The Tahoe 200 is the second race of the Triple Crown and to celebrate the 5th anniversary, Destination Trail decided to run it in reverse... as if running forward isn't hard enough. On race day I discovered that it's the course direction that was reversed. That's good because while you could wear RA on your back, it would still be tough to run backwards.
The course circumvents Lake Tahoe with a total length of 205 miles and 40,200 feet of ascent. The elevation ranging from around 6200 feet to over 10,000 feet provides an added test for the runners. There was no moon for the race so at night it got VERY dark. Good thing Kogalla was there. Many of the runners wore the RA Adventure Light. Here's what they had to say...
Ben Light (ULTRALIGHT007)- Heber City, UT
Ben: “The Kogalla RA Adventure Light is making quite a splash in the trail running world. Everyone at the 200 mile events is aware of RA and they’re all talking about it. Kogalla is redefining lighting for trail running much like Altra did with trail running shoes. RA is quickly becoming the new lighting standard for trail runners.”
Ben Light sporting RA on his waist, leaving Loon Lake with Lindsey and mugging with Candice at the finish of the Tahoe 200
*****
Helgi Olafson - Portland, OR
Helgi: "I had a headlamp and my new Kogalla LED light system, which I strapped to my waist. Together, these lights offered daylight in the night. I was not at all worried about tripping over rocks or roots due to lighting. I know I could definitely see better with RA."
Helgi crossing the finish line - or is that Iron Man?
*****
Mike De Ridder - King, NC
Mike: "Have you ever been envied because of something you have? That’s how I felt every time I turned my on my RA during the Tahoe 200. I traveled with a number of different groups of people during the nighttime miles and everyone I encountered loved having the “Truck light” as I heard it called around. Everyone knew about the RA but a lot had not seen it in action....I know I made believers out of them out there in the dark wilderness... lol.
For me this is the ultimate trail light. Using a headlamp when you are fatigued and delirious is hard....trying to focus on a concentrated area of light takes work and energy sometimes you just don’t have. The RA took that strain away from me. At one point we had a runner in our group who was stumbling and struggling to stay with us. We put him next to me with my RA on and he was able to stay with us until the next stop.
I cannot use a regular headlamp anymore....they are just not enough. The RA made traveling at night so much easier. The light radius and brightness of the RA is perfect for efficient, easy night time movement. I used the magnets to attach it to my outer shell and had absolutely no issues with it moving or falling off. The battery packs were light enough and compact so I had no issues storing them. Overall the light exceeds all my needs and expectations for the race. If you don’t have one, get one... you won’t regret it."
Mike De Ridder lighting the trail with RA
*****
Brian Cioci - Cranberry Township, PA
Brian: "RA was an absolute life saver on the course on my second night. I was extremely tired and the light helped me stay upright without falling or tripping. I would highly recommend it. I had the medium size battery and it lasted 7 hours on full brightness."
Brian on the trail with RA
*****
Myles McLeod - Marietta, GA
Myles: "I purchased a single RA pack at the Tahoe 200 booth. I did not have time to fit the RA to my pack before the Tahoe 200 race. Since then, I easily mounted it to both my Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin 12 Set Hydration Vest and to a ruck pack. I used velcro loops to fasten the RA vertically to small cord loops present along the length of the Salomon vest’s leading edge and also to the molle attachments that are sewn onto the GoRuck’s pack straps. In both cases, the RA power cord easily routed up and into the back storage area.
I purchased the RA with the hope of resolving a number of minor issues I have with my long time go-to headlamp. Namely:
I purchased the RA with the hope of resolving a number of minor issues I have with my long time go-to headlamp, namely:
Here's what I found with RA and how it addressed these concerns:
*****
Ray Sanchez - Sacramento, CA
Ray: "The Kogalla lights worked very well for me during the race. I plan to use to them quite frequently."
Ray Sanchez on the course rocking his RA hat
A couple of racers with headlamps and RA coming up behind
Jeremy Noret prefers a pair of RA - twice the light. He finished both Bigfoot and Tahoe in his quest for the Triple Crown.
Check out RA's light pattern on the ground. That really helps when it gets technical.
Early dawn in the sky but there's a piece of the sun on the trail. RA is named after the Egyptian sun god.
We had a great time at a fantastic event. We enjoyed chatting with all the runners and with the many who wore RA in the race. It was awesome to be on the course at night and see the unmistakable bright light of RA coming up the trail. But most of all, we LOVE hearing all the comments from the runners as they raved about RA. Thanks to Candice and all the participants, volunteers, crew and pacers that made this event so successful.
- Rob and Dick
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