Course Info
RTO Course Overview
The Reno-Tahoe Odyssey course is truly one of a kind: blending breathtaking natural scenery, world-class destinations, and rich historical landmarks into one unforgettable relay experience. It presents both a physical and mental challenge for runners of all levels, yet remains a fair and thoughtfully designed course.
The course begins and ends in Reno at the J Resort Festival Grounds, creating an energetic hub for team send-offs and finish-line celebrations.
Teams travel the full loop in a counter-clockwise direction, experiencing the diverse landscapes and elevations that make the Reno-Tahoe region such an iconic running destination.
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Leg 4 Timing – IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR 2026
Leg 4—“Donner’s Downfall”—is the one of the most iconic and demanding legs of the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey, climbing through remote mountain terrain with sweeping views of Dog Valley and the High Sierra. Because of its popularity and challenging nature, we time this individual leg.
Leg 4 is now timed via Strava. Runners who want to compete must record their run on the provided Strava segment using a GPS timing device/watch or the Strava app on their phone, complete the designated Strava segment during the race, and upload their activity to Strava. The activity will need to be visible to everyone for your effort to show up on the Leg 4 Segment leader board.
Posted segment times will serve as the official results for Leg 4, with awards given to the top male and female finishers. Segments need to be posted before the end of day on Friday 5/29/26.
You do not need to change global privacy settings and allow all of your activities to be visible. You can allow for a single activity to be visible to everyone while hiding all other activities, if you prefer.
Relay Leg Assignments
See the table below indicating mileage and leg assignments for each runner. We encourage you to look at the individual leg maps as well.
- E – easy (relatively flat, distance varies)
- M – moderate (relatively flat, distance varies)
- MC – more challenging
- MD – most difficult, not
- MD for call a doctor (some of the steepest climbs)
Each runner slot is assigned a set of three legs, and these sets are ranked from most difficult (1) to easiest (12) to help teams strategically assign runners and build their lineup.
Example:
The runner in the No. 1 slot will complete Legs 1, 13, and 25 (E, MC, E), totaling 14.3 miles. This set is ranked 10th hardest overall or 3rd easiest, depending on how you look at it, making it a solid option for a steady, well-rounded runner.
The runner in the No. 7 slot, however, will take on the most challenging set of legs, ranked No. 1 overall (MC, MD, MD). This set includes significant difficulty and elevation, so it’s best suited for one of your strongest runners.
Important note:
Leg 4 is the single toughest leg on the entire course. It’s also the only leg with an individual race component, the Donner’s Downfall Leg 4 Time Trial. Because of this, most teams choose to assign their strongest runner to the leg set that includes Leg 4.
| 1st Leg | 2nd Leg | 3rd Leg | |||||||||
| Runner | Leg | Miles | Rating | Leg | Miles | Rating | Leg | Miles | Rating | Total | Ranking |
| 1 | 1 | 4.9 | E | 13 | 6.2 | M | 25 | 3.4 | E | 14.5 | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 4.4 | M | 14 | 6.2 | MD | 26 | 5.5 | M | 16.1 | 3 |
| 3 | 3 | 5.5 | M | 15 | 5.5 | MC | 27 | 3.9 | M | 14.9 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 | 8 | MD | 16 | 3.4 | E | 28 | 4.8 | M | 16.4 | 4 |
| 5 | 5 | 5.6 | M | 17 | 3.3 | E | 29 | 3.4 | MC | 12.5 | 9 |
| 6 | 6 | 5.4 | E | 18 | 4.6 | E | 30 | 3.4 | MD | 13.4 | 12 |
| Miles 33.8 | Miles 29.6 | Miles 24.4 | 87.8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | 7.4 | MC | 19 | 3.8 | MD | 31 | 2.6 | MD | 13.8 | 1 |
| 8 | 8 | 4.0 | M | 20 | 3.7 | M | 32 | 3.3 | MD | 11.0 | 8 |
| 9 | 9 | 5.3 | M | 21 | 3.7 | M | 33 | 6.6 | MC | 15.6 | 6 |
| 10 | 10 | 4.8 | M | 22 | 5.7 | M | 34 | 5.1 | M | 15.6 | 7 |
| 11 | 11 | 5.2 | M | 23 | 6.1 | M | 35 | 6.9 | MC | 18.2 | 2 |
| 12 | 12 | 6.2 | M | 24 | 3.2 | E | 36 | 4.2 | M | 13.6 | 11 |
| Miles 32.7 | Miles 26.2 | Miles 28.7 | 87.6 | ||||||||
*Ranking is based on overall combined difficulty and elevation profile, not just mileage.
CHANGES FOR 2026
