2019
TRTER 2019: Letter from Dr. Pasternak
Dear Runners,
We’re excited to have you back out on the course for the 2019 Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Races. Once again we’ve put together an incredible medical team and will have full medical aid stations at the start/finish area, Tunnel Creek and Diamond Peak aid stations. We will also have very limited over the counter medications at the aid stations without full medical support. We hope that we don’t have to see you in the medical tent. If something should arise, our goal will be to do what we can to help you finish the race safely.
1. We will not being doing any mandatory weight checks for any of the runners. For 100 mile runners, we will check your baseline weight prior to the race. The medical aid stations will have scales, but we won’t use them unless medical issues arise. THE KEY IS TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY AND DRINK WHEN YOU ARE THIRSTY! As you may be aware, we are more concerned with over-hydration, weight gain and low sodium (hyponatremia) as this can be a life-threatening concern in ultra runners. For a great review on this topic, please read Dr. Marty Hoffman’s article in Ultrarunner magazine. https://www.ultrarunning.com/featured/the-basics-on-hyponatremia
2. Speaking of helicopters, while it’s unlikely you will need a medical evacuation, things can and do happen during an endurance running race. With all of the health care changes, many people are on high-deductible plans that have fairly limited coverage. You may want to check with your insurance on the cost of a medical rescue during a race. If you live in the area, you may want to consider Calstar’s policy for less than the cost of a new pair of shoes. http://www.calstar.org/membership
3. While we have reviewed all of your medical history forms from when you registered, please contact us with medical issues or questions you want to discuss. (e-mail avpiv711@sbcglobal.net, phone number 775.219.6535) Again, our goal is to help you out and if you have specific concerns, we’d love to try and answer your questions.
4. If you have had any new medical issues arise in the last few months since registration that you think we should know about, again, please let us know.
5. Our aid stations are pretty well stocked. Remember, however, there can be long stretches of time and distance between aid stations. If you have medical conditions that could be life threatening, remember to bring rescue medications with you (e.g. an epi-pen if you have a severe bee-sting allergy).
6. As a reminder, we don’t have any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications at the aid stations (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) due to worries about kidney damage and hyponatremia. We will have Tylenol and some topical creams for aches and pains.
7. More and more, we’re seeing companies that offer athletes IV hydration either before or after races. DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THESE PLACES!!! These services are at best unnecessary and could potentially be harmful. All of the current recommendations concur that if athletes can drink fluids, that is a much safer way to get fluids and that there is NO benefit to “elective” IV fluids. As a result, we are VERY conservative about giving IVs. If you do get an IV during the race, you will be disqualified. Again, we don’t routinely give IV fluids at the finish as the current medical literature shows that oral rehydration is much safer than IV rehydration. There are instances where IV rehydration may be necessary and if you feel like you might need an IV, please talk to one of the medical staff in the tent and they will evaluate you to see if you might benefit.
8. Take care of your feet. The decomposed granite is good at getting in your shoes I you want to read the best book on foot care for ultra runners, check out Jon Vonhof’s fixing your feet. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004K6MDZU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
9. Remember, the medical staff are here to help you meet your goals, but we also want to make sure you do things safely. Be honest and upfront if you are having issues and we’ll do what we can to help you.
Run Long and Healthy,
Andy Pasternak, MD, MS
Ultra runners, do you suffer from nausea?
Do you get nausea and vomiting frequently during races? Have you ever had to drop out of a race due to nausea and vomiting? Have nausea or vomiting affected your race performance? The TWOFUN study (Treatment With Ondansetron For Ultra-marathon associated Nausea and vomiting) is being done to help runners find solutions.
This study will be conducted at the 2019 Tahoe Rim Trail races to look at the effectiveness of a commonly used medication called ondansetron (brand name Zofran) to treat nausea and/or vomiting in runners during a race. Study runners will randomly be given either the medication or a placebo prior to the race to carry with them or store in drop bags in case symptoms arise. If runners continue to have symptoms and have gotten the placebo medication, we will have the ability to give the medication at one of the medical aid stations. We will also ask runners to fill out a quick survey (less than 20 questions) at the race finish or by internet immediately after the race. We are looking to enroll as many participants as possible. There is no cost to you to participate in this study.
If you are interested in participating or want additional information, please contact Andy Pasternak at avpiv711@sbcglobal.net
42 Days!
Yep, only 42 days until the start of the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs
100 Mile – 50 Mile – 55K!
I hope everyone’s training is going well and you’re getting in your fine tuning for the TRTER coming up in 42 days!
I was checking on how many rooms we have in our reserved blocks with the four hotels we have discounted rates with. With the short summer season here in Northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe many of the hotels are completely booked except for our blocked out rooms. But they can’t hold them forever.
In particular the Gold Dust West has a June 18th deadline before they open the book to other reservations. This one is the one that has Good Sam RV park with pool, hot tub and showers, plus several restaurants in the Casino. This will be a bus pick up site for hotel and RV park guests only.
We have rooms at the Plaza Hotel still available as well as Wyndham Gardens Max Casino across the street which is the main bus pick up site and walking distance to the packet pick-up in downtown Carson City.
Then for those of you that want a deluxe room with the big fluffy bed, we have the Courtyard Marriott. This will have a bus pick up for hotel guests.
At Crystal Bay on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, The Tahoe Biltmore will be the major parking site and bus pick-up site for those coming from I-80 from California. They are offering rooms at $109 for a standard room and $149 for a private cottage. Speedboat Beach is a short walk away! This is the main bus pick-up site and not just for guests. It’s for everyone coming in from the I-80 corridor.
Information about and links to all these hotels are on our website: https://trter.com/logistics/
That’s it for now. A final email blast with race weekend instructions will go out a week or 10 days prior to the event, stay tuned!
Take care and we’ll see you in 42 days!
George Ruiz- Race Director
100 Days!
| Wow, it’s amazing how fast time zooms by. I hope the first four months of 2019 has treated you well and your training and plans for the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs are in high gear. Everytime I open the TRTER web page I see the count down clock and today it says 100 days. If you haven’t checked out our website I encourage you to do so, there is lots of information that will make your TRTER race weekend less stressful. https://trter.com/ I have some big announcements to make! Firstly I’m pleased to announce that our on-course nutrition will be provided by Honey Stinger replacing Clif Bar for gels and bars. Their gels are yummy and they provide non-caffeinated as well as caffeinated gels–both will be on course. We will also have the Honey Stinger Waffles on course. If you haven’t tried them, they are delicious and easy to get down in the middle of a tough Ultra. Welcome Aboard Honey Stinger! Secondly, and most importantly to beer lovers, we are welcoming The Fox Brewing as our beer supplier this year. Many of you returning runners know The Fox as the place we do the meet and greet Thursday night before the race, and also they offer a coupon for food and drinks race weekend. They are right across the street from the Nevada legislative ground where our packet pickup and race briefing take place. They built a brewing facility right on site and are brewing great beer. I know we will have an IPA on course and, of course, the Ultra Lounge at the finish line. I’m doing in-depth research as to the second brew to offer… I know you will enjoy their beer as much as what Brewers Cabinet provided over the past five years. Thank you Brewers Cabinet for supporting us and providing us with great brew! While I know we have runners from all around the globe that attend the TRTER, the majority of runners are from Northern California and Northern Nevada. I don’t have to explain to you that the Sierra Nevada mountains have had a stellar winter. Record snow fall in February has buried the mountains in a deep blanket of white. Awesome for skiers and snow boarders, but bad for races that share these mountains and occur before August. We will undoubtedly have snow drifts on course for this years race, how much will depend on mother nature and how much she heats things up over the next 100 days. In light of all the snow, we have decided to not have a training run this year. I realize this has been an immensely popular event to get into the TRTER vibe, however, it’s extremely difficult to put on when the course is still buried in snow in early June. It’s difficult to provide aid stations above 8000 feet and it’s difficult for runners that are familiar with the course to stay on track let alone those of you that have never been on the course. I hope you all understand. With only 100 days until race day, if you are injured and on the fence weather to run or not, or you have a scheduling conflict or life is just getting in the way, we have many on the wait list wanting to get into the event. Yes, we are beyond the refund cut-off date, and no we do not carry forward registrations to the following year. However, we are a non-profit event and your registration will go towards supporting a premier event and that takes a lot of $$$ to put on. We also donate about $25,000 a year to some amazing organizations that are supporting people and families in need. If you know you can’t run, give another runner a shot. For you 100 mile runners that have not completed your trail work requirements, time is ticking away. Yes I have received some completed trail work forms, but probably less that 10% of the 100 mile field. You all know the consequences. Don’t make me be the bad guy. There are so many trail work opportunities country wide, give your quivering quads a day’s rest and give back to the trail system that you love and train on. https://trter.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/100m-volunteerform2019.pdf Our parking and busing situation is no different than last year. We plan on busing as close to 100% of the runners as possible from Carson City and North Lake Tahoe Crystal Bay. This is necessary to provide as much parking for your families and crew at Spooner. We are bursting at the seams with 100 mile and 50 mile runners this year, and we all know how many friends and family support their runners nowadays. Please make plans to comply with our busing schedule. More information on pickup locations and shuttles back can be found on our website. Lastly, if you need lodging, we have discounted rooms at four different location In Carson City, all with bus pick ups. I encourage you to book something if you haven’t done so. Last year rooms sold out and we have added Gold Dust West Hotel Casino and RV Park. Yes, RV park with pool and hot tub. So check them out and make your reservations, all listed under lodging on our website. That’s it for now. Stay healthy for this next 100 days so we can see you all bright and early at Spooner Lake Nevada State Park July 20th! Cheers! George Ruiz – Race Director |
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