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A stacked start line, a rolling course that never lets your legs settle, and a late climb that can flip the whole day on its head. That’s why the Gorge Waterfall 30K feels like more than “just” an early-season trail race, and why I wanted Tyler McCandless back on Steep Stuff for a pre-race check-in. Tyler comes from a deep road and track background, but he’s been sharpening his trail running range, and this two-hour sub-ultra effort asks for the full toolkit: speed, strength, patience, and smart decisions when everyone around you wants to surge. 

We talk tactics and how a mixed field changes the pace, with short-course racers more willing to light it up early while ultra runners may wait for the back half. Tyler breaks down how he’s trained differently to build durability, leaning into longer mountain runs with real vertical gain and more time in the weight room so the climbs and descents still feel runnable late. We also get nerdy about gear, including hydration for longer trail races and shoe choices for a course with both trail and road sections, plus what he’s learning about traction and ride in models like the Norda 005 and Nike ACG Ultrafly. 

Then we zoom out to the bigger picture: sponsorship cycles in sub-ultra trail racing, the rise of serious prize purses, and Tyler’s WMRA World Cup plans that include Beijing and the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of racing on the Great Wall of China. We close with his road ambitions too, from chasing another Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier to the tricky balance of using super shoes for speed without inviting hip and hamstring issues. 

If you’re into trail running, Gorge Waterfall 30K previews, sub-ultra strategy, WMRA racing, and the real decisions athletes make behind the scenes, hit subscribe, share this with a running friend, and leave a review with your favorite race-day lesson.

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