Race Report: 2017 Emerald Bay Trail Race 10K

My name is Grace. My nickname is GiGi. That is short for Grandma Grace. Yes I'm a grandmother, not a youthful running type. In fact I'm not a runner at all. I've never been in a race, of any length. I am fit and walk miles with 800 feet of elevation gain daily, sometimes more than once. I do this to train-- for mountain climbing, not to run.

But strange things happen in our lives. My mountaineering partner-soulmate-husband was killed in a Land Rover accident in Serengeti National Park (just a day after we had summited Kilimanjaro), in October 2013. After 3+ years completely alone, I met and loved someone in early 2017. He was also obsessed with summits and would run down the trail after climbing a peak. I began to trot down after him because I had to keep up, and I was fit enough to do so. In late August he asked if I would go on a day hike and do some trail running. I was uncertain but always said yes, so we went to Noble Canyon near Ebbett's Pass. We covered about 5 miles, four of it jogging, but stopping at all the creeks.

Next, he mentioned that he was going to do the Emerald Bay Trail Race. He asked me if I wanted to also try the run, explaining it went from Eagle Point to Bliss State park I live in Tahoe and knew this was a drop dead beautiful route (and I always said yes to him), so I agreed. He also said his daughter in law was running and that I might meet her. I'd wanted to do that for many months so "sure".

As the date, September 17th approached I started to wonder: what if I can't do this? How do I know I can jog 7 miles? Where, actually, is the starting line? When is the last shuttle? I had to screw up my courage to do the math and be sure that I'd be able to get back before they closed the gates at the starting line. That was my only goal: finish the race in three hours and get back to my car. Oh, and not injure myself.

So this has been a very long (and hopefully entertaining) introduction to a report on a beautiful race and a life-changing result.

I managed to register online for the run before the deadline the evening before; this meant I would have a bib number and could get a shirt if there were any left over. I created an Ultra-signup account for myself to do this, (my first slight run identity). I googled the eagle point start distance from my house, allowing time to get there an hour before the start. Okay, things were starting to seem possible.

I got up at 5:30 on race day my usual time, and scurried around to get a hydrator ready. (There is no aid station for the final 4.5 miles of the run; I thought I would be thirsty.) I found a few electrolyte jelly beans and energy bites and put them in a belt pack with zip pocket. These proved to be life-saving later.

With significant anxiety, I drove to the turn for to Eagle Point. There was good race organization and the young man directing race traffic turned out to be Pete, a friend from Divided Sky, (my local Warriors Watching hangout). He greeted me warmly and asked in surprise if I was running and I nodded my head yes. He looked slightly dubious and wished me luck. At this point I too was feeling quite dubious. I did find the start and miraculously a parking space. I walked to the registration table and wow, they had my name, a bib and everything ready. I then felt a bit excited and important to be "a part of." Next I found my friend who had gotten me into this and he introduced me to his daughter in law. I think she was startled to see that I had bib on, and she gave me a warm hug, very special. I was feeling more positive.

Soon the race director started to explain the rules, the process and the start. It would be in waves, with elite runners first and walkers in the seventh wave. Somehow I decided to go in wave four, though initially I was planning on six. One cool thing was that the bibs had chips in them so the sensors knew who crossed the start and finish electronically. No photo finish issues in this race, not that would matter the least for me.

Then it was time! Everyone was excited. Wave one left: boom. The waves were close together. We left with four, beginning the race with what seemed to me a steep uphill on pavement. I was barely able to "run" up and my hydrator pack chest strap was too tight, limiting breathing. Oops, a lot to learn. Shortly, we turned down a trail headed toward Vikingsholm. The trail was fairly narrow, tricky and crowded. Faster folks were trying to push by. I was concerned about tripping on roots being rushed a bit.

We made it down. Then I saw Vikingsholm, (oddly for the first time though I've lived in Tahoe since 1994), a really interesting aspect of this race. The route opens up and we started to disperse. The first (and it turns out only aid station) appeared and I had some water. It dawned on me we must have already gone 2.5 miles, a surprise. I started to settle in and focus on moving methodically forward. I began to feel like I was actually "running", albeit slowly.

I kept going. Soon we turned the corner and saw glimpses of Lake Tahoe--beauty. Things were pretty level. This didn't last long and we began to climb. I wondered: oh how many miles of this, what am I doing out here? I recalled there was a song that said something like ..."the things we do for love..." Some of the hills were long and many participants walked up. Pretty much Me too, trying to catch my breath. But I did trot. Then we crested what turned out to be the high point of the route. Now for downhill. It had all been "fun" but now the fun for me began. I picked up some speed in part because I am hiking on trails a lot and am fairly sure footed (I've hike the John Muir Trail 220 miles and much of the California PCT). I could pass people who are more accustomed to longer road routes. I watched every rock and managed to not fall. He lake views were beyond spectacular.

I realized the trail was curving around and might actually be heading toward the beach cove where the finish was. I couldn't see it but just kept pushing on that seventh mile, A little fatigued but not ready to quit. I turned a corner and saw people and the long beach. I was just going, not looking so Humorously, I ran off into the crowd, not even realizing the finish gate was to my right. The crowd cheered and waved me over through the finish. The electronic wizard clocked my time.

I found my friend and his family. They congratulated me on finishing as I say: that was so fun, we could have gone farther! Which is how I felt: maybe 9 miles? The runners kept coming in and the celebration ensued. Great food, fresh fruit, pretzels and beer (I don't drink but others had a few). It was positive and upbeat. Everyone seemed welcoming and happy. A mature woman runner I had not seen on the trail came over to me and said, "You run so effortlessly, I wish I could run as you do." I was startled and so reassured by this warm person.

So why exactly have I been writing this race report anyway?

The awards ceremony began. Winners started to go up. There were three nice log rounds for the podium, each a different height. I wasn't paying close attention, just trying to enjoy the camaraderie and chat with my friend's son and his friends. I heard that next award was the women aged 65-69 group. Some names were called. Then I heard "Grace Anderson". I was confused. They called it again. I walked up to the front. I got up onto the lowest log and looked at the announcer. He came over smiling, took my hand and said, "We want you up here on the tall podium-- you won first place."

I cry remembering this and will not forget that moment, nor the look on my friends' faces. I think it changed my life, the decades I hopefully have left. Everyone was so proud and excited for me. I stayed on the podium while they found second place winner and I just beamed and looked at this stunning lake view. The photo of me on the podium with the lake behind me is so beautiful, truly special.

Surely you can see this race report as an inspiration: Someone who has never raced, is not a runner and would never even have known about the Emerald Bay Trail Race .... manages to finish and even to take first place. This shows us all that anything is possible, at any age. It has been such an amazing experience, I am now seemingly captured by the whole gestalt of fitness, slender people and the great spirit of those many who lead and volunteer to make these races happen. I am the beneficiary of Big Blue Adventure that sponsors the Emerald Bay Trail Race and will be ever grateful to my friend and his family who introduced me to the true joy of trail run "racing". I now have a mentor and young woman friend to guide me along the path to defend the podium in my age group and distance. I am very fortunate for this last outcome, unexpected and valued.

Now for the Post Script. Are you ready? I was quite inspired by the Emerald Bay Trail Race: two weeks later at exactly the same time I was at the starting line for the Kokanee 10 K. It was spectacularly beautiful foliage, fine route, Fallen Leaf Lake, kind people......and, first place in 60-69 women. This is unreal. Recall, I'm not even a runner. Time: 75 minutes--not far not fast but fast enough it seems. Next?

You too can try and perhaps win. In truth it's not really about winning (it's not ?), it's about fun, beauty, fitness, friendship, the wild and

Burton Creek Trail Half Marathon - June 18, 2017 -

Race Report by Tahoe Trail Running Ambassador Mone' Haen

The Burton Creek Trail Runs are part of the Tahoe Trail Running Series put on by Big Blue Adventures and include three distances which appeal to all abilities on the running spectrum - 6K, 12K and a Half Marathon.
This year, Burton Creek took place on Father's Day. I had signed up to run the half marathon about two weeks prior to the event, completely forgetting that it was indeed Father's Day (minus 10 points for me on the good wife scorecard). Luckily for me, it doesn't take much arm-twisting to make these sorts of things family affairs and my husband (Abe), father-in-law (Jim) and six year old daughter (Sawyer) all decided to participate as well by running the 6K.
My morning started bright and early at 5:00AM for the usual pre-race necessities - food, caffeine and bathroom visits being the three primary keys to a good day. Considering that the 6K didn't start until 8:30am whereas the half started at 7:30, I had arranged to carpool to the start with my friend, Tiffany, so my husband and daughter could sleep in a bit more. This proved entirely unnecessary as Sawyer woke up at about 5:30 rearing to go. It worked out well though since it gave Tiffany and I a chance to catch up on the drive from Truckee to Tahoe City and allowed Abe and Sawyer to have a daddy-daughter morning on Father's Day.
Tiffany and I arrived at the start of the race in the beautiful Burton Creek State Park just in time to check in and ditch bags before the start. Tiffany is a former collegiate runner and is a lot faster than I am. I had a feeling I wouldn't see her once the starting "gun" went off so we got our last little chit chatting in and settled in at the start for the race briefing. As we quieted down, I caught glimpse of Carol Lindsay who is my primary care physician as well as a friend. Carol is a wealth of knowledge and the best diagnostician I have ever been to, so I take her input very seriously. She immediately looked at my shoes with a somewhat skeptical look as if to say "You're wearing Altras huh? Weren't you having Achilles issues last summer?" I preemptively and enthusiastically declared: "My ankles, Achilles and hips are all good! No issues!"
Right at 7:30 the go signal was given and we were off. Tiffany and I ran together for all of sixty seconds, during which she declared that she was going to see how she felt at mile 8 and then decide to take off or not. Once sixty seconds hit, she took off and I knew there was no way I could keep pace with her for the duration of the race so I resolved to settle in and find my own pace instead.
The first half-mile of the course is a climb at about a 5% grade - nothing crazy, but enough to get my heart pumping especially with race jitters fueling a faster than normal start pace. From there, we descended for about a half-mile and then started a solid one-mile climb. This is where the crowd started to spread out a bit and the dust settled underfoot.
I was immediately surprised about the condition of the trails. A lot of the trails in our area took a beating this past winter, also known to locals as SNOWMAGEDDON, but not these trails. This course is run primarily on what, during the winter, are cross-country skiing trails. I'm not sure if they just suffered less abuse or if trail maintenance fairies (read very hard working trail maintenance crews) worked their magic to clear trees, remove obstacles and clear rocks and ruts. Either way, I was very excited to worry a bit less about rolling an ankle than I have been on other courses throughout the spring and enabled me to take in a bit more of the scenery.
Along those lines, the middle six miles of the race were made up of gentle rolling hills, all on either single track or buffed out x-country skiing trails. These miles flew by and showcased towering pines, massive granite boulders, an assortment of wildflowers and the occasional, filtered view of beautiful Lake Tahoe. There was even about a half-mile of the course that still had some snow (all runnable) covering the single track.
Right at 8:30AM or when I was about 5.8 miles into the race, I knew the rest of my family would be starting theirs. I couldn't wait to hear Sawyer tell me all about her race. We didn't quite know how long it would take her and guessed about an hour and a half. I had mom-visions of hitting the timing just right and we could finish our respective races at the same time.
At about 7.8 miles into the race, there was a short out-and-back resulting in very muddy three-quarters of a mile. I'm guessing this was added to the course to ensure that 13.1 miles was indeed the length of the course, but at the end of the day, I'd venture to say this wasn't needed. Nonetheless, I actually like out-and-back segments - it's fun to see who's ahead of me and by how far as well as to give props and shout outs to fellow runners on course (even if they don't acknowledge you because they're too engrossed in whatever distraction their headphones are providing - note to self: resist the temptation to shout "BEAR" just to see if they'll remove headphones for that).
Alrighty then - having the "easy, cruiser" miles done, it was time to pay attention to my feet again. At 8.2 miles in to the race, I started a nice descent that lasted for about 2.5 miles and provided an opportunity to pick up the pace and just let gravity take me. I was cruising and feeling pretty comfortable here still checking out the beauty that surrounds these trails. Then BAM - I reached the bottom of the hill on what I now know is Burton Creek Sate Park Road and was faced with hill wall in front of me. The first half-mile of this hill ranges from a 6% grade to a 15.5% grade: in writing this report and looking at the map, this section of trail is aptly named "Judge Judy". Yeah well, Judge Judy was tough but I actually found it to be really fun at this point in the race. The hill continued for about another one and a half miles, albeit at a more "gentle" grade ranging from 2%-8%ish.
Finally, I crested the hill at mile 11.5 and started the final descent into the finish. Sawyer smoked our expectations and she finished her first 6K, at 6 years old in 59:12. It turns out she was also the youngest participant overall. More importantly, she ran the whole race and crossed the finish line with her daddy and grandpa on Father's Day.

Hannah Mazkour runs daily, and not just a couple miles—we’re talking an average of 9. But that’s not what’s most interesting about Mazkour and her participation in the Squaw Valley Half Marathon that happened last Sunday. What’s most interesting about the 2-hours-on-the-nose finisher is that she lives in Beirut, Lebanon.

It’s hard not to raise the praise hands when you hear the distance Mazkour travelled to race Big Blue Adventure’s 13.1 miler. After all, here I am, a local runner who knows the ins and outs of every trail, and I’ve never stepped foot over a Tahoe starting line. Entering races takes courage, and I’m still working on embracing the race-day jitters.

Mazkour stood under the start banner exuding the confidence you’d expect of someone who’s been exhaustively training at high altitude. You’d never have known she only runs along the Corniche in beirut, a seaside promenade lined with palm trees. She was sporting a singlet and shorts, and she could see her breath; it was about 40℉.

This is what connected Mazkour with her fellow 158 Half Marathon runners: mostly all came under-dressed. Weird, but they were expecting summer-in-California weather. Apparently in Tahoe, mid-June can also mean mid-winter. Rest assured, Tahoe’s stunning snow-capped peaks made participants quickly forget how cold it really was; when you’re running in what looks like a postcard, nothing else matters.

Mazkour’s mother handed her an oversized long-sleeved shirt she said made her daughter look as though she was running in a dress. But that didn’t bother either of them—they found comedy in the look. Both were giddy from the event’s energy.

I dig deeper in Mazkour’s life. I’m enthralled by her spunk, and that she works with refugees. I want to know how a road race through Olympic Valley and along the Truckee River compares to running in Lebanon. She says, “I have traveled a lot, but Tahoe is by far one of my favorites— the views are unbeatable.” “Running in Lebanon is not quite the same; athleticism isn’t a big part of the culture,” she said.

Mazkour explained she’d recently run a 22K race through the mountains near her hometown, but because limited effort is put into route markings, she got lost, running an additional 6K. This race, she had hoped to break two hours, but didn’t mention until later she’s got a bad case of plantar fasciitis. While the course is paved and flat—a rarity for mountain town runs that all runners and walkers greatly appreciate—her foot was starting to flare up.

I want to chat over coffee with Mazkour about running and life overseas and running overseas, but she’s got places to go and people to see before heading back to Lebanon. To try to put some sort of closure to what could be a never-ending conversation, I ask why she runs. Her answer: “For mental health.”

Mazkour was just the start of interesting racers at the Squaw Half. There was also Christie Jackson (1:37:16), the first female to cross the finish line right at the base of Squaw’s distinguished ski runs. This was Jackson’s first race after having a baby nine months ago, and when I asked her how she was going to celebrate the win, she said, “I’m going to go home and feed my baby…and have a beer.”

Then there was Aidan Stamford, a 14-year-old from San Louis Obispo who had never run a half marathon before. Stamford came in fourth overall (1:29:54), not far behind the first-place male finisher, Adam Kimble (1:24:01). After just a few minutes of cooling down, Stamford looked ready to spend the rest of the day skiing with many of the other racers. It’s not often that you can swap your running shoes for ski boots within minutes of fishing a race.

Just when I thought I must’ve met my cool-person quota for the day, I came across Katy Rogerson. Rogerson moved to Tahoe permanently after finishing university in the Scottish Highlands one year ago. When she’s not waiting tables lakeside, you can find her running the many meadows and mountains of Tahoe. Of Sunday’s race, she says, “I liked running by the river; it makes you want to go faster…the cool temperature also helped keep the pace fast.”

Runners who opted for the 8-mile Run To Squaw started at Commons Beach, Tahoe City, joining up with the half marathoners along the river. This meant that parties who decided to split forces and tackle each race could finish together. The cool air kept the pace swift, as did the promise of ice cold Lagunitas beer at the finish. That alone is worth a trip from Beirut.

Mazkour plans to be back for the Squaw Valley Half in 2018. “It was really one of the most spectacular Half Marathon’s I have ever run and I can’t wait to come back to this amazing place.”