The Story of a Tradition: How Take the Lake Began

By: Mark Gilchrist, Take the Lake co-founder

 

Swimming across Lake Waccamaw has been a personal achievement for generations, with its first proponent, Lee J. Greer, encouraging hundreds of youths and adults to join him each year as far back as the 1940s, and it became a Labor Day tradition. 

At the turn of this century, Grant Egley began organizing a walk around the lake each year on the same weekend.

In 2008, a pilot event was organized to add paddling and cycling, and in 2012, more than 1,000 people participated in Take the Lake.

I hate to shine light on myself, except that my story is, really, a classic TTL experience of overcoming self-doubt. 

I had swum for exercise in college—one mile—some 20 years earlier, but I had zero confidence that I could swim the Lake. Then, while covering the start for The News Reporter, I saw one man in particular in the water and thought, 'Wow, if he can do this, so can I!'

In 2005, I ran the project, "Columbus County Drops a Ton," to help get us out of the ranking as the least healthy (#100) of all NC counties. 

I spent the year tossing around ideas, and seeing how Grant organized the Walk / Run, I thought we could also try a bicycle ride and a paddle around the lake. 

I approached the Lake Swim committee, and in 2008, we organized all four events quietly as a test. I participated in all four and surprised myself that I actually could complete them!

The next year, 2009, was our big premier, and we were met with a tremendous response – some 500 turned out for each the Walk / Run and the Bike & Hike, there were more than 100 paddlers, and, I think, three dozen swimmers!

The next big surprise was the Extreme!, which none of us thought completing all four events in one day was possible. But one participant did it just for fun, I guess, and that was a game-changer. (And, once we did all four in one day, it seemed ridiculous to us that we had once thought it was impossible!)  

That became the purpose of the event: to exceed expectations. We introduced themes, including Veterans, Educators, Law Enforcement, Scouting, and Artists, and that part was great fun! 

With its non-competitive, fun, and free organization of four Personal Endurance Challenges, Take the Lake has been a unique and exciting event for Columbus County and the region!