South Africas Johan Oosthuizen to attempt Tahoe Triple record

(SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.)‹ As part of Lake Tahoe Marathon Race Week, race officials will host the 6th Annual Tahoe Triple, three different marathons in three days (78.6 miles covering two states and five counties) Thursday, September 28 to Saturday, September 30. The 2005 champions and course record holders Thomas Reiss of San Luis Obispo, California and Laura Bleakley of Rochester, New York are returning this year to defend their titles. The race is limited to 150.

³The Tahoe Triple is a gathering of some of the best long-distance runners in the country,² Race Director Les Wright, of the Lake Tahoe Marathon, said. ³What makes our event unique is that participants can race in three different marathons in three consecutive days in one of the country¹s most spectacular settings. It¹s a popular race for those training for 100-mile runs, and others looking for endurance running camaraderie.²

In the Tahoe Triple, the first man and first woman with the best combined times over the three-day period each receive a $500 cash purse prize. All finishers are awarded hooded sweatshirts, special racing singlet, medal, windshirt, license plate holder and commemorative wall plaque. The event leader will wear a yellow singlet while running the second and third day of the race. Race fee is $250 per person.

To register and for aid station information, elevation chart, personal support vehicles details, course specifics, training tips and racing secrets, visit the Lake Tahoe Marathon website at www.laketahoemarathon.com. The Tahoe Triple dinner is set for Wednesday, September 27 at the Horizon Casino Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California. Past winners and participants will speak about the course and offer insight.

Many endurance runners, including four-time Tahoe Triple winner Sean Meissner of Sisters, Oregon, will be participating in the event¹s new 72-Mile Tahoe Ultra, scheduled to start just after midnight at 12:01 a.m. September 30 on Highway 89 just north of South Lake Tahoe. Participants will completely circle Lake Tahoe (counter clockwise), a 72-mile loop, and will finish with the Lake Tahoe marathoners and other runners later that afternoon at Pope Beach near South Shore.

The organization will also host the 35 and 72-Mile Cycle Race or Ride September 29. Biking participants will begin at Zephyr Cove, Nevada on the East Shore and will ride clockwise around Lake Tahoe (for 72 miles) ending back at the start line. For the 35-mile course, cyclists will start at Tahoe City and end at Zephyr Cove.

A great success its first year, the 20-Mile Power Walk and Run, which starts at Homewood, California on the West Shore, is back and set for September 30. This non-competitive event is open to recreational walkers and runners.

The Marathon event, coined ³a Saturday morning run you¹ll never forget,² is also scheduled for September 30 and starts at Tahoe City¹s Commons Beach on the North Shore (8:30 a.m. for marathoners and 8 a.m. for elite women runners). The race winds down the West Shore and wraps up for a post-run bash at Pope Beach. Points of interest include Emerald Bay, home to Lake Tahoe¹s only island and castle, which is one of the most photographed places in the world. The Half Marathon and 10K event, scheduled for the same date, are also held on the West Shore with the Half Marathon beginning at Rubicon Bay and the 10K staring at Emerald Bay¹s Inspiration Point, an incredibly scenic, 99 percent downhill run. The Half Marathon sells out so interested participants are advised to register early for this event. There¹s also a Marathon Relay and Wheelchair event.

Lake Tahoe Marathon Race Week will also host a Three-Day Triathlon beginning September 28 featuring kayaking or swimming, cycling and running. Also scheduled is Extreme Golf for September 27, where golfers run the course as they play then combine their time with their golf score to determine how they do.

For short distance runners, a 5K Race is scheduled for the morning of Sunday, October 1 at Valhalla Historic Estates in South Lake Tahoe. A free Kids¹ Fun Run, sponsored by the South Lake Tahoe Optimist Club, will follow the 5K event. Children run in one-year age groups, starting at two years up to 12, in age-appropriate distances. All kids will receive a medal and lunch at the finish line. Participants can have their names on their race bibs if they register online (this is free).

Last year¹s Lake Tahoe Marathon drew 2,500 people from 26 states and generated 6,000 room nights for the Lake Tahoe area. For more information or to register, call 530-544-7095 or visit the Lake Tahoe Marathon website at www.laketahoemarathon.com.

Source LakeTahoeMarathon