I have a serious first world problem: I’m tapering for an Ironman and need to keep my trail running to a minimum. Taylor and I are staying 3 miles away from a Tahoe Rim Trail trailhead and were lucky enough to get a brief glimpse of what it has to offer today.

The 165-mile trail forms a loop around Lake Tahoe and ranges from roughly 6,200-10,500 feet. There is ample single track, well marked junctions, and manicured surfaces as far as the eye can see. It hosts several major trail races, including the Tahoe 50, 100 and 200 for the overachievers. Our 3-mile jaunt up to Brockway Summit gained over 1000′ and yielded a perfect 180-degree southern view of the lake.

We even saw massive plumes of smoke from the King Fire raging nearby – the same fire that’s threatening to impact Ironman Lake Tahoe on Sunday. One thing’s for certain: regardless of the outcome on Sunday, we will be back for a trail race in Tahoe in the future.