s while all the rest are within a few years of age 50. 

Also of note was that not one female had registered for this event. 

Retired Army Reserve Master Sgt. and Swamp Logger cast member John Deans of Whiteville will be the 2011 Take the Lake celebrity participant. He will be accompanied by contenders Louie Nye and Eric Brandt of Lake Waccamaw, Thomas Mintz of Ash, Dana Mauldin of Shallotte, Eric Fogelman of Aberdeen, and Walter Palmer and Coburn Powell, both Whiteville attorneys.

Event organizers Brett Gore and Mark Gilchrist will attempt the 48-mile event the weekend before so they will be able to assist the others. The start and finish line for TTL-X! will be in the area near Dale’s Restaurant on the north shore of the lake. 

Unlike the classic event, which is free, a registration fee is charged for TTL-X! participation. The fee increased this week to $68. Information is  abundant at Takethelake.org.