Results are in for the 38th Annual Tioga Pass Run

This post was written by Nigel Bates, 2018 Birding Intern.

Last Sunday, September 9, athletes from near and far joined us in the Eastern Sierra for the 38th Annual Tioga Pass Run.

Runners make their way up the Tioga Road just past the midpoint of the race. Photo by Dick Erb.

Starting outside the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore in Lee Vining, the grueling but beautiful 12.4-mile course follows the Tioga Road up Lee Vining Canyon to the eastern gate of Yosemite National Park, topping out at 9,943 feet above sea level. A total of 148 runners and walkers completed the race this year, a new record!

This year’s overall winner, finishing in a time of 1:40:16, was Mono Lake Committee Birding Intern Nigel Bates (who is incidentally the author of this post). Close behind in 1:42:22 was former Committee staff member Jessica Francois, finishing as the first woman for the fifth year in a row! Continuing the parade of Committee staff was Mono Lake Intern Max Price, who finished ninth overall in 1:57:35. The field also included 31 Graniteman Challenge participants, including Canoe Coordinator Alison Kaplan. These competitors finished the 2.4-mile Granite-to-Granite swim in June Lake on Friday, the 102-mile Mammoth Gran Fondo bike ride on Saturday, and the Tioga Pass Run on Sunday. Click here for a complete list of the race results.

Birding Intern Nigel Bates was the overall winner of the 2018 Tioga Pass Run. Photo courtesy of Dave Marquart.

Thanks to race director Alana Gillmore for all of her hard work! Photo by Dick Erb.

Thanks also to all of the volunteers who staffed aid stations, shuttled runners back to Lee Vining, and otherwise kept the race running smoothly. Thank you to the Whoa Nellie Deli for donating lunches for our volunteers and hosting the post-race awards ceremony. We are immensely appreciative of the emergency medical responders and law enforcement officers who ensured a safe journey up to Tioga Pass. And finally, thanks to our tireless race director Alana Gillmore for all of her work to make the race a success year after year.

The Tioga Pass Run would not be possible without the generosity of our many sponsors. Thanks to Sage to Summit, Mono Market, Eastside Sports, Double Eagle Resort & Spa, Ohanas 395, Mammoth Hospital, June Lake Brewing, Alex Printing, El Mono Motel & Latte Da Coffee, Silver Lake Resort, Tioga Gas Mart and the Whoa Nellie Deli, Designs Unlimited, Epic Cafe, Footloose Sports, Altra Running, Mammoth Mountaineering Supply, and Hammer Nutrition.

This year’s run may just have finished, but next year’s is already in the works! We hope to see you on Sunday, September 8, 2019 for the 39th edition of the Tioga Pass Run. Remember, it’s 12.4 miles, but only one hill!