Racing at 6,225 feet: what sea-level legs need to know

Every packet pick-up, somebody who has driven up from the Bay Area asks the same question in slightly different words: how much slower am I going to be?

How much altitude actually costs you#

Lake Tahoe's surface sits at 6,225 feet, and most of our courses climb well above it. The Marlette 50K tops out over 8,000. For a body that trains at sea level, expect paces roughly 10 to 15 percent slower than at home for anything sustained, with the gap widening the harder you push.

What to do about it#

Arrive a day or two early if you possibly can. Drink far more than feels necessary, starting the day before. Start conservatively — the single most common mistake here is going out at home pace and paying for it at halfway. And respect the sun: at this elevation it is stronger than the temperature suggests.

Does the water make it worse?#

Not exactly, but cold water and thin air together will take your breath in the first two minutes of a swim. Get your face in before the gun, and give yourself a hundred metres of easy swimming before you race.

Come find us at the start line and ask. Someone who has marked the course will be standing right there.