Start time: 7am

We depart from the Tahoe Meadows Ophir Creek Trailhead on Nevada 431.

Estimated arrival time: 1pm (bikers and runner), 5pm (walkers)

The stage concludes on the western outskirts of Carson City at Ash Canyon Creek Trailhead

After some quad-burning, calf-cramping ascents over the past few stages, today's elevation profile offers significant relief. The first 16 miles certainly don't qualify as flat, but the undulating trail rarely moves beyond the 7900-8700 foot range.

And then the descent begins. For the walkers, happy as your quads and calves might be, the knees will be paying the bill over the next ten miles, as the trail drops over 3000 feet en route to Carson City. The mountain bikers, meanwhile, will be cackling all the way down.

Take Heed: There are no services accessible on this stage and the support vehicle will not be available. There just isn't a viable way to get a vehicle within proximity to the trail. The one place you can hope to get water is at Marlette Campground (12.3 miles), where you can get it via pump.

If you can't tackle the full stage, there are two viable bail-out points to consider. 4.6 miles in, a trail leads down through Diamond Peak Ski Resort and (eventually) onto Incline Village. 7.7 miles in, it's possible to turn west on Tunnel Creek Road, which leads--3 miles later--to Hidden Beach.