Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Race Report – Aum Gandhi

Where: California

When: July 15, 2023

Race length: Ultra

Quick Tips:

• Tahoe Rim Trail 100 is historically hot. Train for the heat and be prepared to ice and hydrate like it's your job!

• Take your time on the first climb (9 miles, 4200 ft of gain) and the two diamond peaks repeats (2 miles, 1700 ft gain). They will not make or break your race.

Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Race Report by Aum Gandhi

Allow Yourself To Feel: How Endurance Sports Opened Me Up by Aum Gandhi for Run Tri Bike Magazine

The best thing(s) about the race:

• The organization. From start to finish, the race was an extremely well-organized event. Registration was a one stop shop where you picked up your swag and bib based on your event. You then had the option to go to the baseball field and shop for merchandise. During the actual event, I have never seen more organized course markers. Although I'm not navigationally challenged, I have gotten lost in every single trail 100-mile race I've done. One of the biggest indicators of a good 100-mile race is how they mark their course at night. The markers were extremely reflective and finding my way around was never an issue. Some parts of the course even had Christmas lights! Happy Holidays indeed.

• The volunteers. Because this is a nonprofit organization, nobody is getting paid, not even the race director. Enough can't be said about the passion of the volunteers at Tahoe Rim Trail 100. Every single major aid station had a theme that made the name make sense. Mile 16's aid station was called Stonehenge and I walked into an aid station with cavemen! The high point of the race had an aid station infamous for a Flamingo theme. An amazing plot twist in the form of a RASPBERRY sorbet came at mile 52. Every volunteer was incredible, warm, and encouraging. They knocked it out of the park.

• The course. The course was a kind-of out and back with some loops around one pivotal aid station: Tunnel Creek (Miles 26,44,60,76). This made drop bags very easy to plan. That's not what I'm talking about though. The course itself was among the most beautiful I've ever done. If the heat wave hammered us during the day, we were also rewarded by a cool night amongst some brilliant stars. Let's not forget that this was the first special event to feature the new capital of Tahoe Trails and they did not disappoint.

What was less than ideal: They could not have done a better job with this event.

What I didn't expect: Being pummeled by mosquitos and horse flies. Even the natives were stunned by how many there were. The melting snow was the culprit.

Race organization: The race was an organizational masterpiece and other races could learn from how well a nonprofit organization put on this race with unpaid volunteers.

Fuel and aid stations: The aid stations could have had more vegan and vegetarian options, but that didn't matter to me in a 100 as much as it would in a 200. There were still sorbets, potatoes, veggie broth, and pancakes. I think I was missing bean tortillas, but that's a me thing. The cold coke just hit the spot. As far as electrolytes, every aid station was equipped with electrolyte drink mix and salt tabs in case you ran out.

Additional info: I highly recommend this race. A breathtaking experience!

Overall grade: 5 stars