Northern Nevada’s Lake Tahoe region is the type of environment any adventurer would be happy to visit. Its pastoral beauty is easily articulated in poetic form. It’s that beauty that led one man to organize the inaugural Expedition Man Endurance Festival around gorgeous Lake Tahoe, the surrounding hills and the idyllic vistas along Highway 50 through Northern Nevada’s cities: Carson City, Reno and Sparks.

Ryan Kolodge, 31, is a branch manager for a printing company. After completing his first triathlon in 2011, he thought Northern Nevada’s bucolic splendor was the perfect place to swim, bike and run in an ultra endurance test stretching almost 150 miles. Unfortunately there weren’t any triathlon’s within 800 miles of this gorgeous nook of Northern Nevada.

That’s how the original idea for the Expedition Man came to be: Kolodge’s dogged persistence while competing in triathlons mirrored his drive to get the race organized. He lined up sponsors and, on August 25 of this year, competitors will embark on the first Ultra Long Endurance Race in the Northern Nevada area.

The raise will begin with a 2.4 mile swim in Lake Tahoe’s Zephyr Cove followed by a punishing 112 mile bike ride that starts from the top of 6,000-feet high Zephyr Cove. It then heads north on Highway 15 where, eventually, a 1,500-foot drop lands the riders in Carson City. From there, the riders head to southeast Reno and then Sparks where they’ll dismount at the Legends at Sparks Marina.

In the final leg of the race, they’ll follow the Truckee River on foot 26.2 miles as they loop the Grand Sierra Resort and finish the whole ultra race back at Legends at Sparks Marina. A festival at Legends at Sparks Marina will cap off the whole event. Lets hope the beauty of the area doesn’t distract the triathletes as they attempt to win the inaugural race.