Tahoe Midnight Express 72 Mile

The 72 Mile Tahoe Midnight Express will start from the Expo on Saturday night at 9:00pm, and end at the same place on Lakeside Beach with the Marathoners. You will travel counter-clockwise around Lake Tahoe. There is an 18-hour time limit with official timing ending at 3:00pm on Sunday. There will be an orientation meeting at The Landing on Saturday afternoon at 4:00pm where you will pick up your runners singlet, t-shirt and race bib. Earlier starts can be arranged to accommodate the 3PM finish line closing.

Nine, ten, and eleven hour finishers should start closer to mid-night so you have the marathon aid stations to aid you for your last 26 miles and you do not arrive at the finish line before the finish line is ready to celebrate your finish.

The first 48 miles will be unsupported (until mile 2 of the Lake Tahoe Marathon), meaning all runners will need to provide their own support vehicle and crew. Support vehicle-person will be allowed to support up to 3 runners maximum. The first few miles will have streetlights as you go through Round Hill and Zephyr Cove. The course is on the road with a few bike paths to move on to whenever possible, but will have narrow shoulders in several places, especially the tunnel at Cave Rock (about 40 yards long) and the road between Glenbrook and Spooner Summit.

There is a new bike path off the road at Sand Harbor boat entrance that you can take. It goes for about 3 miles to Incline Village. It ducks under the highway in a tunnel after about two miles. It comes back into Incline Village. This is where it gets tricky. When you get off the new bike trail you will have to turn left for a 100 yards and then turn right onto Lakeshore Blvd which is the lower road through Incline Village. If you turn right you will be going up hill quite a bit but will come out at the same place at the northern end of Incline Village. Be an A student and check the google maps a head of time.

Always keep the Lake on your left. When you get to Tahoe City there is a fork in the road that will take you to Truckee if you are half asleep. Take H89 to the left. Cross Fanny Bridge and keep the lake to the left.

All runners for the 72 miler MUST be lit with night reflecting gear, flashing lights that will not be missed by approaching cars, and head a lamp. Runners who show up at the start line without these lights will not be part of this event.

If you need to start earlier, contact the RD at the orientation meeting. We want you to finish what you start! If you finish after 3PM text in your time and ask for your bling.

No whiners or woosies please! Just get it done. And don’t feed the bears!