50 Year Celebration

Come help the US Army Corps of Engineers and Muddy Crudd Trail and Ultrarunning celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of West Point Dam. This will be a fun event for all ages and fitness levels to enjoy. Very generous cutoffs make this race a possibility for anyone who has the determination to finish.

Dam 5k

Runners will start at the West Point Lake Visitor Center and run the road crossing the top of the dam with a wonderful view of West Point Lake on the left. Then the course drops down into Hardley Creek Park where runners move along the sidewalk on the bank of the river up to the lower portion of the dam. A challenging climb up stairs back to the top will be sure to be the highlight of everyone's journey! Once at the top runners will cross back over the dam to the finish line at the Visitor Center

Dam 10k

This run will start on approximately 4 miles of the beautiful rolling trails of West Point Lake. Runners will run through pine thickets and hardwood bottoms before coming out on the road at the dam to pick up the road section following the same course as the 5k.

Dam Double Dip

For the super adventurous souls the Dam Double Dip combines the 5k followed by the 10k which starts one hour later. Late starts for the Dam Double Dip will be allowed. We want everyone to have a blast and finish this adventure!

Dam History

Authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1962, West Point Lake was built for several purposes and cost an estimated $105 million.[4]:?3-3? Two major uses of the lake prescribed are power generation and recreation. The smaller percentage uses are: flood control, Fish and Wildlife, Area Redevelopment, and Navigation.[8]:?1? In the master plan, it was decided to have a 300 to 500 feet (91 to 152 m) buffer from the water edge.[8]:?2? This was done by using the flood pool level of 641 feet (195 m) above sea level or 300 feet (91 m) from the summer pool of 635 feet (194 m), whichever was greater. This resulted in a total of 56,638 acres (22,921 ha) of land being acquired and owned by the USACE.[4]:?2-5?

After being approved in 1964, construction began in 1965 with the west embankment and powerhouse access road being completed first in 1966. Also in 1966, a team discovered sites of archaeological significance and important sites were studied until 1971 before the lake was filled. When the lake was flooded, the floodplain would contain two historic covered bridges that would be inundated. The Wehadkee Creek bridge was privately salvaged in 1965 and relocated to Callaway Gardens while Glass' bridge was burned in 1954 as it was the only efficient means of destruction.[8]:?23?[9]

The main channel was closed in May 1967 and diverted through the east bank. The dam itself began construction in May 1968 and was later completed in August 1970. The next closure was on June 21, 1973, as the river was routed through an opening for a future generator. The first generator was completed in May 1974; however, diking problems did not allow filling of the lake to begin until October 16, 1974. West Point Lake was filled from the river level at 565 feet (172 m) above mean sea level (aMSL) to 617 feet (188 m) aMSL. Due to continuing construction, the lake would not be allowed to fill any higher until April 30, 1975, after another power unit was completed.

A major factor in building West Point Lake was navigation. A goal of the ACF river basin is to maintain a 9 feet (2.7 m) deep waterway on the Apalachicola River. After building West Point Lake, it was decided to raise the winter pool from 625 to 628 feet (191 to 191 m) aMSL. Before this, Walter F. George Lake and West Point Lake could not both be filled to their summer pools by the end of May without sacrificing water flow downstream and starving the Apalachicola River of needed water for navigation. This was not done earlier out of fear of flooding downstream during heavy rain periods.

Awards

All finishers will receive a special 50 year commemorative challenge coin. Top 3 male and female overall will receive special recognition for each event.

Event's current local time: 12:38 AM ET