Lake Tahoe Marathon is more than just running 26.1 miles.

A multitude of events are Sept. 22-25.

Go to the website for more information.

Lake Tahoe residents receive a 15 percent discount on any of the Lake Tahoe Marathon events.

Just put Tahoe Local in the promo box when registering on the website.

Lake Tahoe Bowl is having a fundraiser for the South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center on April 20 from 6-8pm.

If you are interested in participating in the 3rd Annual Bowl-a-Thon or would like to make a donation to support local children affected by child abuse and sexual assault, contact Taylor for more information at (530) 544.2118 or tlafferty@sltwc.org.

Publisher’s note: The following is from a South Lake Tahoe resident who experienced the tsunami in Maui.

By Cookie Rork

Sorry to take so long to respond … must be this Maui lifestyle.

Anyway, our tsunami experience was quite uneventful where we are in Kihei. We, of course, watched TV all night, and listened to the tsunami sirens every hour or so for about four hours before the time when the big wave was supposed to hit.

We basically just received big surges here on our side of the island. Other parts received some flooding and boat damage in the harbors. So, no big story here.

Our condo is also up high – so we weren’t evacuated — even though everything just below us was.

Hope all is well in Tahoe.

Helly Hansen’s Big Mountain Battle returns to Squaw Valley for the third year on March 19. The event was postponed earlier this winter due to heavy snowfall at the resort.

The Big Mountain Battle’s Squaw Valley stop is a favorite among local skiers. The event will challenge teams of two to ski and snowboard a big-mountain course on Squaw Valley’s legendary terrain. Teams are tracked in real time by Flaik GPS devices as they hit virtual checkpoints, strategically placed across the mountain.

First-place finishers will win $2,000 worth of Helly gear, prizes from sponsors Thule, Powder and Dakine, and free entry to the final Battle in the Bowls in Aspen/Snowmass on March 27. Second- and third-place finishers will also be awarded an array of prizes from sponsors.

Cost for the event is $85 per team and includes two Helly Hansen base layers, valued at $45 each as well as a year-long subscription to Powder magazine. For more information and to register, go online.

By Kathryn Reed

If Ty Polastri were to have his way, Heavenly Village would be a ski village in the winter and bike village in summer.

He laid out a plan recently to people who regulate the South Lake Tahoe retail area for future cycling events.

“I see this area as the epicenter. I see this as an active lifestyle model,” Polastri told the board of the Park Avenue Development Maintenance Association. He runs the nonprofit Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition. “I envision a weeklong event staged here.”

Ty Polastri

Although the board members were not opposed to Polastri’s ideas, it was stated the organization has no marketing budget.

Polastri is looking toward having all this come together in 2012 – with June 4-10 that year being Tahoe Bike Week at Heavenly Village.

He for years has been instrumental in putting on a bike challenge for employers and last year helped launch a bike festival. The week of events in 2012 would tie in the annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride put on by Curtis Fong on the front end, with the tail end involving a bike event Polastri is still developing.

Although the PADMA board in conjunction with the city wants to put on more events at the village, it is limited in its resources. Polastri said he would be back with a more formal plan.

The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a winter weather for the Lake Tahoe Basin from 8 this evening to 8am Monday above 7,000 feet.

All this gray sky will eventually unleash snow starting Sunday afternoon. The heaviest snow will occur between 10pm and 5am.

Storm clouds Saturday brought flurries to Heavenly's tubing hill. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Expect 4 to 8 inches above 7,000 feet. The heaviest amounts will be near the Sierra crest. Minor accumulations are possible at lake level by Monday morning.

The commute over the summits Monday morning are likely to be less than pleasant.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Publisher’s note: The following is from a South Lake Tahoe resident writing from Hawaii to a friend on the South Shore — with permission to pass it along.

By Pat Oliveira

We’re fine. Thanks so much for emailing. Someone please pay a fine for me next week with my “tsunami update”.

We were evacuated at 10pm Thursday and allowed to return at noon Friday.It was a very long night since the sirens where blaring all night long. Not a lot of sleep and a very serious and tense situation.

We went to our Tahoe friends’ home at the 1,200 foot elevation, so no problem having a place at higher ground. Other people weren’t so lucky and many slept in their cars along the roadways.

We arrived home today to no power, though. In this climate, that can be a big food loss very rapidly. But all was well.

Quite a bit of damage on all islands including some very impressive surge/recede at our nearby beach area. Apparently here on the island of Hawaii (the Big Island), we have suffered the most damage.

One beachfront house in an area where we just barbecued a few nights ago was washed away to sea. Several surrounding homes and vehicles sustained a lot of damage, some crunched into each other just like you see on the news, with complete loss or their cars went into the ocean never to be seen again.

The restaurant where we celebrated Carol’s birthday just a week ago is next door to a large hotel complex in “downtown” Kona, which sustained a huge amount of damage. Don’t know about the restaurant though, but the hotel’s first floor, lobby, grounds and pool are a complete loss and a big mess. Many of the shops were flooded.

Mud, debris, water everywhere … anywhere along the shore roadways.

This is now two years in a row we’ve experienced a tsunami evacuation. This time was a zillion times more serious than last year’s experience. During my years living here and our 16 wintering here, never before. Now two years in a row.

We’re fine, just a huge loss here on the Big Island and a lot of destruction with recovery work ahead, including statewide.

Aloha to everyone!

By Lindsey Sine, U.S. Snowboarding

STRATTON MOUNTAIN, Vt. – Kelly Clark of Mt. Snow, Vt., remained unstoppable Saturday, leading a U.S. podium sweep to win her eighth halfpipe snowboarding competition in a row during the Burton U.S. Open in her home state of Vermont. Japan’s Kazuhiro Kokubo finished first for the men, and Louie Vito of Sandy, Utah, led for the U.S., finishing just off the podium in fourth.

The win marked Clark’s fifth U.S. Open halfpipe title. The two-time Olympic medalist was followed on the podium by U.S. riders Hannah Teter of South Lake Tahoe in second and Gretchen Bleiler of Aspen in third.

“It’s been an incredible season,” Clark said. “Not only am I happy with the level of my riding, I’ve also had more fun than ever, and my results speak for that.”

Clark threw her patented 10 to win the competition, and was the only woman to do so in the finals. She also took the Burton Global Series overall title, and is happy to have made her stamp on U.S. Open history.

Vito, who just took home the Grand Prix and Dew Tour titles, is looking ahead to European X Games after his fourth-place finish.

The European X Games are schedules for March 15-18 in Tignes, France.

Official results, Burton U.S. Open, Stratton Mountain, Vt., Halfpipe Snowboarding

Men

1. Kazuhiro Kokubo, Japan, 90.10

2. Iouri Podladtchikov, Switzerland, 88.60

3. Kohei Kudo, Japan, 87.90

–

4. Louie Vito, Sandy, UT, 84.45

Women

1. Kelly Clark, Mt. Snow, VT, 94.95

2. Hannah Teter, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 88.10

3. Gretchen Bleiler, Aspen, CO, 86.30

By Freddy Perryman, U.S. Ski Team

BRANAS, Sweden -– John Teller of Mammoth Lakes led three U.S. men into the finals of Sunday’s World Cup skicross race in Branas, Sweden, finishing 24th. Current men’s World Cup overall leader Andreas Matt of Switzerland was the men’s winner while Anna Holmlund of Sweden topped the women’s podium.

Canada’s Chris Del Bosco was second behind Matt with Conradign Netzer of Switzerland in third. In the women’s field, Kelsey Serwa of Canada was second and Norway’s Marte Hoeie Gjefsen third.

Joining Teller was Jean Christophe Rudigoz of Ketchum, Idaho, in 30th. A new face in Sunday’s final was Brant Crossan of Steamboat Springs, Colo., who was competing in his third World Cup race. This was Crossan’s first finals appearance, finishing 27th.

World Cup skicross racing heads to the 2013 World Championship venue of Myrkdalen-Voss, Norway March 19 for the final race of the season.

Official results, FIS World Cup, Branas, Sweden, Skicross

Men

1. Andreas Matt, Switzerland

2. Chris Del Bosco, Canada

3. Conradign Netzer, Switzerland

–

24. John Teller, Mammoth Lakes, CA

27. Brant Crossan, Steamboat Springs, CO

30. Jean Christophe Rudigoz, Ketchum, ID

Women

1. Anna Holmlund. Sweden

2. Kelsey Serwa, Canada

3. Marte Hoeie Gjefsen, Norway

Wind may be a problem on the upper lifts.

Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.