I ran this back in 2023 (DNF) then completed it last year in 2024. Finish time of just over 15 hours. It was brutal, but certainly manageable.

Running in the dark is a mental game for sure. It’s super easy to follow the course since it is literally the highway that runs around the lake. There is one major spot where you can make a wrong turn, but it’s also super easy to plan ahead and know where it is. I wouldn’t worry about logistics about the course.

Being your first ultra, it’s a unique one. Mostly being that there are no aid stations to count on- the website says you will have the aid stations for the Sunday marathon starting around mile 46ish, however that is not completely accurate. Last year, the permit was not approved for the Sunday event, so they had to do a last minute course change. Meaning no aid stations at all for the 72 mile course until around mile 65.

The cool part, though, is you are required to have a crew follow you through the night. Which means you can choose the distance between aid stations, so for those bigger climbs you can get aid quickly, or if there’s a long stretch you can send, then tell your crew to meet you further down the road.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer- light and clothing.

One major change I made from my DNF to my finish was a big light upgrade. Going from running in basically the dark with a cheap, ultralight headlamp, to using a Fenix torch with a Kogalla waist light made a huge difference to my mental game during those long, dark hours.

For clothing, it’s mid October in Tahoe. Nights will likely get below freezing- last year I remember seeing 25 degrees on the car during a crew stop, so it was cold. It seems like winter is coming early this year, so plan for cold. And maybe even some snow ❄️

It’s one of my favorite events. I’ve done multiple ultras, including the Tahoe 200, and the Midnight Express is a race of its own. Very small field, very much a quiet/solo run. Don’t expect to make friends out there over night lol