Tahoe Rim Trail 55K - 17 July 2021

I had been coerced into entering the Tahoe Rim Trail 55K race at the end of 2020 at a time when the July race date seemed so far off and knowing that the entry was a lottery there was perhaps only a slim chance I would get in.  In such circumstances it is so easy to click on the enter button and so I took the plunge.  

The lottery was in January and I didn't get in but I was number 2 on the waitlist.  Being number 2 was not a good position for me as you are almost certainly going to have 2 slots open up before race day and, of course, they did.  So I was in the race and now all I had to do was train for it.

In January and February my runs had been going well.  Nothing too long but I was consistent and I was having no physical problems.  Of course my running was not in the heat of summer, nor was it particularly hilly and it certainly wasn't at altitude.  Three things I would have to deal with on race day.  Nevertheless I was feeling good about things.

Then in early March I had an injury - sciatica from the piriformis muscle misbehaving on my right side.  It stopped me in my tracks.  I was unable to run at all.  As soon as I started moving the sciatica became unbearable.  There then followed a couple of therapy sessions with the infamous Lino Cedris at Kinnections followed by more consistent weekly sessions with Dr Lau and Dr Miller at Elite Spinal Care.  After a month or so things were steadily getting better particularly with Dr Miller's efforts.

By mid May things had eased up enough for me to run a little.  I know all the advice about not increasing your mileage too fast and being very careful but somehow I went from no running to a 3 mile run to a 16 mile run in the same week.  Not advisable but I did it and it seemed to work.

The New Course

In the meantime the race course had altered.  Instead of being a relatively hard run around the Tahoe Rim Trail area from Spooner Summit, it was now a ridiculous ascent from Carson City in the valley floor to the summit at Snow Valley Peak.  That's  4,500 ft of climbing in the first 9 miles.  Hills are not my favorite thing to do.

New Poles, New Running Vest, New Shoes, Same Old Legs

The Climb up Ash Canyon - Training Run

Approaching Snow Valley Peak - Training Run

So I needed some altitude and hill climbing training before race day.  Mary Ann and I made several trips up to Tahoe to run up the Tunnel Creek Trail and out the Flume Trail or the TRT - all nice scenic trails.  We also went to Carson City to run part of the course.  Twice we did a 26 mile loop on the course to try and familiarize ourselves with the uphill start.  Both these runs were difficult for me and I was not feeling confident as we came down to race weekend.

The Flume Trail - Training Run

On race weekend we had reservations for a hotel in Carson City and we drove up on Friday afternoon.  Packet pickup was a very low key affair and we got our bibs, bought some race swag, had a nice meal and got an early night.  That evening we caught the first glimpse of smoke in the distance from the Tamarack Fire around Markleville.

In the morning, the 100 milers set off at 5:00 am while we lowly 55K and 50 mile people set off at 6:00. We were up early eating our toast and coffee and yoghurt or whatever else we had for food (all specially calculated pre-race food of course).  The race started at the college in Carson City and again the start was pretty low key - a brief talk from the Race Director, a listen to Jimi Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner and without ceremony we were off.  

I knew I had a hard day ahead with plenty of time to finish (there's a 20 hour cutoff) so I, along with most of the field, set off at a brisk walking pace.  The trail heads up a single track for a while so there is no option to pass, just a single file walk, and then it empties out onto the fire road up Ash Canyon.  This is a long uphill grind and it would not have been advisable for me to run this so early in the day.  Most people were of the same mind.  

Mary Ann stuck with me for a few miles but she was faster up hill than I and away she went.  I caught up with Janet Pucci and we walked together for a while.   John Feeney was out there too and so was Jill, the lady from Stockton who I had met at all those half marathons prior to Covid.  John and Jill were actually heading up hill together.

Looking back down Ash Canyon

I was thankful that I had seen the course multiple times before the race so I knew what was in store - that uphill section to the Snow Valley Peak is seemingly endless.  On race day conditions were a lot cooler than my training runs so I was pleasantly surprised how good I felt and how relatively easily this section passed by.  After the Ash Canyon Aid Station there is a runnable section for a while before the final climb up to Snow Valley Peak.  Again I was pleasantly surprised how well this section went.  It was difficult but not as bad as my training runs.  

Heading down from Snow Valley Peak

After the aid station at Snow Valley Peak it was a nice downhill section towards the ever so beautiful Marlette Lake.  There's the nasty little climb up from Marlette Lake to the top and then over to the aid station at Hobart.  I was trying to eat and drink wherever I could - my hydration was good, the mashed potatoes went down well and I kept up with the Gu's.  

From Hobart there is the nice 10 mile out and back to Tunnel Creek.  It is perhaps the most beautiful bit of the course with great views of Marlette and Tahoe below.  It is also the only bit on the actual Tahoe Rim Trail.  The switchbacks down to Tunnel Creek always seem longer than they should be and they are downhill so it leaves me with a certain dread for the uphill return.  

Marlette Lake, Tahoe behind

The trail over from Marlette to Tunnel Creek

Just before Tunnel Creek I met Mary Ann coming back up the trail - she was doing well and way ahead of me.  I got to the Aid Station feeling quite tired and quite overheated.  It was the hottest part of the day and I don't like that heat.  As I was sitting resting in the tent Janet Pucci came in and wanted me to run the return with her.  She was struggling a bit and so was I, so we decided to help each other out.

With a full load of water and ice in the back of my pack we set off up the hill back to Hobart.  This was perhaps the hardest part of the race for me.  I was tired.  It was hot.  It was uphill.  I struggled but Janet kept me going.

We finally got back to Hobart Aid Station where the water melon tasted divine and the ice was so cold.  Then we were off on the long downhill stretch through the trees.  A pleasant section - gently downhill, shady and very runnable.  This section drops you onto the fire road by the creek above Red House and then you have the long and tedious fire road back towards Carson City, a seemingly never ending section.  The road is flat or gently rising and the valley is way below.  Every bend you go around reveals yet another section of similar road and the end never seems to get nearer. 

It is on this section where we saw signs of how large the fire was over by Markleville.  This was the start of the Tamarack Fire and it's smoke was looming up in the sky.  Fortunately the wind was keeping the smoke away from us but it nevertheless looked ominous.  They had canceled the Markleville Death Ride cycle race earlier in the day because of the fire.

It is not until 5 or 6 miles from the finish that the road starts to go downhill and then it is a painful knee jarring drop for a while.  At the last aid station I took on water for the final push towards the finish.  I was feeling much better by now and I was enjoying the slow jog down the hill knowing that I was going to finish and that the time was better than I expected.  Janet and I had kept each other going through the prior miles and we were entertaining each other with our banter.  

It was late afternoon by this time and the weather was cooler now and the smoke was still being kept away so it was a nice run along this final downhill section.  It was nothing speedy but we were averaging 16 or 17 minute miles I think.  

Within the last couple of miles Janet's husband, Ray, came out to meet us (along with their new ever so frisky puppy).  I left Janet, Ray and the dog and gently jogged into the finish.  

Still moving - 12 hrs later

The Finish Line

The finish of course was low key - no crowds, no cheering, just a welcoming Mary Ann.  I was given my finisher's plaque and a third place age group plaque and it was all over.  12hr 20 mins was about the best I was hoping for - I had expected to perhaps be closer to the 15 hour mark.

Smoke from the Tamarack Fire

Of course Mary Ann had finished an hour earlier and was well recovered while I staggered around.  There was food and a massage and lots of camaraderie at the finish.  We stuck around for a couple of hours and then went back to the hotel.  As the sun set the smoke was slowly drifting our way making for a quite dramatic sunset.

Sunday Morning's Smoke

Next morning the smoke had really descended on the valley.  The 100 mile runners were still out there and I can't imagine that was very nice for them - downright unhealthy.  We 55K runners had dodged a bullet.

Incidentally it was called the TRT 55K but by my watch (and everyone else's) it was more like 57K.  Those ultra distances are not too accurate.