When the dust settled following the eighth annual Lake Cumberland Thunder Run in Kentucky, Justin Lucas, who organizes the event with his friend, Dan Weiss, was spent. As anyone who has organized a poker run for several hundred people can attest, the fatigue was 100-percent understandable.

A catamaran fleet including two Skaters and two DCBs makes its way along Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland during the eighth annual Thunder Run. Photo courtesy Jacob Davis/LakeLifeFotos

Fortunately for him—and his ever-so-helpful wife, Erin—the event was complete and all of the participants had a tremendous time. Many were already making plans to return for the 2017 Thunder Run, which was the last thing on Lucas’ mind. That won’t last long, of course, but for now Lucas expressed his thanks to the owners and crews of the 100-plus boats in attendance as well as his friends who went above and beyond to make sure the event ran smooth, especially Darrell Mellars.

“I believe 109 boats is an all-time high for us,” Lucas said. “We had people come in from several different states, the farthest were from Texas, plus we had a pretty nice variety of boats. The weather was good, which always helps, and the dinner from Texas Roadhouse was a home run. As usual the folks at Grider Hill Resort and Marina were gracious hosts.

Read more: The Rumble from Cumberland

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