Start/Finish will be at the TCPUD Administrative Office (221 Fairway Drive Tahoe City, CA 96145).   [ map ]
It is just 0.2 mi from the TRT Trailhead toward Brockway summit.
More light, warmer temperatures, and no snow! This is a beautiful time of the year at Lake Tahoe!

With the forecast of snow looming, the logistics of the race had to be adjusted. Lake Tahoe weather in the fall can be very unpredictable and can change quickly. We made a decision when on the mountain Friday to change the race distance to 27 miles. Friday´s weather was a tease of what was to come.

3:00 am Saturday morning brought the view of light snow on the ground with more falling. Arriving at the start, it continued. The roads to the mountain were not good and we decided to delay the start 1 hour for daylight so we could get staff up the mountain to see if the aid stations could be placed and the trail to be seen. It was decided that the safety of the runners and volunteers wouldn´t be compromised so the race started at 8:15 am. The snow had stopped and the sun started to break through. This didn´t change the start temps in the teens with race highs of not much above freezing from this early season cold front.

The first 4 miles of the course have been changed due to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association removing a very rocky area section and creating a nice single track trail. This new section also offered some great new views for the runners.

The race was lead from wire to wire by Peter Fain. He also helped make sure the course was visible for all runners as he is a local runner with great knowledge of the course. His time of 3:39:48 outdistanced fellow Truckee residents Sam Skrocke and Paul Sweeney who tied for second with a time of 4:02:39.

The women´s race was won again by the great Beverley Anderson-Abbs with a time of 4:21:48. She placed 4th overall and she has won all 4 of the Lake of the Sky Trail Runs Women´s races.
Nicole Duke ran a very strong race with a time of 4:39:30.

We added an 18 mile version which was won by the couple of Julianne Hellmuth and Justin Smith with a time of 5:48:33. They came all the way from Knoxville TN! This was their first race of this distance.

After the race, runners were treated to a huge hot home made buffet of pasta, scalloped potatoes, chili, broccoli cheddar soup, veggies, garlic bread, salad, and multitude of desserts prepared by Linda(Mathis) & Linda(Bennett).

Special thanks go out to all the volunteers who had to brave some really cold and tough conditions for many hours to allow this race to occur.

We are expecting to hear official news that the race will be moved to September 12, 2009 thus removing the ever present issue of snow. This will offer much warmer weather (and longer days) which will allow us to extend the race to 36 miles and offer a new Marathon option. And back by popular demand, Dri Release race shirts!

Remember we raise money for the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. They do a wonderful job maintaining one of the best trails in the world!

We look forward to see you all next year,

Linda and Robert Mathis
Race Directors