Tahoe 200

There’s a new kid on the block, a new race in town, and that is the Tahoe 200. Yep, 200 miles around Lake Tahoe, all in one go, with a 100 hour cutoff time, and we’re running it. This epic event will take place September 5-9 (wow, never written down a 4 day race date) and it is sure to be epic no matter how we look at it. Both Matt and I will be running it, alongside Matt’s brother, Jeff, so it will be Team Urbanski taking to the trails and hopefully running competitively.

When Matt first found out about this race last fall, he thought he’d stumbled upon a hidden gem, only to realize over the ensuing weeks that a lot of people knew about the race and that there was a considerable buzz about it. The race originally capped out at 200, but a strict permit by the US Forest Service cut that number dramatically to 75 runners. The signup then turned into a lottery format where runners were selected based on their application and running resume. Much to our excitement, all three of us were chosen to run this inaugural event.

While we’ll be sharing more details over the course of the next 8 months, we wanted to share our excitement in getting in and give a little preview for the race. Not only will the race have typical aid stations with food, water and electrolytes, but there will also be sleep stations with blankets and cots to get a little shut-eye during the middle of the race. On the CDT last summer Matt and I went 36 hours straight in the San Juan mountains of Colorado, covering over 80 miles with full packs, with just a 45 minute break to sleep, so we feel like experiences like that have prepared us well for such a race.

If you want to read more about the race, check out the website. For now, we’re building a general training plan and racing calendar, all as a buildup to this race, so we’ll be sharing details of those training adventures when the time comes. I’m in organizational bliss yet again, as I love planning these types of adventures and now that every little bit of training counts, from each easy run, to a workout, to a long trail run, to extra push ups and pull ups, I’m all the more motivated to put in a solid effort each day to build strength and endurance, two things I’ll need, in addition to mental toughness, to pull me through this experience alongside Matt and Jeff. Go Team Urbanski! (Something tells me matching shirts might be in order for this event)