Bringing home the Podium Project is Birdmachine Tahoe! We can’t wait to cheer on our final team this weekend as they take on the trails and high altitude. The past few months we have loved following each team to their top three finish! So far, we are 7 for 7 on podium finishes. Time to make it 8 for 8, huh, Tahoe?

ALICIA JENKINS: Alicia has been known for “over” cowbelling (as if that’s a thing!) so naturally, she will be packing her Ten10 cowbell to serve as the nighttime wake-up alarm. Watch out, her secret talent includes juggling while balancing on an Indo board, proving that juggling cowbelling, cruising on the trails, and fueling will be seamless.

ANGELA HART: This will be Angela’s third Ragnar Tahoe! Plus, she has run three loops of this year’s course. I can’t confirm that she has the entire course memorized down to the roots, but my gut feeling says she totally does. When Angela isn’t running on the trails she is working as a pediatric nurse and has even traveled to Nepal, Haiti, and Nicaragua for volunteer nursing. Just adding another adventure to the long list.

AROLINE HANSON: Aroline is the team’s self-proclaimed certified gearhead. She thinks that under the beauty of tall trees is where we’re meant to run so she will feel right at home on the climbs of Ragnar trails course. Not only does Aroline know trail gear, and race logistics, she is also learning an endangered indigenous language from Costa Rica. Probably won’t be able to practice that with someone on the trail… but still VERY cool.

ASHLEE MAYFIELD: When asked what draws her to the trails Ashlee said “good friends, salty snacks, and dirty ankles” - all wonderful things.  She is unwilling to disclose her team position (is she the team’s secret weapon? Maybe… probably) but she did disclose that she was followed around by the Director of Clueless when she was in high school for movie inspiration. She quickly followed that statement with “don’t judge me”.

AVA MARTINEZ: Ava will immediately get to the course and try to find a dog to pet. “Why?” you may ask? Well first off, who doesn’t want to feel the soothing comfort of petting a dog? And second, she has PR’d at every single race where she’s pet a dog. You can’t fake that kind of magic. After petting a dog she will immediately take her good fortune and hit the trails as the team’s Downhill Daredevil.

BECCA BARNEY: Becca is ready to run fast and cheer on her teammates. Her secret talent of being able to walk on her hands could prove immensely valuable if her legs grow irreversibly tired. Rumor has it she is one impressive rock climber but we strictly prohibit taking shortcuts on the course, even via sick sends.

CARA SCOTT: Crew member, but also an ultra junkie herself, Cara has run a grand total of 18 ultramarathons and crewed/paced even more than that! (aka she’s a cream of the crop crew member) When asked her team role she replied, “manager in charge of midnight pancake flipping” What a lucky team.

CHRISTINE BOWLES: Pump up queen, student of running (actually finishing up her masters in exorcise science) and lover of adventures. Christine is on the newer side of trail running but will make up for her naivety with an almost unreal amount of enthusiasm.

JEN MATHE: Team leader, boss woman, coach, and Certified Athletic Trainer. Jen was raised by a true hippie in the backwoods of Northern California, running barefoot through the wilderness with the sun as her clock. So yes, she was born to lead to a trail relay team to victory.

And… adding to the list that Birdmachine Snowmass helped us create “In a trail race one must never ever...”

• Hurdle over someone who falls in front of you and not offer to help them up! This actually happened to a friend of mine recently (AND she came back after that fall to WIN the race). Trail runners ALWAYS help each other out, even if they are battling for 1st place.
• Be snarky to the volunteers. 
• Compare your pace to road running. You must adjust your pace according to the terrain, its okay to walk the steep hill, slow your pace when you are running over loose rock, and then speed up on the smooth downhill single track. The trees and rocks watching don’t judge.
• Forget to lube up...everything! 
• Piss-off the wildlife. 
• Wear headphones!
• Let the hills discourage you from the excitement of the view :)
• Forget to enjoy the view, just don't trip.
• Or, forget water and food. No one likes a hangry run. 
• Trust a stick until proven not to be a snake.
• Use leaves to wipe.

To follow along with Birdmachine Tahoe and cowbell from afar, follow the Podium Project Twitter and #BirdMachineTahoe - Also keep an eye out for updates on our Instagram Story!