Rock Tahoe Half-Marathon sells out each of first two years in Lake Tahoe

The 2nd annual Rock Tahoe Half-Marathon heads to Lake Tahoe on Saturday, June 18. The 2,000 spots for runners are already full, filling up three weeks before the event. The course takes the participants down 1,000 feet in elevation as they pass some of Tahoe's iconic views.

Runners will start on Spooner Summit and finish at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. To keep their safety in mind, the lakeside lane of westbound Highway 50 will be closed from the start to Round Hill Pines where the runners leave the highway and head to the bike path. Vehicle traffic will intermittently be stopped in the westbound lane of the Cave Rock tunnel.

The lane closure will be in effect from 6:00 a.m.– 11:00 a.m. with significant delays at Cave Rock from 8:00 a.m.– 9:30 a.m. Using Kingsbury Grade is highly recommended as the preferred route for Carson City to South Lake Tahoe during this time. Additionally, access into or out of the peripheral streets and driveways may be prolonged at times to allows the runners to pass.

"We ask that residents and visitors be cautious and vigilant when crossing the closed lane to enter or exit the highway," organizers said in a press release.

With the addition of family and friends that accompany the racers, over 5,000 attendees are projected to be in South Lake Tahoe to either run and/or have fun.

The weekend kicks off on Friday, June 17 with a pre-race expo in the Revolution Ballroom at Hard Rock. It is open to the public from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and features booths and merchandise from both local and national sponsors.

Racers head to Spooner bright and early Saturday and will be treated to high energy DJs to get their juices flowing. Kaia Fit will run a pre-race warm up to make sure all are pumped and ready.

Walkers/Joggers start at 7:00 a.m., runners start at 8:00 a.m. There will be eight aid stations along the way providing runners with water, Nuun hydration supplements, Honey Stinger nutrition products and Tahoe Trail Bars. The stations are all hosted by local businesses, teams and non-profits.

“We could not put on an event of this magnitude without the amazing community support," says Jessica Schnoll, ETA’s Queen of Everything Epic. "The energy
and enthusiasm the volunteers bring to the event is palpable. The runners feel it and are fueled by it."

Finish line and post-race expo will be in the back parking lot of the Hard Rock starting at 10:15 a.m.