Cal-Neva Marathon
Race Day Weather
Cold start, warming finish
Runners will face a chilly start at 33°F, feeling as cold as 30°F, with light winds up to 6 mph. Conditions will gradually warm to 55°F by the finish, making hydration key as temperatures rise. Miles 1-2 will have a crosswind, followed by beneficial tailwinds from miles 3, 6, and 9, while a headwind will challenge runners from miles 14-27. Starting conservatively is advised to adjust for the warming temperatures.
This course drops 827 ft from start to finish, so we look at it at 2 points, not just the start line. In a typical year, at 9:00/mi, you start at 33° and finish around 10:55 AM in 55°; typical start-line conditions say 51° then.
Pace Calculator
Enter a finish time to see what race day does to it.
Get forecast alerts for Cal-Neva Marathon
We'll text or email you when the forecast shifts — so you can adjust gear, pacing, and strategy. Max one per day.
Get your personalized Cal-Neva Marathon race plan
A mile-by-mile breakdown of where your time goes, weather-adjusted splits, fueling timeline with aid stations, packing checklist, carb tracker, spectator guide, all built around your goal and race-day conditions.
Race Info
The Cal-Neva Marathon is a point-to-point race held each October as part of the Lake Tahoe Marathon weekend, crossing the state line so the same 26.2 miles can be counted for either Nevada or California toward a 50-states goal. It starts at the Spooner Summit Snow Play Area near 7,000 feet on the Nevada shore, runs counterclockwise past Incline Village's Billionaire Row, and finishes about 800 feet lower at Commons Beach in Tahoe City, California. The Incline Half Marathon joins the course for its second half and shares the same finish line. The 2024 edition was canceled after Caltrans closed the route, and the race returned in 2025 with an expanded field.
