Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka | Chief Master Sgt. Chris Barber, 152nd Mission Support Group command chief, Nevada Air...... read more read more
At about mile 19, Chief Master Sgt. Chris Barber took lead position in the annual Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run 50K.
He never looked back.
Barber, command chief, 152nd Mission Support Group, Nevada Air National Guard, finished the final 10 miles as leader among 115 competitors and won the daylong 50K race July 17 that includes a 4,800-foot elevation gain through the Tahoe Rim Trail and back to Carson City.
“In this sport it is more about strategy, saving energy on the uphill portion and running your pace — whatever your training pace may have been (leading up to the race),” said Barber, 49, who enlisted in the Nevada Air National Guard in 1995. “The race (about 30 miles total) doesn’t usually start until the last 10 miles because of all the different factors of race execution and the parameters of hydration, nutrition and the runner’s pace.”
The Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run usually includes a 100K, which Barber has completed six times and placed third in 2018. Construction along the path forced organizers to only offer a 50K this year. Runners in this year’s race ranged in age from 24 to 75.
Unlike a typical marathon, the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run largely navigates through trails in the Sierra Nevada range — creating a challenge for runners to determine their pace through a combination of running and hiking.
“You’re in your head the entire time thinking about whether you are doing the right thing,” said Barber, who has worked full time as a United Parcel Service driver for 30 years.
Barber finished the 50K in under five hours (4:59:51), more than seven minutes ahead of second place.
“The biggest issue was my calves,” said Barber, who sports a pair of Altra trail running shoes. “My calves were locking up simultaneously, and I would have to keep walking to keep forward momentum. If I stopped for too long, I knew the second-place runner would be close behind.”
Barber’s preparation and training included months of running, including a mixture of long-distance road runs during the week and climbing Peavine Mountain north of Reno during the summer heat on the weekends.
“Heat training is a big thing,” Barber, a resident of south Reno, said.
During the race, temperatures began in the 60s at 7 a.m. but climbed into the low 90s by the time he reached the finish line in Carson City.
Barber started long-distance running in the early 2000s. He started trail running in 2005. He even qualified and competed in the Boston Marathon in 2007. He preferred trail running to marathon running for the challenges it posed with an uneven course. It’s also less monotonous, he said.
Starting from the John L. Harvey Baseball Stadium at Western Nevada College, the course goes up Ash Canyon Road to Snow Valley Peak overlooking Lake Tahoe. From there, the race navigates down the Tahoe Rim Trail to the Laxalt Junction and then a hard right onto the Capital 2 Tahoe Trail to the waterfall aid station and back down Ash Canyon trail, returning to Carson City.
After the race, Barber said he was tired, but nothing too bad.
“Afterward, I hung out under the tent, ate ice cream and drank beer,” he said. “Cooled off. I enjoyed sitting around talking to everybody, but soon I went home and took a shower; there were weeds to pull and dinner to make. Back to work, I guess you could say.”
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2025 13:39 |
| Story ID: | 544797 |
| Location: | CARSON CITY, NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 51 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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