The 2012 DeCelle Lake Tahoe Relay

Our 2012 Team at the Finish

Last Saturday it was, once again, time for our favorite annual tradition: running the 48th annual Decelle Memorial Lake Tahoe Relay. This was our fourth time running it already. Over 100 seven-person teams participated in this running race; some extremely competitive and others mainly out to have a good time, finish before the 13h.15m cutoff, and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with relay races in particular.

 All Smiles the Evening Before

We ran our first Tahoe Relay in 2008 with Chris, Turi, and Amber and we were instantly hooked. Since then, our team has been a little different each year. For example, Hayes, who had been our anchor for three years is now in college in Southern California and, unfortunately, he still had some exams to finish.

With Part of the Team at the Start

This year, our team was—as RD April Carter commented—younger than ever! Our anchor (leg 7) runner, Sean S., was actually graduating from Nevada Union on Saturday morning and would drive up with his brother Nicky (leg 6) as soon as he was done.

Ricky Tackles the First Leg of the Relay

To start, we had another new runner, Ricky Mendoza. We had a last-minute cancellation and Ricky volunteered to join us the day before the race, never having run further than about 6 miles. He kicked off the run for us and paced himself extremely well. He just kept cruising while we leapfrogged him with the car, stopping to give him water and Gatorade every couple of miles.

Sean Starts Leg 2, the Relentless Climb to Spooner Summit

Ricky finished his leg at Zephyr Cove in 1:30 and handed off to Sean. It was nice to see Ed Walsh and his wife again at the relay hand-off point. They have timed this leg for around 20 years now!

The Tunnel on Highway 50, Coned Off for Safety, as Always, by Angel

Sean had run leg 2 last year and wanted to run it again. Leg 2 is the shortest (8.2 miles), but also the toughest, with a relentless climb to Spooner Summit. Just like Ricky, he kept a super steady pace and kept climbing the hills. He finished in 1:25, a very good time considering the steepness of this leg. We also ran into Grass valley area's George Raynsford on this leg, who ended up running almost three consecutive relay legs for his team. Wow!

 Sean hands off to Lisa (voted best action shot ;-)

At the top  of Spooner, another first-time relay team member, Lisa, was waiting. She had joined our team only a few months before and had only run a 10K once in training, but because she takes dance lessons at her school, she proved to be very fit... and tough!

Lisa Powers Down the Hill Towards Incline Village

During this leg, the temperature started to rise and it was slowly getting hot. The sunscreen came out and we had to stop more frequently so Lisa would not dehydrate. She kept running and just did an incredible job, finishing just under two hours in 1:59. Boo Yah!

And then it was my turn. I was ready at the relay hand-off point, with a new iPod playlist that Rocky had created for me just minutes before the start. I had just come back from a 3 week business trip to Europe and had flown in the night before, so still had plenty of jet lag (yep... excuses, excuses!) My training had consisted of running and bicycling at hotel gyms and walking around the different towns I visited and I had not run much further than 5 or 6 miles in one go this year yet.

Lisa Hands Off to Me (yes, that's really me)

Leg 4 is not particularly tough, but it is a bit longer than most (12.6 versus mostly 10 miles). I decided to get started slowly to get into a good rhythm and that worked well. It was very hot, but fortunately Vicky and the kids stopped every mile and a half with drinks and encouragement.

Hand-Off to Rocky

The section from Crystal Bay down to Kings Beach is one of my favorite runs and this is where I finally felt warmed up and started cruising. Rocky's new custom playlist (Tiesto, Wolfgang Gartner, Bingo Players, Nicky Romero, White Stripes, and more) certainly helped keep the pace. I thoroughly enjoyed this run with a prolonged runner's high.  Running around Tahoe again brought back many memories and made me feel somewhat nostalgic.

Tahoe in All Its Glory

It made me think about a big return to the Tahoe Super Triple in 2013. We'll see ;-) If I do, I better start training, because I finished with an all-out sprint to catch one more runner, which was fun. My time was 2:06, which is of course nothing to write home about, but I was very pleased with my steady fun run. Nothing beats running 72 miles around beautiful Lake Tahoe with family and friends.

Rocky on Leg 5

Rocky ran leg 5 this year, which starts with an unexpected monster climb and then goes into Tahoe City and around the lake to Homewood. It was still quite hot, but Rocky had been training for quite a few months with the others and he did amazingly well. Sean's friend Sean S. and his brother Nicky joined us during this section, Sean S. had just graduated from high school earlier that morning. Talk about timing!

Rocky and Vicky, Water Break

Rocky sprinted to the finish (2:03) to hand off to Nicky who would run leg 6. That 10.5 mile leg includes the dreaded "Hill from Hell." Nicky was also more or less a last-minute recruit, but fortunately he happened to be quite fit as well.

Rocky Hands Off to Nicky

The temperature dropped a little at this time and it started getting a bit windy. After a mostly flat first part, Nicky just put his head down and gutted out the long, tough hills. He finished in an amazing 1:30, also with little long-distance experience. A great feat.

Go Nicky!

We were originally a little worried about the 8:15 p.m. (the race started at 7 a.m.) cut-off, but once Nicky finished so strong, we were relieved. It looked like, with all the great efforts, we would almost have an hour to spare!

Sean S. Starts the Final Leg

Our anchor was Sean S. Our Sean and Sean S. are about to leave for a one-month summer trip to Europe by themselves (including Amsterdam, so watch out mom and dad!). Sean S. had been part of our team last year, so he knew what was in store.

A Well-Deserved Drink for Nicky

He started his leg with a downhill around Emerald Bay and then a steep climb to the top of Inspiration Point. By now it was evening and Sean was really moving, passing many other runners. From Inspiration Point, the road snakes down very steeply and Sean was clocking 6-minute miles!

Emerald Bay

Everyone that had finished their leg would immediately put on the new race T-shirt, so by now we already had six shirts walking around and we would show Sean S. the shirt for extra motivation. The grey 2009 t-shirt is still my favorite, but this one was was also quite nice.

Sean S and Sean on the Home Stretch

A couple more stops for drinks and Sean was already cruising to the finish where we all waited to run the final 100 yards with him as a team. Sean finished in 1:24, and our overall time was 12:00:05. If we had known it was that close to the hour mark, we probably pulled out the cattle prod to make Sean run six seconds faster!

The Team Finishes Together with Sean S.

We all received our medals and posed for the finish line pictures and then we promptly went to the Tahoe Brewery, which has also become a bit of a tradition (think chicken wings and beer samples). It took a while to get a seat, but we had a great time unwinding from the long day, and already planning on improvements we can make next year! We'll definitely be back!

Proud Finishers!

Next Up: A Major Career Change! Yes... Stay tuned for details!

The 2009 Tahoe Triple

Check Out the Animoto Slideshow!

We just came back from another Tahoe Triple Marathon weekend. Here's the recap:

Pre-Race
Training and organization for the Super Triple started long before the actual race. I took a little break from running after a great series of spring races and kicked off my training again in July. My goals were to (a) run sub-19, (b) run sub-20, or (c) just finish the race. Goals a an b would probably be enough for a fourth straight win. A good run at the Lake of the Sky trail marathon two weeks before the race proved (to me) that I was ready. I put in the training for this target race. Unfortunately, for reasons beyond my control, these goals will have to wait for next year to be realized.

Thomas and Sean Speak at the Pre-Race Buffet

Chris, Rebecca, and I headed down to the Horizon Casino for the annual pre-race briefing. There were lots of familiar faces to catch up with: RD Les Wright, Triple coordinators Angel and Lucia, fellow 3-time Super Triple finisher Keenan Follis, and many other runners that I had run with in previous years.

Sean Meissner and Thomas Reiss gave the now oh-so-familiar--but still very entertaining--pre-race speech about running the three consecutive marathons and most of the first-time triplers were soaking up the information. Speaker Bart Yasso told us some funny anecdotes from his long running career, and after the pre-race dinner, I met Russell Secker, who had recently run across Europe (check out his new book titled "Running through Countries").

Day 1
It was a pretty hot day (with temperatures near record highs), so I held back a little bit in the second half of the marathon, walking some of the uphills. I ran 3:30--a little slower than I had hoped for, but OK given the warmer weather. I was first in the Super Triple with Lambert Timmermans 15 minutes behind me.

I decided to buy some ice and soak my legs in the bathtub instead of standing in the lukewarm lake (less time in the sun). The rest of the day we spent relaxing. Vicky and the kids joined us in the evening and she brought some killer home-made lasagna for dinner.

Just before dinner, I decided to quickly check my mail and, just like that, my race was over.

Lambert Timmermans (LT) Lines Up for His First Super Triple

As it turned out, the Lake Tahoe Marathon (LTM) organization had applied for a permit too late and Cal Trans and NDOT, being the running fans they are, had denied the permit to run the race. For LTM to continue to host the race would be a pretty bad violation, so everyone was offered a refund or a "downgrade" to the marathon. Super Triple runners could simply run the kids' run, er I mean the the Triple, instead, since they had already finished Day 1. The only alternative was that runners could run an unofficial "72-mile jog" around the lake by themselves.

Rudy Montoya and I at the Finish of Day 1

Some other runners suggested I run the unofficial run, but honestly, that did not make sense to me. If I wanted to just run around the lake at night for fun, I could do that any time. I felt a bit confused; mad and sad at the same time. Mostly, I was wondering what I should do now. Should I go after a certain place in the Triple or just have fun?

The regular Triple, felt like a 5K in terms of raw speed. When I trained for my sub-3 marathon in April, I had done a lot more speed work. Now the focus for the Super Triple had been much more on long runs and perfecting long distance power-walking. I can now easily power-walk 12-minute miles for hours on end and I think that is one of the keys to Super Triple success. You know you're not going to be able to run the entire distance, so the key is to cover lots of ground while you're walking.

Day 2
I decided to at least finish the regular triple (this way, I'll have three regular and three super triple finishes), but--for once--have some fun with it, too. Why not back off the pace just a little bit, and enjoy the scenery, the mountain air, listen to some music?

Having Fun With Chris on Day 2

At the start of the second marathon, I did just that. The first 10 miles is mostly downhill from Spooner Summit to Incline Village. I cranked up some music on the iPod and flew down the hill. Suddenly, an rare runner's high kicked in that lasted pretty much throughout the entire run.

The Finish of Day 1 (Kids on the Sidewalk and the Other Runner Out of Sight Right Behind Me)

With about ten miles to go, a couple of runners passed me. One of them was running just the Saturday marathon (The LTM offers a-la-carte marathons on Friday and Saturday). With three miles to go, Vicky and the kids drove by and Rocky yelled out of the window that it was time to "catch some bogies." Sure enough one of the runners came back into sight. First 300 yards out, then 200. Maybe I could still pick up one more place.

With Vicky after the Race

We entered the downtown area of Tahoe City. Maybe too much distance to cover, maybe not. I sped up some more and kept inching closer and closer. With about 100 yards to go I surged past the other runner and blasted to the finish with Rocky and Sean running next to me on the sidewalk. I finished in 9th or 10th place overall and would have been first again in the Super Triple. I heard LT pulled out with some knee issues in Incline Village--I hope that heals up before you next 100-miler in two weeks, LT!

Blood and Sweat, and... Pavement

We had planned out a good routine for after the second marathon. In the Super Triple, you only have about 10 hours until the start of the 72-miler, so it is important to be efficient. Now that I would have a full night of rest, we could afford to take it easy. I stuck around and chatted with some of the other runners and I spent the rest of the day relaxing and icing the legs in the bathtub again.

With Chris, Rebecca, Rocky, and Sean

Day 3
The final marathon of the Triple is run with the regular (single) marathon and thus with a much larger crowd. Before the race started I caught up with Oswaldo Lopez, who looked like he was in great shape to go after a fast time in the 72-miler. Maybe he could even get close to Rae Clark's 9:06. His attempt will also have to wait another year, due to the 72-mile ultra run cancellation. Oswaldo was going to run the marathon instead.

With Oswaldo Lopez

Before the start, I met Gretchen and Turi. I had run with both of them only two weeks earlier in the Lake of the Sky trail marathon. Sean Meissner looked ready to go, but he would definitely have some tough competition. For example, Lynryd Skynrod, who was first in the Triple had been cranking out some very fast times (2:43 and 2:54 on days 1 and 2) and Ian, and English runner, had been pretty close behind him.

With Turi and Gretchen at the Start

I paced a few miles with Gretchen, who had been out with a cold all week. She was not sure if she was going to run until the day before the race. Well, it was a good thing she did, because she went on to win the marathon--Go Gretchen! (Oh, and I am now adjusting your target time for the Helen Klein 50-miler to sub-7:00, Gretchen!)

Sean Meissner Before the Start

I had fun chatting with some of the marathon runners, including a runner from Costa Rica, who was running his first marathon. I am pretty sure he made it sub-4. I also ran with Dr. Jeff Shapiro, talking about the negative effects of pain killers and too much food during a race. Jeff is a co-organizer for the 200-mile Relay in Napa, which might be a fun race to put on next year's schedule.

With a Runner from Costa Rica

Having fun and running three marathons on three days are not often found in one sentence, but I was enjoying the beautiful weather and the fantastic scenery. It was nice to run with one of the lanes of the highway closed for a change, too.

Female Triple Winner Leslie Stallings Powers Up the Hills

That said, It was bit hard to get a good running rhythm going on the flat parts of the course, but as soon as I entered the hills, things felt better. I would power-walk the uphills and run all the downhills hard, making up for the slower pace on the flats. Sure, the legs were feeling it after so many road miles, but overall I felt OK; the end was in sight.

Power-walking the Uphills

Troy crewed for me on day 3 and kept me fed and watered throughout the race. It was another hot day and it was nice to have some extra water and Gatorade between aid stations. The volunteers on the course and at the aid stations were also doing an awesome job keeping everybody hydrated.

With Jeff Shapiro (Napa Relay)

Once you reach mile 72 in the Triple, at Inspiration Point, you have run around the entire lake. The final 6 miles after that are mostly downhill. First steep downhill and then more gradual and flat.

With Switzerland's Nedis Della Chiesa, a Great Power Walker

I could still make it under 4 hours if I kept going steadily and I made it with a minute and a half to spare. I saw Turi at the finish, who had finished just a few minutes ahead of me. Gretchen had won the female title and, as expected, Sean Meissner had come in first in the marathon. A great win on a hot day.

Keenan Follis and I, We'll Be Back for the Super Triple Next Year to Keep the Streak Alive

Florida's Leslie Stallings won her first Triple, even though this was her first ultra and her only goal was to finish. She pushed hard and it paid off. Lynryd Skynrod won his second Triple and smoked a celebratory cigarette almost immediately after crossing the finish line. Rumor has it that he is considering the much gentler and more lucrative sport of cage-fighting instead of running another Tahoe Triple.

With Blue Benadum (RD for the Malibu Marathon, 3rd in the Triple)

We hung out at the finish on Pope Beach for a while, catching up on race stories and picking up the awards. IRunFar's Bryon Powell was there as well, getting ready to pace Kilian Jornet's TRT-165 speed record attempt. I would have loved to come out to pace or crew for that as well, except, doing that the day after the Triple would probably not be the best idea.

With Ryan Flynn After the Race

Finally, a huge thank you to Vicky, Sean, Rocky, Chris and Rebecca, Troy and Zimfira, and Rory for helping me even though the event we planned for never happened. You rock and I simply could not have done it without you. Thanks!

Sean and Gretchen Finish First in the Regular Marathon. The Masters Winners Jim George and Vickie Lau Next to Them

Next Up: The Gold Country 50K This Saturday!

Tahoe 72-Miler, Super Triple Canceled...

I just found out that tomorrow's Tahoe 72-mile run is canceled. Cal Trans and NDOT have denied the permit to run the race. Race organization will automatically convert all entrants into Sundays regular Marathon (so, Super Triple --> Regular Triple).

Since the 72-Miler is the last leg of the Super Triple, this unfortunately ends this year's attempt to win my fourth straight Super Triple. For what it's worth, I ran a 3:30 "warmup" marathon today (7th in the Triple, 1st in the Super Triple) and came in 15 minutes ahead of the next Super Triple runner, Riverside's Lambert Timmermans. It was a really hot day, with temperatures hitting near record highs around the lake.

It's a really weird feeling to be sitting here after so much preparation. At this point, I suppose I'll join the Tahoe Triple "fun run" tomorrow. Not sure if I'm going to go hard or just have fun. By the way, thanks to everyone sending me good luck wishes before the race--that really meant a lot to me!

Ready to Roll! (Tahoe Super Triple 2009 Edition)

Well, it's that time of year again. Time for our annual running party! I'm excited and looking forward to another Tahoe Super Triple. Chris, Rebecca, and Troy will be crewing again and Vicky and the kids will join us on Friday afternoon (and she promised that she would cook her famous spaghetti and buffalo meatballs pre-race dinner!)

All Set!

I'll try to post some updates over the weekend and send me those positive vibes!

The Lake of the Sky Marathon "Training Run"

I suppose the subtitle of this blog post could be "How a training run turned into a race." On top of that it turned into a race against... my own imagination.

With two weeks to go before the Super Triple, it was time for a final long run at elevation, and as luck would have it, the Lake of the Sky Trail Runs, which is part of the ultrarunner.net series, was held on Saturday.

Course Profile--The Marathon Had 4050' Elevation Gain and Loss (Courtesy of LOTS Website)

Matt Thau and Jethro Smith showed no signs of slowing down their pursuit of ultrarunner.net series points, so having missed the Hotter than Hell race in August due to a forest fire, it was important to pick up some points in this race. Also, it would be fun to chat with running friends, old and new.

I had run this section of the Tahoe Rim Trail before--once in the 2007 version of the Lake of the Sky 50K a week after the Super Triple and once during my TRT thru-run (mile 91-110)--and thoughts of this section were always associated with keywords like "pain," "suffering," "slow," and "exploding lungs." This time, of course, I was fresh, but I still had a healthy respect for the serious elevation changes on this section, especially the steep start.

Cruising Down My Favorite Trail (Photo by Turi)

My shoe choice for the race was, for once, an actual trail shoe--the Saucony Progrid Xodus. I had recently won a pair in Dave "Running Trails in Atlanta" Schoenberg's blog shoe give-away and this would be a good test. Typically, I run a lot of the trails in road shoes, but I knew this section of the TRT was going to be very rocky, so I wanted a little bit more support.

The Saucony Progrid Xodus After the Race (with Balega Socks, of Course)

The Xodus shoes are very light for a trail running shoe and they provide excellent cushioning and traction thanks to their super-grippy Vibram soles. I was really happy I picked these shoes and will definitely use them again for trail races.

Fellow TRT-165 Club Member Turi Becker (3rd in the Marathon) Before the Race

Just before the race started, I ran into Turi "Runnin' Round Reno" Becker, who is training for the Lake Tahoe Marathon in two weeks. Turi decided to run this race on a whim, instead of a self-supported training road run around the lake--a good choice (I think).

Like me, Turi was running "just-the-marathon." But wait, if that was the case, why did we have different bib colors? It was a good thing Turi noticed this, because I had accidentally been given a 50K bib. We straightened that out and it was time for the 7 a.m. start.

Turi at the Finish

I tried to start my Garmin Forerunner, but it would not cooperate. It has been harder and harder to start it lately, but I think it has finally died for good. No worries though, because my plan was to simply run a nice, easy long run--I did not really need any mile splits.

Second Place Marathon Finisher Jamie Cogley (Watch for his Son in Future Races!)

Close to 90 runners lined up for four different events: the 36-mile "50K," the Marathon, the 2-Person Marathon-Relay, and an 8-mile race. For the first 7 miles, I paced a while with female GP points leader Lainie Callahan-Mattoon, who had recently won the Hotter than Hell 6-Hour run. We caught up on our fall race plans. Lainie is signed up for the Sierra Nevada Endurance Run (a double marathon), which is one of my favorite races. The only problem with that race is that it is usually held on the same weekend as the Tahoe Triple. Good luck at SNER, Lainie!

Lainie Before the Race

I paced a few more miles with Alan and Caroline Barichievich from South Lake Tahoe--two very strong uphill runners--and after the second aid station (9 miles), I ran by myself to the turnaround at Watson Lake.

Alan and Caroline Barichievich from South Lake Tahoe

Before I reached the turnaround, I met two marathon runners that were already on their way back. One of them was Tahoe City's Chris Luberecki. I had seen Chris's name in a lot of local race results and it was nice to finally meet Chris in person.

Tahoe City's Chris Luberecki at the Finish

Chris was running in the relay with his wife Elisa, but unfortunately, she got lost on the way back. To my surprise, the volunteers at the Watson Lake aid station told me that I was the first non-relay marathoner on my way back. Mind you, this was a fairly small event with only about 20 runners in the marathon and about forty runners in the 36-miler.

The other runner I had met on my way to the turnaround had been part of Tyler Curley's winning relay team from Auburn (Their winning time was 3:57:59). Hmmm, running up front was not the plan. I was here to cruise in a training run, not to race. That said, there was only a half marathon left and I definitely had not gone out too fast...

Elisa at the Finish After Getting Lost for an Hour

I set my stopwatch to see how far I was ahead of the second and third place marathon runners and it looked like I had a 6-8 minute lead shortly after the turnaround--too close for comfort. I turned it up a notch and started going faster on the downhills and powerwalked the hills at a faster-than-normal pace. I knew that if I could make it to the 20-mile mark, or to the aid station at mile 22 in first place, I would have the win in the bag--I love downhill finishes--but I still had quite a few miles to go.

Ivy and Chuck After the Race

On my way back I ran into a runner going in the other direction. She shouted "I read your blog," but before I could register what she said, I was already 50 yards ahead. Thanks! I found out after the race that it had been Ivy "Strong Legs and Pancakes" Chastain--a runner from Reno whose running blog I've been following myself. Ivy is planning to run the entire TRT next year and she's scouting out a lot of the individual sections already.

Ray Sanchez and Tyler After the Race. Tyler Hill Ran his First Ultra and Finished Strong in 6th Overall (He Might be Hooked on Utras Now)

I kept looking over my shoulder every 5 to 10 minutes, but to my surprise there were no challengers. I cranked up the iPod with some tunes from my favorite DJ (and fellow Dutchman) Tiesto (his Club-Life podcasts, available on iTunes, are great, free, and great for running).

Sport Store Owner Jefff Halligan (2nd in the 8-mile race) and his Wife Jeni (50K) Came from Idaho to Run the Race

At the 22-mile aid station, I grabbed some water and a last gel and continued to rocket down the final downhill section, covering 4 miles in less than 27 minutes. Like I said, I love those downhill finishes! Speaking of which, can't we reverse the Rucky Chucky 50K (at least every other year)?

Gretchen at the Finish of the 50K

I stuck around a bit and watched the other runners finish. I talked to Jefff Halligan who had come up from Idaho for a training run and I also met Erin Lenzi, who was also running the relay with her husband as part of her final preparation for the Tahoe Triple (they came in second).

As it turned out, my looking over my shoulder had been completely unnecessary, because the next marathon runner showed up more than 40 minutes behind me. Oh well, it had been good motivation to get done quickly!

Wicked-Fast: 50K Winner (Doctor) Cameron Berg After the Race

I thoroughly enjoyed Linda's post-race buffet and talked to some of the other runners. Then decided to soak my legs in the lake and have a nice latte at Tahoe House Bakery, before heading home.

Thanks to Robert, Linda, and all the volunteers for the well-run event and special thanks to volunteer George, who spent 9 hours marking the course perfectly!

Next Up: The main event--The Tahoe Super Triple! Defending the title for the fourth time. Wish me luck!