Our first annual Run with the Bears charity 5K was a huge success! 54 runners in total braved the windy weather and tricky terrain to complete the course, all while raising money for Western NC’s own Uncomplicated Kitchen. Participants flocked from all over the region, including Asheville, Black Mountain, Hickory, Cherokee, Wittier, Cullowhee and Sylva to run the race and claim their pottery beer steins (and a free fill, of course)! Here’s a quick recap of the event as we look forward to next year.
Our Winners
Congratulations to our top three male and female runners! They each received a certificate redeemable for a full day of fun at Bear Lake Reserve, including access to all of our premium amenities. Check out the winning times below:
Male
1st place – Todd Davidson, 20:20
2nd place – Mike Mason, 21:52
3rd place – Robert Hawke, 26:43
Female
1st place – Noa Beck, 32:35
2nd place – Elizabeth Lohbauer, 34:27
3rd place – Madison Isaacson, 34:28
Partners and Volunteers
We had an outstanding team of partners, volunteers, and employees on hand to ensure this event ran smoothly from start to finish. First, we were honored to host and benefit Uncomplicated Kitchen as they work to improve food security right here in Western NC. To support their mission, visit https://www.uncomplicatedkitchen.org/donate. Shoutout to the team at the Greeter’s Cottage for arriving early to ensure participants made it to the Lake Club on time, the maintenance team for clearing the roads of debris, the Lake Club team for taking amazing care of our participants, and the Kitchen staff for cooking a delicious post-race buffet! Thank you to our friends at Innovation Brewing for filling our pottery steins with delicious beer after the race. Also, huge thanks to Matt King for supplying energy in the form of his delicious coffee, the legendary Pete Ripmaster for assisting with timing and check-in, and the rest of our race day volunteers who came from far and wide to assist! Last but certainly not least, congratulations to Hannah Glenn, Julia Gros, and the rest of the activities department for executing their first 5K successfully!
What People are Saying
“I have ran over 100 races and this one was in the top 10! GREAT WORK to you and your team. Congratulations!” – Anonymous Participant
“We had a great first year turnout, and I was very pleased with the amount of people who came out to support. Our volunteers were amazing, and we wouldn’t have been able to pull of such a great race without them. Special thanks to Pete Ripmaster for coming to help with timing, homeowners of BLR, and even staff from out of town who came to help!!” – Hannah Glenn
Looking Ahead
With our first run in the books, we’re already looking forward to making this event bigger and better in 2023. We’re exploring a number of options, including date changes for more comfortable weather, new routes, and maybe even a longer, more challenging race! If you have any ideas to improve our next run, don’t hesitate to reach out to our activities team. We can’t wait to run with you again next year!
