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Students find their legs at Arctic 5K, one of many outdoor activities this spring

Monica Hernick (185) sets out on the Arctic 5K course, Saturday morning at Camp Hydaway Lake.

Saturday morning’s Arctic 5K, the first of three spring semester races in the Liberty Mountain Trail Series (LMTS), attracted close to 200 runners from Liberty University and the Lynchburg community to Camp Hydaway.

“We like to have events like this at the beginning of the semester and get them engaged right off the bat,” Liberty Director of Outdoor Recreation Joshua Yeoman said. “It’s a great way for students to get to meet and socialize with other people but then also to keep themselves physically fit and healthy. We really want to see students flourish, not just academically, but physically, spiritually, and socially as well.”

Liberty graduate student Joseph Anderson finished second overall on the challenging course in 21 minutes, 22 seconds, while junior triathlon teammate Megan Merryman placed first among women and 10th overall in 24:46.Complete results are available online.The race series started in 2007 with the running of the first Deep Hollow Half Marathon and 5K, and since then, according to Yeoman, it has continued to grow.“We’ve added some adventure races specifically for students that give a unique opportunity to crawl through the mud or kayak across the lake with a team of participants,” he said.The next adventure challenge is set for April 9 with registration opening Feb. 19.

The 2016 Arctic 5K race featured 192 participants, shown here running through the woods on Liberty Mountain.

It will showcase some of the features offered at Camp Hydaway, which has undergone significant renovations since Liberty purchased the property in the summer of 2013.“Camp Hydaway is beautiful,” Yeoman said. “We have an eight-acre lake here and access to the trails and rental equipment with mountain bikes, stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes, as well as 12 campsites where students can camp out on the weekends. We also have a high and low ropes course where we facilitate leadership development and team-building.”The races are among a multitude of recreational outlets for students to experience on and around Liberty Mountain.“Liberty is very blessed to have such an amazing property,” Yeoman said. “We have almost 60 miles of single-track trails on the Liberty Mountain Trail System as well as many other annex sites, with the Equestrian Center, the Morris Campus Farm, and Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre on the mountain.”Yeoman is excited about a new event this year, the Feb. 26-27 Outdoor Rec Festival. The weekend will feature a variety of activities ranging from the second LMTS race, the Liberty Mountain 5K, to bouldering and photography competitions, a gear expo, and the viewing of the documentary “Inspired to Ride,” followed by a Q & A with Exercise Science professor Dr. David Horton.Students can also take part in a wide range of Intramural Sports or utilize a number of recreational facilities, including the Liberty Mountain Skate Park, the LaHaye Ice Center, and the LaHaye Student Union. East Campus features an Intramural Sports Complex, two sets of four beach volleyball courts, two 20-hole disc golf courses, two paintball fields, and a 3D archery range.As part of the university’s Live Healthy Liberty initiative, the LaHaye Student Union will offer over 40 wellness and fitness events during the spring semester, including fitness workshops, rock climbing classes, wellness series events, as well as a student weight-loss training program starting next week.

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