Hi all,
As a small event company (just the two of us) with a big race, the Rock Tahoe Half Marathon is a huge part of our lives and our livelihood. We have been hoping for the best and desperately wanted Rock Tahoe 2020 to help lift spirits and get our community running again (sorry, couldn’t resist the pun :).
After discussions with our local authorities and in compliance with state and federal guidelines, we are moving the 2020 Rock Tahoe Half Marathon to a virtual race. While we are deeply disappointed to not be all together on race day, we agree that the safety of our Rock Tahoe community (runners, volunteers, healthcare partners, community partners, and community at large) is always the number one priority.
Introducing The 2020 Socially Distanced Rock Tahoe Half Marathon.
You’ve all worked hard for the last year prepping for Rock Tahoe so we’re still going to get together virtually to run and celebrate! Here’s how it works:
Track your 13.1 mile race on the app of your choice between Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, June 21, 2020.
Upload your results to our official results page
We will mail you your: Medal, Finisher’s Race Shirt, and Personalized Commemorative Bib.
We will also have some awesome prizes racers can win!
More information will be emailed to you later this week.
Hard Rock Room Discounts
Keep your reservation for the weekend of June 19-21, 2020 at a significant discount!
Rates as low as $90/night for that Friday & Saturday.
This is an exclusive offer for our runners with existing reservations.
Please contact Hard Rock directly for more information or to adjust your reservation by completing the form here.
Rock Tahoe 2021 Race Credit
All registered participants are receiving up to 70% credit to register for Rock Tahoe 2021.
Later today, you will receive a separate email with a code to register for only $37 for the Rock Tahoe Half Marathon on Saturday, June 19, 2021.
Due to many expenses that were already paid toward putting on the event this year, we are not able to offer a 100% deferral credit.
The code will be unique to each participant and valid for one registration during our early bird registration period between now and July 1, 2020.
We are also making this discounted registration fee refundable, no questions asked, up until December 31, 2020. Past that date, our standard refund policy will apply.
Why is the 2020 registration non-refundable?
We work on organizing the race for a full year and many of our expenses are all paid for well in advance of the race such as medals, shirts, marketing, etc. As a reminder, our Race Waiver outlines our refund policy and is agreed to at the time of registration. A PDF copy can be viewed here.
However, if you purchased Mail My Bib for 2020, you will be receiving a refund of $25. Those refunds have started processing today, and you should see them appear on your card within 7-10 business days.
Athletes United Option
Athletes United is our nonprofit partner dedicated to supporting healthy youth activities in the South Lake Tahoe community. They organize our volunteers and make sizable contributions to all the amazing organizations who make the event as fun and successful as it is.
You may gift your registration fee to Athletes United as a tax-deductible donation. Please visit our FAQs for information on how to make this selection.
We are committed to our partnership with Athletes United and will continue our support of the amazing organizations which host our aid stations each year. These kids need our support now more than ever.
You can learn more about Athletes United here.
While this has been a tough decision, we are excited to celebrate a Virtual Rock Tahoe experience with everyone over the next several weeks. If you have additional questions, please visit our FAQs. If you need to email us, please allow extra time for us to respond.
We are stronger together by running apart this year, and we will all be back together soon.
Jess & Jason
We know this time is challenging and trying for all of us as we continue to shelter-in-place through the end of April. We hope all of you are doing well, are staying safe and healthy. As of now, the Rock Tahoe Half Marathon is still set to run on June 20, however, we are very much in a wait and see situation and may not have a definitive answer for several weeks. As a result, we have temporarily closed race registration.
While we have been receiving a ton of support and encouragement to continue with the race (if safe and permissible), we are also hearing more concerns about travel, rescheduled races/events that now conflicting with Rock Tahoe, financial constraints, or just not feeling comfortable attending in person anymore. To help alleviate some stress for you we have put together the following options available for all racers to choose from.
1. Free Bib Transfer -- you can transfer your bib to another runner for free. We are also extending the deadline to Sunday, May 3rd. Click here for information on how to complete a transfer.
2. Rock Tahoe’s Social Distancing Race (aka a Virtual Race) -- You may select to compete virtually, wherever you are, and we will mail you your bib, race shirt, and medal. Complete your half marathon between June 20 and July 20, 2020, and upload your results to the leaderboard. You must complete the challenge in order to receive your bib/shirt/medal. To change your registration to this option, please follow the instructions below to edit your registration.
*Note: Once you’ve selected this option, you will not be able to change to in-person attendance. On-site pickup options will be TBD. Further details on how to complete the virtual race will be emailed to you. You may select this option until May 20, 2020.
3. Donate your entry fee to our non-profit partner, Athletes United. Athletes United helps support many youth organizations throughout the South Lake Tahoe community and has donated over $50,000 to community organizations over the past few years. If you select this option, your donation is tax-deductible, and receipts will be issued bi-weekly. To change your registration to this option, please follow the instructions below to edit your registration.
4. Do nothing and plan to attend Rock Tahoe as usual for the packet pick-up on Friday, June 19 and race on Saturday June 20!
If you would like to select either option 2 or 3, please follow the instructions below to edit your registration:
1. Go to your participant dashboard – if you do not see your Rock Tahoe Half Marathon Registration please scroll down to the claim section of your dashboard and click “CLAIM” next to Rock Tahoe Half Marathon
2. Click "View Dashboard" on the 2020 Rock Tahoe Half Marathon icon
3. Click on the "Edit Registration" button on the far right of the page
4. Indicate your answer from the drop down menu under “Alternative registration options"
5. Click "SAVE" to submit your selection
Again, we hope to be able to see as many of you as possible in person. We also understand if you can’t attend and hope these options allow you a little flexibility. Please refer to our FAQs page for more information on these options. We will continue to update you as we can and we appreciate all of your words of encouragement and support!
Stay safe and healthy!
Jess & Jason
Hi all, it’s Jason and Jess – we wanted to reach out and update you on where things stand with the Rock Tahoe Half Marathon. We’ve started getting some questions regarding cancelling or postponing the event due to the COVID-19 crisis. As of today, the current plan is to continue with the Rock Tahoe Half Marathon as scheduled on June 20, 2020.
Please know, we are actively monitoring the situation and are working on contingency plans if anything regarding the race needs to change. We know conditions are rapidly changing for everyone, and we will keep you informed on any race updates.
While Rock Tahoe is a big production, we are a very small family-owned event with just the two of us, and our families working and managing the entire operation. We are not a large corporation or event company. Jess is a full-time stay at home mom to her two young toddlers, and Jason is father to two teenage sons and is serving as the Mayor of South Lake Tahoe, which as you can imagine, is no easy task at the moment. We ask you to please be patient with us as we navigate these uncharted waters while also tending to our children and community needs.
Stay safe and remember we’re all in this together.
