Ironman Lake Tahoe Threatened By Nearby Smoke

6. Ironman Lake Tahoe
The course: Only in its second year, Ironman Lake Tahoe is known for its difficulty. The two-loop, 2.4-mile swim takes place in the pristine North Lake Tahoe from Kings Beach—the water is clear enough to see 70 feet down. The 112-mile bike takes athletes down the 21-mile length of the lake into Tahoe City, through the Truckee River corridor and includes 8,000 feet of climbing. The 26.2-mile run is relatively flat and follows the Truckee River bike path before a finish at Squaw Valley, the home of the 1960 Winter Olympics. (For a more detailed description and photos of the course, check out writer Susan Lacke’s course recon prior to the inaugural race.)

The draw: If the scenery doesn’t take your breath away, the hills and the 6,000 feet of altitude will—the race boasts the highest starting altitude of any Ironman. As if the challenge of doing an Ironman at altitude weren’t enough the inaugural race saw especially challenging weather conditions including frigid winds, snow the night before and temperatures in the 30s on race morning—the conditions led to a 20 percent DNF rate, second only to the 2012 Ironman St. George (29 percent), a race which has since been turned into a 70.3. The race could arguably earn the title of “toughest Ironman.” It’s also a challenging way to earn one of 50 coveted slots to the Ironman World Championship.

How to race it: Even though the inaugural race sold out within 24 hours of opening, the high DNF rate may have kept athletes from registering as quickly this year—registration for the 2014 event (and the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Lake Tahoe, to both take place on Sept 21, 2014) is currently open.

For more info: Ironman.com

Photo: Susan Lacke