Racing

2005

Tahoe Triple 2005

DAY 1:
It was about 34 degree at sunrise in Emerald Bay at the starting line.
I found my stride at about mile 2 and took the lead of the race, from here
on I never looked back. At mile 10 a had for about 2miles the company of Jon Lawler who later ended up second on the first day and second overall, I left him behind at about mile 12.

My crew Sven Hammer kept me well fed and hydrated throughout the stage as well as for the rest of the race.

At the end of the day I finished first in 2:57:16, Jon Lawler from Knoxville
Tennessee came in 2nd in 3:03:59. Sean Meissner who won this race 4 times and was the favorite came in 4th in 3:24:24. That said I felt pretty good after day one, having almost a 7 minute lead to second place and almost 27 minutes to the favorite.

Day 2

It was about 10 degrees warmer which made me happy, it was also partially on the part of the course I had run several times on visits to Tahoe before. So that said from the start I felt pretty good and went on the go, running a pretty quick 2:54:55 start to finish win.

After that they told us they had mis-measured the course and it was about a half mile long. That said my time would have been more like a 2:51. I added 9 minutes to my overall lead over 2nd place finisher Jon Lawler, so now my lead was about 15 minutes to second and 33minutes to the guy in 3rd.

Day 3

It was tough starting out with pretty soar muscles from the 2 marathons in
my legs, but the excitement got me going. I hung in there and finished the
hardest most hilly stage with the biggest climbs in 3:02:51, this was good
for another 13 minute advantage over Jon, this 3rd stage was within the
regular ("people who only run one marathon aka semi crazy") Lake Tahoe
Marathon. My time was good enough for 5th place within this race.

It was very exciting at the finish, with all the attention I got for
breaking 4 records (I broke the old overall record by 33 minutes) and
winning this important race within the Ultra Running Community. I am very
happy with the overall result of 8:55:02 for 3 very hilly marathons in the
mountains in 6500 to 7200 feet altitude.

I am proud having done this race start to finish and having it done so well, I know I could not have done it without the help of the following and want to give them a big Thank You:

My wife - for not letting me quit training when I wanted to give up about 10
times in the last 6 month.

My coach and friend Linda for making me run, run and then run some more. And all the advice I got.

Opa and the kids for cheering.

And my best man and road crew Sven Hammer, for feeding me every 3 miles, driving me to the start in the "middle of the night" and keeping me informed about what's going on in the race.

Here is a quote from the Tahoe Marathon website:

We crowned a new Tahoe Triple champion last night at the Awards Party.
Thomas Reiss ran away from the field and set 4 course records. Reiss  broke the 3 course records each day he ran as well as  the event record.

His Marathon times were:
2:57:16, 2:54:55, and 3:02:51 for a three day record of 8:55:02 breaking the old record of 9:28:01 by Sean Meissner.

Here is a article from the Tahoe Tribune's website:

Sean Meissner didn't mind losing his stranglehold on the Tahoe Triple to
Thomas Reiss on Saturday.

"You're awesome," said Meissner as he congratulated the San Luis Obispo man for winning the three marathons in three days race in a record 8 hours, 55 minutes and 2 seconds. "I'm in awe of him. If it was a jerk, it would be one thing, but he's not a jerk."

Meissner, the four-time defending champion from Sisters, Ore., was a distant fourth at 10:01:36.

"This was my toughest year," said Meissner, who logged 3:24, 3:14 and 3:23 marathons. "I was nowhere near my goal time of 9:15. Even if I would have gotten that, he would have been way ahead of me."

Reiss nearly eclipsed the 3-hour mark on all three days in his first
ultramarathon race. He opened with a 2:57 marathon from Emerald Bay to
Spooner Summit, then a 2:54 effort from Spooner Summit to Tahoe City and a 3:02:51 on the final leg from Tahoe City to Pope Beach.

Reiss didn't mind recuperating on a rock perch after finishing his 78.6-mile quest.

"Today was the hardest part of the course, there's no question about it,"
Reiss said.

He eclipsed Meissner's course record by 33 minutes but that wasn't his
focus.

"My top priority was making it, having never done something like this,"
Reiss said. "Based on my training I thought I'd be able to run under 9:15.
Beating nine hours was like a dream goal," Reiss said. "But having never run an ultra race, I didn't really know what to expect on the second day."

Reiss was more prepared than he let on. The part-time Incline Village
resident made a trial run of the course in June.

"I wanted to see how the altitude was and how my body reacted," said Reiss, who also ran various 20-milers on consecutive days, followed by a full marathon on the third day at his home in San Luis Obispo. "I had a pretty good idea, but a race is always different."

Meissner, having competed in the event five times, had the edge in previous triples because of his superior course knowledge. But Reiss took that away.

"It's key on this course to know it ... to know where to go hard and where
to ease up," Meissner said.

Even before Reiss ended his title reign, Meissner decided that five straight years of competition was enough.

"Five years here, it's a great race and a great event, but I want to take a
break from it and do something else. But I'll come back here eventually,"
the former champion said.

Reiss collected a $500 first prize and a free entry into future Tahoe Triple
and Lake Tahoe Marathon races.

PAST RACES

• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 2005