ASHLEY TERRY
There aren’t many Azle events that can say they’ve been around as long as MTV, but the Azle Lake Run is certainly one of them.
More than four decades after its inception in the early 1980s, the beloved tradition is still going the distance, as the Azle Area Ministerial Alliance gears up to host the 45th annual event Saturday, Nov. 7 at Ash Creek Park, 605 Southeast Parkway.
“We’re getting closer to the event,” AAMA President Alton Davis told The Azle News. “About the last two to three weeks is really when we start seeing an influx of people signing up, but we’re currently at about 180 participants.”
In 2025, the event concluded with almost 400 participants, but Davis said the hope is to increase signups by about 25% this year.
“We’re shooting for 500, so that’s a pretty good increase,” Davis said, “but if we can at least hit that 400 mark, we would be great.”
To help entice more residents to get in on the action, AAMA is introducing a brand-new trophy to encourage a little friendly competition among local churches. In previous years, the Azle Lake Run has always included age-group medals as well as overall and masters’ trophies for the top male and female finishers, but this year’s event will include the Traveling Church Trophy.
“This year, we've started a little competition between the churches, so when people go and sign up on the website, they can put their church affiliation in there,” Davis explained. “The top church gets the Traveling Church Trophy.”
While many churchgoers will have a new incentive to lace up their running shoes, Davis pointed out that despite what its name suggests, running isn’t actually required to participate in the Azle Lake Run. In fact, all three races welcome walkers, with the one-mile Color Fun Run being particularly popular among those who don’t necessarily classify themselves as “athletically inclined.”
“I would challenge people that look at the run and go, ‘Oh, I'm not a runner,’ to check out our mile fun run,” Davis said. “Though we call it the one-mile Color Fun Run, most people walk it, and it's a great event for families to get together … If you don't want to run, just come out and walk.”
The 10K will kick off the Azle Lake Run beginning at 8 a.m., followed by the 5K at 8:10 a.m. and the Color Fun Run at 8:17 a.m. The top finisher awards presentation will follow the events at approximately 9:15 a.m.
Unlike the 5K and 10K races, the Color Fun Run also comes with a colorful twist for participants. While wearing a white T-shirt sporting the Brace Chiropractic brand, participants who want a little extra color in their lives can walk or run toward volunteers who will toss colored powder in their direction.
“We want them (the T-shirts) white because along the path they throw this colored powder on your T-shirt and then when you take the T-shirt home and wash it, it almost becomes tie-dyed,” Davis said. “That’s always a lot of fun.”
There’s also plenty of room in all three races for those four-legged members of the family — just as long as they’re on a leash.
While the annual event delivers enough tail-wagging action for the whole family, Davis explained that the Azle Lake Run has a much deeper purpose: giving back to the community.
As the AAMA’s biggest fundraiser of the year, Davis explained that total proceeds from the Azle Lake Run help determine how much money will be funneled back into other organizations, such as the Community Caring Center, the Eagle Mountain Pregnancy Help Center, Good N.E.W.S. Living at Home/Block Nurse Program and the Azle High School Marching Green Pride band.
“One of the things that people need to know is that the success from last year, we build upon that success. The more participants there are, obviously, the more successful the fundraiser is,” Davis said. “We served $15,000 into the other ministries within the Azle area last year.”
The Azle Lake Run’s philanthropic mission dates all the way back to the beginning, when the late Linda McCreary first came up with the idea for the annual event in 1981.
“It was about giving back to the community and that was the whole reason why it was handed off to the Azle Area Ministerial Alliance so we would continue that initial vision that she (McCreary) had,” Davis said.
BACK TO THE STARTING LINE
McCreary’s daughter, Melissa Hurta, previously told The Azle News that her mother was inspired to create a race that was “bigger and better than any of the others” after spending years cheering on her husband and children who were competing in races throughout Fort Worth and surrounding communities.
“Running a race was just about racing,” Hurta said. “Our mother, Linda, was our cheerleader. Boy, could she holler!”
Once McCreary had a plan in mind for what she wanted her race to look like, there was no stopping her. While many had doubts about her vision, she was able to keep the costs for the race low in order to give more money to the beneficiary at the time: Azle Pastoral Counseling Center.
“She designed the artwork — sailboats and lake — for the T-shirts and got sponsors to pay for them by putting the business names and logos on the back of each shirt,” Hurta said in the article. “She only used local businesses so the whole community would also benefit and be included.”
The original race was held in May 1981 and featured three different races: a two-mile fun run, a two-mile walk and a 10K run. According to Hurta, the first year was a hit — and the rest is history.
McCreary’s creation has continued that success over the years, turning into a tradition that has now been enjoyed by multiple generations — including McCreary’s own family.
“My son, Ed Hurta, ran his first two-mile at 2-and-a-half years old,” Hurta said in last year’s article. “Our dad, Joseph, ran-walked the 5K … at age 90.”
After McCreary's years at the helm, the Azle Lake Run was organized by a committee for a number of years before the Azle Area Ministerial Alliance took over following her death in 2017.
“Linda McCreary, she was a wonderful lady,” Davis said. “She did a lot for the community, and she just really had a heart for the faith-based community.”
Not wanting to take away from the event’s legacy, Davis said the AAMA preserved McCreary’s original vision, choosing to grow the race through larger promotions and advertisements.
“It’s become a staple, really, here in Azle and it’s become more popular as it’s gotten more publicity in the metroplex because people like to use that race as kind of like a warm-up to the Cowtown Marathon,” he said. “It draws in a lot of folks here, not only from Azle but from the metroplex as well.”
Today, the Azle Lake Run is five years away from its 50th anniversary. While there are no concrete plans yet to celebrate the milestone, Davis said the AAMA is currently focused on making this year’s event bigger and better than ever.
“The longevity of the race really speaks to the heart of the community, and is just an amazing testimony to Linda McCreary,” Davis said in the previous article. “You never know when you start something how long it might last; it might just last for a season, and it might last for generations — and this one is certainly lasting for generations. We want it to continue for many more generations.”
Registration for the Azle Lake Run costs $40 for the 10K, $30 for the 5K and $25 for the one-mile Color Fun Run. Participants must register by Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 11:59 p.m. to guarantee a Dri-FIT T-shirt or white Color Run T-shirt. Packets can be picked up between noon and 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 at Anytime Fitness, located at 248 Park St. To sign up online, visit runazle.org.
As the 45th annual event approaches, Davis said he hopes to see more residents participate — not only because they can enjoy a fun morning with family and friends but also because their involvement could make a difference beyond the finish line.
“The more participation that we have, the more that we're able to give back to the community and help those organizations that help so many people in the area,” Davis said.
