Aug 9, 2026 · Spooner Lake · Lake Tahoe, NV

Marlette
10 Miler

2nd · Men 40–44

Ten miles. Fifteen hundred feet of climbing. Old dude still had a little left in the tank, took second in my age group.

Runners lined up at the Spooner Lake start line at dawn, sun over the ridge above the water — 7:35 a.m. at Spooner Lake. 68°, barely any wind, the sun just clearing the ridge. About as good as a start line gets.

The Result

1:37:22

Finish

10 Miler · Marlette Lake 50K & 10 Miler

2nd

Men 40–44

Second in the division

16th

Overall

of 87 finishers

9:44

Pace / Mile

Official · 9:56 by GPS over 9.82 measured miles

The Mountain

This wasn't a flat race. Every number here is a climb or a payback for one.

1,545

Feet Climbed

Topping out at 8,182 ft · 1,503 ft back down

7:15

Best Mile

Late, on the descent, on tired legs

163

Avg Heart Rate

Maxed out at 186

247W

Avg Power

Peaked at 427 W

The Splits

Out and back. You can read the whole course in the numbers.

Mile	Time	Pace	Avg HR	Terrain
1	9:22	9:22	150	Rolling out, warming up
2	11:50	11:50	167	Climb begins
3	10:26	10:26	170	Still climbing
4	15:03	15:04	161	The wall — up to Marlette Lake
5	7:39	7:39	159	Crest the lake, let it run
6	12:29	12:29	161	One more climb to the high point
7	7:45	7:45	159	Over the top for good, descending
8	8:15	8:16	165	Descending
9	7:24	7:24	163	Fastest full mile of the day
10	7:14	8:50	174	Final 0.82 to the line
Total	1:37:28	9:56	163	9.82 mi by GPS

Pace, Mile by Mile

Taller bar = slower mile. The sawtooth is the mountain — you can see exactly where I was climbing and where I got it back.

9:22

11:50

10:26

15:04

7:39

12:29

7:45

8:16

7:24

8:50

Mile 4 was the steepest at 15:04. Mile 9, coming home downhill, was the fastest at 7:24 — pink.

Two climbs, thin air, and a long grind back down to the finish. This one was hard as hell.

The Damage

A threshold day, run at altitude, with the watch confirming it.

257

Training Load

Rated "high" by the watch

3.8

Aerobic Effect

Improving · Anaerobic 3.8, also improving

1,326

Calories

A full breakfast, given back

8,182

Highest Foot

Feet above sea level at the turn

The Morning

Rob mid-run at Marlette Lake, near the top of the climb — Marlette Lake at mile 4.5 — the top of the main climb, and the lake the race is named for. Fresh here: the next mile was 7:39. The one after was 12:29. The mountain wasn't done.

Three finishers holding etched pint glass awards in front of the Big Blue Adventure banner — Hardware collected. Etched pint glasses instead of medals — the right kind of trail-race prize.

Close-up of the etched Marlette Tahoe pint glass with 2nd engraved on it — "2nd" — engraved on the glass. Proof it happened.

Conditions: 68°F, 43% humidity, NW 2 mph. Distance, elevation, power, and heart-rate data from COROS (activity 9.82 mi / 1:37:27 moving). Placement from the official Marlette Lake 10 Miler results — 16th of 87 overall, 2nd in Men 40–44 (1:37:22). Event: Big Blue Adventure · Marlette Lake 50K & 10 Miler, Spooner Lake, Lake Tahoe NV.