There are several reasons I’m glad I picked this year for my first visit to the mid-June Lake Cumberland Thunder Run hosted by the Lake Cumberland Powerboat Club at State Dock Marina in Jamestown, Ky. Let’s see, there was the marriage proposal I witnessed and, in a small way, was a part of that followed the first-ever appearance by the crowd-pleasing Naked Karate Girls, a Cincinnati-based party band that closed out the event on Saturday night.

A couple of radical Skater Powerboats catamarans took to Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland during the 11th annual Thunder Run. Photo by Kevin Johns/Instant Memories Photography

Then there was the weather—it was pretty much perfect—combined with the whole Seventy Six Falls and Harmon Creek experience during Saturday’s poker run aboard the biggest boat in the fleet—Unbridled, an MTI-V 57 luxury performance center console owned by South Carolina’s Todd and Debby Campbell—with an incredibly fun collection of friends.

Before that though I watched the group start for the 11th annual poker run from the 30-foot Concept Boats center console owned by event co-producer, Justin Lucas and his wife, Erin. Then, after joining Lucas and boating friends Mark and Britney Godsey and Mike and Angela Goldbaugh for lunch at Wolf Creek Marina, I hopped in the first Adrenaline Powerboats ZRX 47 for a ride with Adrenaline owners Mike and Robin Layton before joining them on Unbridled for the remainder of the day.

The day before, I also took a ride in a Hustler Powerboats 388 Slingshot that Andy Imhof of Maryland Offshore Performance Marine Center in Rockville, Md., delivered to owner Chris Mattingly and his fiancé, Shelby, on Friday morning, just in time for the fun run.

To enjoy the complete feature, click the download link for the PDF of the May/June 2019 Speed On The Water magazine, and please share any feedback with us below, via email or on social media.

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Highlights From The 11th Annual Lake Cumberland Thunder Run
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