At Rumbling Bald Resort, we’re getting ready for one of our favorite annual events: the Lake Lure Olympiad. Join us on the weekend of August 11 – 13 for Western North Carolina’s largest, 3-day sports festival, and a treasured Lake Lure tradition. The Lake Lure Olympiad Sports Festival is a non-profit organization staffed entirely by volunteers dedicated to creating a weekend of fun and fitness to benefit local charitable giving. Over the past 12 years, the Lake Lure Olympiad has raised over $300,000 for local charities, including area volunteer fire departments and EMS services that were essential in containing the wildfires that swept through the region last year, and insuring that local residents got the care they needed. This year, Rumbling Bald Resort is honored to host the Lake Lure Olympiad once again to calibrate and support the incredible community of Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge.
The fun begins at Rumbling Bald Resort’s award-winning Bald Mountain Championship Golf Course at 8:30am on Friday, August 11 with the shotgun start to our annual Olympiad golf tournament. Come play an 18 hole handicapped scramble amidst some of the most beautiful scenery in Western North Carolina. At 4pm, Rumbling Bald’s four hard-surface courts will open for the Olympiad’s pickle ball tournament. Friday evening on the courts is dedicated to open play, practice, and socializing before the Olympiad Opening Ceremonies begin at 7pm, and the tournament proper will kick-off at 9am on Saturday, August 12 with Men’s and Women’s Doubles, followed Sunday, August 13 with the Mixed Doubles competition, also starting at 9am. Friday also marks the first of the Olympiad’s “Three Races in Three Days,” the 10K Dam Run, starting at 7pm at the Ingles supermarket on Route 9, crossing over Lake Lure Dam, and finishing up on the Beach at Rumbling Bald Resort. For those not up to a 10K, Rumbling Bald will also be hosting a 2-mile Couch to Cart Path Run through Bald Mountain Golf Course and the Beach at Rumbling Bald Resort, beginning at 6pm.
Saturday’s Lake Lure Olympiad events start 8:30am with the Lake Lure Triathlon. The surroundings may be breathtaking, but so are the challenges of this event: a 750m lake swim, 22.3K bike course, and 5K run will get even the finest athlete’s heart pumping. However, the lure of free Oskar Blues Brewery beer, an iced towel, and free post-race, 5-minute massage will help the miles roll by. Saturday is also the day for the Junior Olympiad on the Beach at Rumbling Bald Resort, with events for kids aged 4 – 14, including an obstacle course, 40-yard dash, and basketball shoot. Finish up the day with a Beach Celebration on the Beach at Rumbling Bald Resort from 5-9 with a cookout, music, and cash-bar featuring Oskar blues Brews.
The Olympiad finishes with a bang on Sunday, August 13 as Chimney Rock State Park hosts the Race to the Rock 5K Run starting at 7:45am, and the Race to the Rock 25-mile Bike at 7:30am. Registration is still open for many events, and the Lake Lure Olympiad is the perfect occasion for a destination getaway at Rumbling Bald Resort, plus participating athletes can book their stay for the week and receive 10% off their lodging at Rumbling Bald. To register, or for more information about the 2017 Lake Lure Olympiad, visit www.lakelureolympiad.com, and to book your weekend at Rumbling Bald Resort call Debbie Earley at 828-694-3207 or send her an email at reservations@rumblingbald.com.