The day after we finished Candice’s Bigfoot Elusive 206.5 ultra we signed up for another of her races--the Virtual Tahoe Tessie. We are now (virtually) hiking and walking around the beautiful largest alpine lake in North America--Lake Tahoe!
Normally (when the world is not in the throes of a pandemic) the Tahoe 200-mile endurance race is a four day race, and the runners have 100 hours to circumnavigate Lake Tahoe. The athletes hike and run on a series of interconnecting trails through the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe ,with a elevation gain of 40,200 feet....and of course 40,200 feet descent too!
Due to the pandemic the Tahoe 200 had to be cancelled. Candice and her crew promptly created the Tahoe Tessie Virtual Races. So now instead of 100 hours to finish the race, Dan and I have until the first of December to cross the finish line. Even though we are in our 70s, we can do that!
There are tales of a creature the lived in the water of Lake Tahoe that date back to days of the Washoe and Paiute Indians. The creature was believed to be a living descendant of the turquoise water of Lake Tahoe. It was considered a Being of reverence and thought to be very powerful. This creature was described as looking similar to the Loch Ness Monster, and has been named, “Tahoe Tessie.” Hence the name of our virtual race is the “Tahoe Tessie.”
The Tahoe 200 Endurance Run has a very special meaning for us. As a race director and owner of Destination Trail, this was the very first 200 mile race that Candice created (she now has three additional 200’s: the Bigfoot 200, the Moab 240, and the Orcas Island 200).
As her mother, I want to say how very proud I am of how Candice started Destination Trail just a few years ago and has created a vast variety of inspiring races. Her races range from fun runs for children, shorter distances for those who want the experience of racing in the treasure of our wilderness areas, to 200+ mile endurance runs for those who want to push the outer limits of their ability. She is an amazing woman!
Candice at the Moab 240 wishing everyone a successful and rewarding race, as the runners cross the start line early in the morning before the sun rises over the red cliffs of the desert:
Dan and I drove 1400 miles to be able to be part for the Inaugural Tahoe 200 in 2014. (We surprised Candice and also showed up at her inaugural Moab 240 race in 2017.) We had a wonderful time seeing Candice and her crew of staff and volunteers, watching the extensive and complicated preparations for the race, cooking meals for the race staff, and volunteering at the race.
Dan and I also made sure that we had time to take several hikes in the mountains above Lake Tahoe. It’s beautiful hiking in this alpine country with tiny lakes surrounded by mountain meadows!
We are determined to earn another belt buckle and finisher medals, so we are off and running....well maybe not running, but we are off and walking and hiking (virtually) around Lake Tahoe through the mountain meadows strewn with wildflowers with towering snowcapped mountain peaks surrounding us!
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