Local families present inaugural Rock Tahoe Half Marathon

The inaugural Rock Tahoe Half Marathon will bring approximately 5,000 people
including runners, friends, and family to South Lake Tahoe this weekend as they Run, Rock, and Recover in this one of a kind event.

On Saturday, June 20, 2,000 runners will take off along the 13.1-mile course from Spooner Summit and wind their way down Highway 50 along the East Shore of Lake Tahoe to the finish line at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe. The course will also take runners off the highway along the newly completed forest bike path from Round Hill Pines to Kahle Drive.

The race weekend kicks off on Friday, June 19 with a Pre-Race Expo inside the Graceland Ballroom at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. This expo is open to the public with booths from local area sponsors and vendors along with official Rock Tahoe merchandise and gear available for sale.

On Saturday, racers will head to the start at Spooner Summit bright and early via complimentary shuttles. There will be a live DJ and a warm-up lead by Kaia Fit to get everyone pumped and ready to run! The race will be in two waves with start times at 7 a.m. for walkers/joggers and 8 a.m. for runners.

There will be nine aid stations along the course, hosted by local businesses, teams, and non-profits and will feature local organic bars from Tahoe Trail Bars and Nature’s Bakery. There will also be live music along the course to help motivate and entertain runners.

“We really try to highlight as many local businesses as possible with our event to showcase everything the Reno/Tahoe area has to offer,” said Sean Sweeney, Director of All Things Rad. Other local vendors/sponsors include Tahoe Blue Vodka, Getaway Reno/Tahoe, BioSpirit, Lake Tahoe Yoga, CardinaleWay Toyota, Pilates Studio Lake Tahoe, Lucky Beaver Bar & Burger, Tahoe Center for Orthopedics, Carson Tahoe Health, Chase International Realty, Barton Health, and Pearl Izumi.

The public is invited to attend the finish line festivities and cheer on the runners as they cross the finish line. All finishers receive a tech-tee, medal, and free beer when they cross the finish line to celebrate their accomplishment. Awards will start at 11 a.m. and will be given to the overall male and female winners along with the top 1st-3rd spots in each age group for both men and women. The award ceremony will take place next to the massive guitar in front of Hard Rock Hotel Lake Tahoe.

The race is put on by Epic Tahoe. The team at Epic are:

*Jason Collin, Chief Officer of Awesomeness, and is the Administrative Director of Post Acute Services at Barton
* Sean Sweeney, Director of All Things Rad, and is the Director of Skier Services at Sierra-at-Tahoe
* Jessica Schnoll, Queen of Everything Epic, and is the owner of Zephyr Cove Consulting, a social media/marketing consultancy and brand new mom to 3 month old baby Jack!

Their spouses are also involved (Natalie Collin, Cara Sweeney, and Dave Schnoll) and their kids are all a big part of the company and their favorite brand ambassadors.