Leg 5

Tahoe City to Meeks Bay

10.7 miles

Heading south on Highway 89, the race continues along the West Shore of the lake. Mostly flat, this section is fast with fantastic views of the East Shore. In addition to the amazing scenery don’t forget to check out one of most iconic mansions in film.

Fleur Du Lac Mansion – The Godfather II location

Fleur du Lac, as it is called now, was originally owned by Henry J. Kaiser from San Francisco. Kaiser was in industrialist and is famous for starting companies many of which still exist today. Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Sitting right on the water, Fleur du Lac became most famous as the house used in “The Godfather II” movie. The mansion was renovated in early 2000, and has a distinctive pine wood lodge flair, but with a more modern style. It is fairly typical of the architecture of the homes that are around the lake, and many which are available as Lake Tahoe home rentals, for a vacation. Fleur du Lac is permanently closed to the public. It is private residences.

Kaiser loved Lake Tahoe and his boats. In 1938 Kaiser had a crew of 300 men build this famous estate on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. Known for getting things done that were considered impossible, Kaiser had a crew of 300 working in eight hour shifts, 24 hours a day, building on the 15 acre piece of property. The estate was completed in 30 days in order to be the party venue for the grand opening of the Hoover Damn, another one of his projects.

After running past this mansion and near the end of this leg, there are a few more small undulating hills around Sugar Pine Point, where you’ll hand off to the next runner at Meeks Bay.