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A Tahoe childhood can shape an athlete for life—and Noah McMahan proves it. At 19, he’s a Gonzaga steeplechaser who keeps his easy runs on dirt, wins Broken Arrow 11K off a Hayward Field PR, and carries hard-earned lessons from the World Mountain Running Championships in Spain. We talk about the quiet confidence it takes to recover from injuries, the patience to build fitness through a long collegiate season, and the racecraft to navigate tight European singletrack when the start line explodes.

We dig into what it means to balance D1 expectations with trail ambitions: coach buy-in, smart training blocks, and the reality of fitting a “fourth season” into a college calendar. Noah opens up about recruitment from a small Nevada school, why team culture sold him on Gonzaga, and how a kinesiology major helps him stay healthy. He breaks down the Worlds course—road surge, singletrack congestion, switchback duels—and the two changes he’d make next time: more hill-specific work and earlier positioning to avoid bottlenecks.

Gear talk includes Nike Ultrafly on race day, a rotation that’s open to Saucony for daily miles, and curiosity about adding poles for steeper 23K goals. We share inspiration from Max King, Kilian Jornet, Jim Walmsley, Ruth Croft, and the next wave of hybrid athletes bridging track, road, and mountain disciplines. If you’re a young runner considering a future in trail running—or a fan who loves the sport’s evolving pathways—you’ll hear a clear blueprint for turning college structure into a sustainable pro trajectory.

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