While the host venue—Grider Hill Marina and Resort—remains the same for this year’s ninth annual event taking place in a few weeks (June 16-18), the course for the Lake Cumberland Thunder Run in Kentucky is being modified—as usual—this year. According to Justin Lucas, one of the event’s organizers, making changes to the course is a good way to keep the run interesting for the returning boaters that make up an estimated 75 percent of the participants.

Next month’s Lake Cumberland Thunder Run in Kentucky should be a memorable one. Photo courtesy Jacob Davis/LakeLifeFotos

“For lunch on Saturday, we’re going to Burnside Marina, which is something we haven’t done since one of the first years of the run,” Lucas said. “We like to change things up every year and the run to Burnside is a nice, long, open one that lets people see even more of the lake. Texas Roadhouse, the same catering company that handles the dinner for Saturday night’s awards party, is taking care of lunch as well.

“We’re also bringing back the Nashville band Backlit, which was a huge hit last year,” he added. “And on Friday, we have an unorganized fun run that includes a ‘bonus’ lunch stop at the new L.C. Tiki Bar and Restaurant at State Dock Marina so anyone who makes it there between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. will receive a bonus poker chip for an extra card at Saturdays card turn-in. Based on current registrations, we’re expecting another 100 boats or so with everything from high-performance cats to center consoles, sportboats and cruisers participating in the run.”

While Grider Hill is already sold out of its houseboats, campsites and other lodging, Lucas said there are a few other options for out-of-town visitors who would like to sign up for the run, which is approximately 106 miles if you complete the whole thing. He also pointed to another solid list of prizes, which are listed on the event’s website.

“We are adding a new stereo sound-off competition that’s being organized by one of our sponsors—Shore Power Marine—and we’re expecting that to be a lot of fun,” Lucas said. “We’ll also have Jacob Davis with LakeLifeFotos taking pictures and videos again for us.”

For more information, check out the Thunder Run website or check out the related stories from past events below.

Related stories
The Rumble from Cumberland
Lake Cumberland Thunder Run Off to Great Start
Thunder Run Rolling Out a Few Changes for 2016
Wet Weather Doesn’t Dampen the Fun at the Lake Cumberland Thunder Run