The running experience in the lake area got a boost in 2014 with the first Lake Minnetonka Running Series. The annual series kicks off with Jake O’Connor’s Luck O’ The Lake 5K Fun Run in March, continues with the Firecracker Run in July and ends with the Apple of the Lake run in September.
In 2014, about 100 runners ran all three races. Steve Cass, who participated in all three runs, says he loved racing because he knew so many people in it. He proclaimed the Firecracker Run his favorite, saying, “The finish line was huge and down by the lake, which was pretty fun in the summer.”
And the series is growing: The 2014 Luck O’ The Lake series doubled from 2013 numbers. Organizers expect this number to more than triple in coming years.
Chad Babcock of the Lake Minnetonka-Excelsior Chamber of Commerce, played a big role in putting the series together. Babcock talks about how important residents have been to the success of the series. “The businesses are very receptive to it, and everyone is great about volunteering.”
If you go
To sign up for the first run of the series, the Jake O’Connor’s Luck O’ The Lake 5K Fun Run on March 14, visit excelsior-lakeminnetonkachamber.com.
