Lake Norman Half Marathon Forest Run Race Update: A Legendary Day

One of our VIP athletes Pamela Plogger from Davidson, NC owning the top spot in the 70+ age group of the Half Marathon. PP has been with us since 2006 and just keeps getting better and better – WE LOVE YOU PAMELA💚

Lake Norman Half Marathon Forest Run & 5K was held in Troutman, NC on June 1, 2024. The weather was cool (49 degrees), sunny and bright. An absolutely legendary day!

The team was OUTSTANDING! When we arrived prior to 6:00am the biggest concern was shifting signs. During Friday set up we had some wind and we needed to straighten up a bunch of directional arrows.

The half marathoners left at 7:30am and the 5K runners started around 7:45am.

This race is an absolute BEAST; non-stop hills of various steepness and length, resulting in chewed up quads. A seriously strong persons course.

These were just some of the comments from the racers:

“Such a positive and uplifting environment, can’t wait for the next race!” ~ Morgan T.

“The race was great!! Would highly recommend it to any of my family and friends!” ~ Codie B.

“Just wanted to say thank u for putting on such a great half. ur speech at the beginning for all the newbies was so awesome too. u guys are the best!” ~ Reagan G.

“You guys are just amazing – thank you!” ~ Pamela P.

“Despite the daunting prospect of being 20 weeks pregnant and doing a half marathon for the first time, pushing past the fear made it incredibly rewarding to run with a great community and make a new friend.” ~ Kayla Y.

“One of the more challenging and peaceful course to run, which took training to prepare, but the feeling of accomplishment was incomparable. The race staff were all super kind, well-knowledgeable, and very encouraging. Bonus: the medals are awesome!” ~ Ilyana O.

“This was my first race with epic sports and it was great! I can’t wait for the next one!” ~ Miranda H.

“That was a very difficult course! I did not look closely at this course ahead of time. Still happy to have finished top 11!” ~ Sam F.

“Well-organized, nice venue and course (I did the 5K) and good post-race refreshments. It was my first race at this venue and will definitely do it again.” ~ Stephen S.

“For my first half marathon, it was a beautiful course that I will definitely be running again.” ~ Marin S.

“Repeat race for me because I love the whole experience!” ~ Margaret M.

“This was my first half marathon and I could not have picked a better one for it. The course was very challenging but beautiful with plenty of shade. The layout was very easy to follow and the aid stations were perfectly spread out and very helpful. A big thank you to epic sports marketing for putting on such a great race and a memorable experience for my first half marathon. Will definitely be back next year for round two.” ~ Ryan P.

“I used this race as a destination opportunity for a bachelorette party and it didn’t disappoint! Gorgeous location, great course, and so much fun!” ~ Shane B.

“thanks for an awesome race!” ~ Mac I.

“It was a great race, looking forward to next year!” ~ Mickey B.

“Hello! I did the race virtually, which I loved as an option. My brother used to live by Lake Norman, and it’s one of our favorites places, but we were away this weekend so still being able to “participate” was an awesome option to have. Plus, it was my first attempt at a half marathon, and I didn’t want to do it with other people, just to see if I could do it. It wasn’t pretty at the end, but I did it!!! Also, you guys were suuuuuper helpful, and I appreciate how prompt and patient you were with answering my questions!! Thank you!” ~ Heather B.

“My daughter and I had a great time at the race, it was well organized.” ~ John C.

“The course was great and everyone was supportive, from the helpers to the runners themselves.” ~ Abraham T.

“A great place for a run with friends! Great event management and venue. Already looking forward to the next one! Keep it up!!! Also really appreciated the “first half marathoner” pep talk from Z.” ~ Sarah T.

“I had a blast doing the Lake Norman Forest Run Half Marathon. The calmness and beauty of the course made up for it being on the hillier side.” ~ Matthew W.

“I thought the race was well organized, the course was beautiful, and the volunteers were thoughtful and enthusiastic. This was my first half-marathon in many years, and I am already planning to return.” ~ Roma S.

“I could not have chosen a better race for my fourth half marathon- thank you for an amazing experience!” ~ Delaney B.

“Overall I found the race to be well organized. The volunteers were great and the course was really well marked.” ~ Liz M.

The Half Marathon course was 1 loop with about 832 of climbing.

Athlete Kayla Yerger holding a sign that every athlete thinks!

We are incredibly impressed by all the athletes who came out and raced in the 5th Annual Lake Norman Half Marathon Forest Run & 5K – we are very proud of you guys!

Our beneficiary is Human Health Project – an organization that issues grants and donates non-perishable food items to local food shelters. We applaud and thank the following athletes for making a financial contribution.

Aaron Gorsuch
Amber Thomas
Angie Mattingly
Ann Bebber
Anthony Gilbert
April Jacobi
Audrey Pieper
Brit Foster Rothstein
Casey Lynn Hofses
Dana Walters
Daniel Cordero
Daniel Miller
Edrian Ruiz
Elizabeth Marshall
Fernando Calderon
Gloria Horton
Hugo Lopez
Jake Wiklacz
Javier Santiago Hernández
Laurel ThomasArrigo
Lina Melgar
Lucas Allen
Margaret McInnis
Mark Todd
Maya Lanciault
Miranda Howard
Natasha Gilbert
Nilsa Lucas
Nilsa Lucas
Roma Stutts
Sara Kenefick
Sophie Zimmerman
Stephen Schoeberle
Tanya Darrow
Tim Cuttle
Victoria Burch
Wilfredo Anderson

We also want to thank all of the athletes who donated non-perishable food items.

One of the ways we get high quality volunteers at our races is to offer multiple ways for an athlete to benefit by sharing our races or volunteering. We want to recognize the folks who earned a free race by referring others!

Alex David
Tony Capotosta
Laura McMannus

If you are not racing on a weekend that we have a race we invite you to volunteer and get a free race in exchange for your time. You can check out the details right here.

The 5K Male Overall champions were:

#2034 – Ryan Elvers from Charlotte, NC who did a 20:10 with a pace of 6:29
#1789 – Nelson Gonzales from Millers Creek, NC who did a 21:09 with a pace of 6:48
#1585 – Chris Beaver from Charlotte, NC who did a 22:26 with a pace of 7:13

The 5K Female Overall champions were:

#1984 – Valerie Thorp from Capitola, CA who did a 21:20 with a pace of 6:52
#1677 – Karamie Bringolf from Mooresville, NC who did a 22:47 with a pace of 7:20
#1927 – Dolly Reaves from Sugar Grove, NC who did a 22:53 with a pace of 7:22

The Half Marathon Male Overall champions were:

#2011 – Chas Willimon from Cornelius, NC who did a 1:25:26 with a pace of 6:31
#1840 – Mez Jaramillo from Garner, NC who did a 1:27:18 with a pace of 6:39
#1869 – Caleb Machorro from Thomasville, NC who did a 1:27:50 with a pace of 6:42

The Half Marathon Female Overall champions were:

#1834 – Mac Inscore from Statesville, NC who did a 1:30:32 with a pace of 6:54
#2049 – Delaney Bundy from Cary, NC who did a 1:32:56 with a pace of 7:05
#1946 – Lauren Sams from Winston Salem, NC who did a 1:36:32 with a pace of 7:22

You can click here for the full results .

You can also see the top 20 male and female times and the course records right here.

The current top 10 males in the 2024 Healthy Body PT Lake Norman Half Marathon Series are: