Launched in late summer of 2024, the Lake Anna Running Club (LARC) recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. According to the Chief LARC, Jim McCoy, “It’s been an amazing year punctuated by the development of wonderful friendships and many club members getting into really great shape.” He added, “We have a proven process that results in steady gains while minimizing overuse injuries.”

The club has continued to grow and add additional group activities. McCoy explains, “On a regular basis, we like to do a destination run of some sort. For example, we have been running at a park in Unionville (about 30 minutes from Lake Anna) and then going to Unionville Brewing Company afterward for pizza.

The club meets three times a week and has a different type of structured run for each session. It is important to note that the group is intended for all skill levels—even walkers—and offers a different workout for each runner based on skill.

Sessions generally starts with a structured warm-up, followed by a stretching session after every run.

Mondays are “tempo runs,” where the group runs at approximately 80% of “race pace” for anywhere between three and five miles. Monthly, the group integrates a one-mile time trial in the middle of the tempo run to gauge overall improvement. McCoy notes that the tempo run is a test of how the members’ conditioning is progressing.

Thursdays are dedicated to speed work. For these sessions, the group typically runs hill repeats, sprints, or relay races and often uses parachutes to create additional wind resistance during sprints. Saturdays are long-run days. The group typically meets at Lake Anna State Park and runs anywhere from four to ten miles or more. “As a group, we developed a great route through the woods at the state park by piecing together several different trails,” McCoy notes. “I look forward to our Saturday state park runs all week long!”

The Lake Anna Running Club’s “LARC” mascot has made several appearances at Lake Anna over the past year and even ran in the Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond in the spring. The club has a core group that tends to attend nearly all sessions. One such member, experienced runner Tod Schuck, noted, “I think it’s a great way for like-minded friends to get together to achieve a goal—whether it’s to become more fit, achieve a goal in a 5K, or help get miles in for a 10-miler or a marathon. It’s also a way to see the beauty of the Lake Anna area, like when we do Saturday runs at Lake Anna State Park.”

All club information, including session dates and times, can be found on the LARC Facebook page. There is no cost to join LARC, and all are welcome.

Jim McCoy