Each edition of the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs (TRTER) brings unexpected challenges. In 2024, strong gusts of wind nearly blew away the finishing chute at John L. Harvey Field. Last year, it was triple-digit heat and snow on the course.
However, TRTER Race Director George Ruiz relies on his dedicated volunteers to address these issues and take care of the entrants. “The volunteers we get — some new — but many have been with us for 10-plus years,” Ruiz said. “They completely put their lives on hold for 72 hours, giving their all for the event.”
On July 20, strong Sierra gusts at Western Nevada College's John L. Harvey Field displaced an inflatable tent and nearly blew away the finishing chute. Quick-thinking volunteers secured the chute by attaching it to two pickups. “Amazing teamwork!” Ruiz commented.
A high-elevation thunderstorm cooled the race’s muggy conditions, contributing to a high completion rate among competitors in the TRTER ultradistance runs, which started and finished at Western Nevada College for the fourth consecutive year.
“This translated into one of the highest-finishing rates we’ve had … a 74 percent rate for the 100-milers,” Ruiz said. “Normally, we’ve averaged around 66 to 70 percent in past years. The 56-miler had an 86 percent finishing rate and the 50K had a 97 percent finishing rate.” In total, 416 participants completed their races.
Grant Hotaling of Healdsburg, Calif., won the 100-mile race in 18 hours, 31 minutes and one second. Tim Lipovsky of South Lake Tahoe finished seventh in 23:32:53 while Carson City’s Christian Finkbeiner came in sixteenth at 25:50:16.
Ben Tedore of Reno won the 56-mile race in nine hours seven minutes and twenty-six seconds; Andrea Bayer of Carson City was sixth among females with a time of thirteen hours forty-five minutes and twenty-one seconds.
In the men's category for this distance:
- Joselio Ramirez of Minden placed seventeenth overall.
- Joel Viloria from Dayton came thirty-ninth.
- Mathew Morris from Carson City finished forty-eighth.
- Chelsea Torres also from Carson City took ninety-eighth place.
- Gina Session from Carson City was one hundred-second.
In addition:
Amaury Avat from Oakland, Calif., emerged victorious in the fifty-kilometer race with a time of five hours fifty-three minutes seven seconds while Jenny Jacox from Monterey Calif., led among women placing seventh overall with six hours twenty-eight minutes fifty-eight seconds.
Other notable finishes included:
- EJ Maldonado (Carson City), thirty-second,
- Michon Wright (Carson City), sixty-third,
- Jenny Terry (Fallon), sixty-sixth,
- Michael Dowler (Fallon), eightieth,
- Monica Moore (Carson City), eighty-ninth,
- Kristen Montgomery(Carson City), one hundred-fifty-eighth
-Robert Montgomery(Carson city)one hundred-fifty ninth
For its second consecutive year starting/finishing at John L.Harvey field,a spacious venue enabling organizers accommodating participant needs & drawing more attention towards finishers.Ruiz praised setup mentioning,"The John L Harvey baseball Stadium is an awesome venue...with way setup...porta potties lined up third-base outfield line,inflatable merchandise tents branding feather flags branded Ultra Lounge over home plate stage live music Saturday night...playing music ringing cow balls cheering finishers pretty surreal."
Ultrarunners completing hundred-mile received handcrafted belt buckles by silversmith Pete Schuler since inception2006.For additional results visit trter.com
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