Last year during the long night of May 15, I had plenty of time to think. Although I didn’t know the details of the damage to my back, I knew I would miss one of my favorite running events for 2024 and the already purchased airfare tickets wouldn’t be used. 

The Reno/Tahoe Odyssey is what I call a crazy team race, but the details are what makes it a must do for me. About 220 teams of 12 runners cover 178 miles over a day, a night and part of the next day. The course is intriguing, starting at about 3,000 feet of elevation in Reno and climbing to Lake Tahoe, then eventually climbing even more to just above 7,000 feet past Virginia City, itself at 6,148 feet. From there the course gradually falls back to Reno, this year finishing in an outdoor event center. 

Most teams consist of two vehicles with six runners each. My group’s vehicle just had five runners, including Nate and Sammi Williams, both former college runners, triathlete Greg Southard from New Mexico and Luis Abundis, a super-high-mileage runner who would do two legs of each round of six. We had a deluxe Wagoneer as our transportation and left our motels at 8:15 a.m. Friday morning for a 9 a.m. start. After a finish line celebration and photo shoot, we got out of the vehicle for the last time and back at the motel close to 2 p.m. on Saturday. All of us were sleep deprived, hungry and dehydrated by that time and each of us had run somewhere between 13 and 16 challenging miles over that time. 

At the outset, the Wagoneer was loaded with water and snacks for the group’s use, plus we each had our own backpack of the things experienced runners might need. We had a small amount of personal space until each of us took his or her turn running. I had three legs, numbers 6, 18 and 30. Swapping to the next runner happened at what are called exchange points, the biggest of those happened when both vans converge to finish the legs of one vehicle and start the next set of legs for the second vehicle. 

Runners ran day and night. Lighted vests, headlamps and flashlights were used to see and be seen. The slowest teams had started early, and the fastest teams started last, with the hopes that the finish line celebration would stay busy as teams completed the course on Saturday. 

Weather complicated things as record highs were set in the Reno area for both Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31. Verified highs of 96 on Friday and 99 on Saturday offset low humidity. A weather warning of 30-40 mph winds for Saturday didn’t prove correct thankfully. Night running at elevation dropped temperatures into the mid to upper 50s. 

With all that said about the team concept for the Odyssey, I had my own concern about how I would run. Still only 85-90 percent back to “prior to the accident” pace, I had several poor runs in the week leading up to the Odyssey. Watching the first five legs for our group left me more time to think about my first run. I was admittedly anxious.  

My first leg (6) was 5.4 miles and ended at Boyington Mill Campground near Truckee, California, after a sharp climb to the exchange point. I felt especially good on this early afternoon run and suddenly the pressure was off. I could relax and enjoy the fun the rest of the way. Our group rested at the edge of Lake Tahoe on a spectacular afternoon while the team’s other runners were on the roads. 

My second leg (18) was 4.6 miles from Lake Tahoe Community College to Stateline, Nevada, at another van exchange point. Before the run, I was told the distance was just over 3.4 miles, but the distance grew to 4.6 with a late course update. I was decent on this one but slightly slower per mile than my second leg. 

The third leg (30) was the one I had been dreading for a couple of months. The hardest climb in the event is leg 30, a 3.4-mile run up the steepest grade I have ever faced. Parts of it are impossible to run, reducing nearly everyone to walking some. I struggled but got it done and found myself with almost immediately sore quads. They are still sore as I write this recap on Monday.

Our finish-line celebration and photos took place at J Resorts Glow Plaza in downtown Reno. In some ways, we were sad that the Odyssey was over but with plenty of talk of next year. After everyone went their separate ways, I knocked out a breakfast burrito, 3 or 4 PB&J prepacked sandwiches and eventually a small pizza along with six bottles of water. All that was wrapped around a deep nap. I eventually went to bed early. My quads were no better. 

A great connecting flight to home started in Reno, stopped in Phoenix and finished in Charlotte. I was back home at 5 p.m. Sunday after what I realized was one of the most important weekends of my life. I was able to celebrate with great friends the successful recovery from the accident. Once in a long while, we have an event that we’ll never forget. My fourth Odyssey was one of those. 

Results were posted late Wednesday. Our team, the Exiles, finished 178 miles in 27 hours 37 minutes and 37 seconds. That time was good for 38^th of the 124 that finished. Nearly another 100 teams didn’t finish, most due to the weather conditions. 

Next week’s area race is the Myles for a Mission 5K at Grace Lutheran Church. Look for it and other area events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.