The Steep Stuff Podcast
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The Steep Stuff Podcast
Alexa Aragon | Gorge Waterfalls 30K Pre Race Interview
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The Gorge Waterfalls 30K brings a rare mix of speed and strength: runnable trail, road sections where pace changes can stick, and late climbs that punish anyone who goes out too hot. We’re in Hood River with Alexa Aragon for a pre-race conversation about stepping up to 18 miles, testing her limits against a deep women’s field, and using one early-season start line to guide an entire summer of trail running goals.
We talk training through an unusually warm winter, when less snow means more time on the trails and fewer ski days. Alexa explains why she treats this race as a learning opportunity, how she thinks about course prep without fully scouting, and what terrain fits her best right now. With a road and track background as a former Notre Dame steeplechaser, she also breaks down where speed can matter on a course like this and why steep grades are still a key focus in training.
Then we get into what’s new off the course: Alexa shares that this will be her first sponsored race, representing Mammut and La Sportiva (footwear), and why it matters that a brand supports her student adventure club, not just her racing. We wrap with a look ahead to Broken Arrow, Minotaur, Sierra Zinal, and the Cirque Series, plus the mindset she’ll bring to the start when the pace gets spicy early.
If you’re into trail running race strategy, pacing for a 30K, and the real decisions athletes make before a big day, hit play. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share it with a running friend, and leave a review with the one question you want us to ask Alexa post-race.
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Welcome And Quick Setup
SPEAKER_01Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. I'm your host, James L'Orealow, and today I'm bringing you guys a Gorge Waterfalls 30K pre-race interview with Alexa Aragon. Hope you guys enjoy. All right, Alexa Aragon. Welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How's it going?
SPEAKER_00Good. I'm excited to be here chatting with you, and I'm enjoying the day in Hood River already. So I'm on my spring break from teaching, so life is good.
SPEAKER_01Heck yeah. Well, I'm super stoked to catch up with you. It's been a minute. Um feel like we've had tons to talk about since. And uh yeah, I'm glad to talk all things gorgeous waterfalls. And yeah, I feel like uh the air the area is pretty cool. Are you enjoying the area so far?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I've had a great time. I've done some climbing, and my friends and I, we tried to uh ski Mount Hood yesterday, but it got really windy up at top. So um we ended up turning around. One of my friends' helmets got blown off of her pack, even though it was strapped down. It was so windy. So unfortunately turned around, but amazing views, had a great sunrise on the mountain. So been having a good time out here.
Why This Race Matters
SPEAKER_01Sweet. All right, cool, cool, cool. So I'm glad you're enjoying the area. What do you think about this race? You stoked for the race? This is this is a deep field. This is uh legitimate, legitimate players are playing this game right now, which is cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm really excited. So for me, this is um a bit longer than I know it's still um sub ultra, but it's still long for me. Um so the whole point for me of this race is just to see like how does my body respond to that. Um, I've done a lot of short stuff, short trail, circ series. Um, but my hope is to race a few longer races this season. And so this is a good like early season kind of get the feet wet and see how it goes for me and how I can stack up against some of these really competitive women in the field.
Training Through A Warm Winter
SPEAKER_01Oh, I love it. This is this is awesome. I'm stoked now. How are you uh how has training been going? How's uh how's been like your build throughout uh kind of the this strangely warm winter that we've had?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's been good. I mean, honestly, I've been on the trails more than I would normally be um during the winter. Like during the winter months, I'm often on the roads because of the amount of snow on the trails. Um, and I'm doing more skiing usually, so that has been sad. Um I guess the bad winter has been a little better for my training. Um, so less time on my skis, although I do miss that. Um, but yeah, I've been trying to run a bit more mileage than normal, um, just in preparing for this race. But overall, kind of training similarly. Um just hoping to learn a lot from this race of like what do I need to work on in order to be able to be competitive in these types of races. I'm not expecting this race to be like um well, I guess I'm expecting it to be a learning opportunity. So I know there's gonna be things that don't go well, um, and that's gonna help shape my training for the rest of the summer.
SPEAKER_01I mean, you're be you're being humble. I mean, for the audience who didn't know, like you had you had an amazing race last year at Broken Arrow, which I feel like is comparable in time. It might even be True. I'd say probably somewhere in that range. I mean, it's only a few miles longer than Broken Arrow anyway.
SPEAKER_00So just Yeah, that's true, and that g that gives me confidence. Broken Arrow was my longest trail race race to date last year, and so um I guess that does give me some confidence. Definitely a lot more bur Broken Arrow, but I do love flat, fast trails, so I'm excited for that to be part of this course.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Talk about have you got to see any of the course yet? Play on have you got to play on any of it?
SPEAKER_00I actually haven't. I might run nearby it today, um, but I kind of like not knowing the course. Like it's exciting to me. Um, so I'm not usually one to like go out and scope an entire course. Um, but I have looked at like the course map and um looked at like the Strava segments and stuff and like seeing where the climbs are, just trying to be prepared for um those climbs in the last few miles. I think that'll be definitely something that I will be tough for me. So um, yeah, I might explore a little bit more today.
First Sponsored Race News
SPEAKER_01Very cool, very cool. What um I this is like a big opportunity for you. Like I feel like if you have a really amazing race, like ACG is gonna be there. I think Free Trail does a great job as far as like putting out like people's names so people can learn more about you and kind of you know putting you guys out into the stratosphere. There's like an amazing opportunity for sponsorship and things like that if this does become a great race for you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I'm actually really excited because I just signed with Mammoot and Lasportiva. So this will be my first sponsored race. Um, and I'm just like excited to be in their gear and representing them for the first time in a race. So yeah, so I'm not looking for that at this point, but um excited to be like out there in a pretty competitive race representing brands that I love.
SPEAKER_01Dude, you heard here you heard it here first.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so Mamu could talk about, but I didn't know you could I was I was I haven't like officially announced, I guess, but but I'm not there for the sportiva meeting together. You heard it here.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I was in Sportiva meeting the other day, and they're like, no, we're not adding more any more athletes. I don't know if this is too much inside baseball until next year. Hey, this is amazing. I'm so excited.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, I'm not like a I guess I should clarify, I'm footwear only with La Sportiva. So I'm not like a um salaried athlete for them. So maybe that's what they meant by they're not adding any more like salaried athletes, but they can they're giving me shoes, um, and yeah, so I think it'll be exciting, some incentives for races.
SPEAKER_01So this is this is very exciting. I'm super stupid. Am I gonna see you at a bunch of Cirque Series races this summer as well?
SPEAKER_00Yes, probably. I love the Cirque series, so I'll definitely be doing those, especially the ones that are like close to home and driving distance from home. So yeah, those are some of my favorites. They'll be great for training. Always a fun atmosphere.
Adventure Club With Her Students
SPEAKER_01Yo, talking about roller by the same.
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, so Mammoo, I'm really excited about their um new getting they're a little bit newer to the trail scene in North America, and so they're just developing their trail team. Um, and so I've been in conversations with them for almost the past year, um, just trying out some of their gear. Um, but and they want to support my adventure club with my students. I think we talked about that last time a bit, but um, my students I take them out like once a month to do an activity in outdoors, whether that's mountain biking, skiing, climbing, um, we do rafting, camping. So they're gonna provide some gear for my students, which I'm really excited about, and that's like what I was mostly looking for is a brand that would support me as an athlete, but also my goals for my students. So yeah, I'm excited to see where it can go. Um, I think they're just like really excited to see what I can do on the trails and also just like in the community.
SPEAKER_01Ah, super cool. I and their stuff they just came out with footwear as well. I've been looking at some of their stuff. I was like, their shoes are dope looking. I'm digging the blue and like the red, white kind of blue coloration. It's pretty, pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they do have great colors. So I won't be in their shoes. I'll be in the Las Vrativa shoes, but uh I do love their color schemes.
SPEAKER_01Cool, very cool. Well, congratulations. Uh I feel like I might have to do like a uh uh when you're ready to do the announcement, we'll have to do like a free agency announcement. This is very cool.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, maybe that'll be like a side book. This is my first time doing this, so I don't even know. Like, maybe I wasn't supposed to say that.
Summer Plans And Big Targets
SPEAKER_01Wait, what are you guys? Well, I'll let you, we'll talk about we'll talk offline after. Um let's uh shift gears. Other than the Cirque series, where are we gonna see you at this summer? Are you gonna go back to Broken Arrow or what what kind of A goals for you?
SPEAKER_00The plan is broken arrow. I also am hoping to run Minotaur. That's a pretty they're like back-to-back race weekend. So I know that will be a bit tough. Um I that's another reason like I'm out here to see kind of how does my body recover from an 18-mile race. Um, I know they're really different courses, all three of those races, um, but hoping to learn a little bit more so that I can adjust my calendar um in my training to be prepared for that. Um, I just would love to get out to Canada for the Minotaur course. I just think it'll be incredible and a good way to like try something new that's a little more technical and steep. Um, I feel like in trail I'm still figuring out what are my strengths and have a road and track background. So, like obviously, like the shorter and faster the better for me, but I want to challenge myself to grow and be able to race well in other types of races. So those are the first ones. Um I'm gonna run Sierra Z and L in August, which I'm really excited about. Um so kind of preparing for that as well. Um and then yeah, the circ series sprinkled in there. I love racing, so hopefully we'll be able to keep my body together and my training going well to be at a lot of those.
SPEAKER_01Dude, I am so pumped for you to race series and all. That's like uh it's like the our Super Bowl.
SPEAKER_00It's like such a cool yeah, yeah. That's what everyone says, so I'm really excited about it.
Pacing Strategy For A Deep Field
SPEAKER_01Very cool. Um let's let's talk a little bit about this field. I know you kind of mentioned it in the beginning of the conversation. Um you know, like the depth. There's gonna be a good mix though of like short trail women and then some ultra women. Uh we have the same thing on the kind of happening on the men's side. Uh I've I've been in a race against you. I know you go out pretty hard, typical of track and steeplechase athletes. How do you plan to approach this race? Are you gonna are you gonna take it out aggressively like you do some of your other like maybe short trail racing? Or are you gonna kind of sit back and maybe see what unfolds in the first few miles and then start to make moves from there?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm kind of gonna see like how my body feels on the day. And I think this is like where the learning opportunity is for me. Like, do I sit back and kind of like save something to be able to like make it and continue to be competitive through the whole 18 miles of the race? Um or if I like I guess I'm gonna see like how fast the other girls go out. I definitely won't be like pushing the pace, that's for sure. Um, I'll just kind of see like if their pace feels good, I'll try and hang as much as I can. Um, so usually when I race, like I have sort of a race plan, but I often just like key off of how my body's feeling that day. Um and yeah, sometimes you start a race and you're feeling great and ready um to hang in there and give yourself a shot and go a little bit harder than you might have planned. And then other times you start and you're like, okay, this is the kind of day that I'm starting with. I'm gonna hang back a little bit and hope I get a like second win. So we'll kind of see on race day. But I'm excited that it'll be a little bit flatter um in the beginning, and hopefully that will play to my strengths.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, one of the things that interests me about you, you're such a good mountain runner in the short trail side. Where do you feel the most comfortable? Do you feel comfortable more on the climbs, on the descents? Because I know this this particular course has a lot of road sections where you can exploit moves. And there's gonna be, and I feel like for someone with your pedigree as a Notre Dame steepler, like I'm sure you're you're deadly fast on the roads. So there's opportunities all over the place for you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um, yeah, I'm I mean, I'm excited to be able to use those strengths. I think that I feel really great on like a 10% grade, like a really rentable uphill is like one of my favorites. Um, if the climb is really steep, that's like gets a little bit tougher for me, and that's something that I am trying to work on in my training. Um and so I think that like this course will apply to more of those strengths, at least as far as I've looked at. There's none of the climbs are like that steep or um long. So I'm excited about that. Um I feel great on downhills, usually still have like a decent amount of turnover. I mean, it's been a many years since I have been um a steeple chaser. So like even though that was my strength, it's not it's a little bit rusty, but I try to do some of my training on the track um and some fast road work as well, just to like keep that up. So excited to be able to use that. And we'll see. Like if it's in this long of a race, we'll see like how my body's feeling at that point.
Defining A Successful Result
SPEAKER_01Yeah. What what would it mean for you to have a good performance here? Because I feel like this is a great early season barometer to see like where people are at, where you're at. And this is a really deep field. I mean, I've got you, you know, I I mean, I really do, based off of everything that you've done in the past. Like, I think there's there's a unique opportunity for you here.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, I mean, I think that like a solid race for me would be like top 10. I would feel really proud of that. If I get a top five, like that would be a great day. Um, and I just kind of like want to see how I can compare to like, like you said, there's a mix of people who have run really well on short distance, really well in steeper um races, really well in the longer races. So I think it's just like a way for me to kind of like compare myself and see how it feels for me before I make plans for the rest of the summer. And um, and this whole season is really just like a learning opportunity for me to figure out my strengths and where I want to take my running in what direction.
SPEAKER_01I love it. I love it. I think that that covers it for me. I uh I feel like we gotta have to well, we'll do post-race stuff. Uh, we'll have to talk more about my mood in Las Purtiva. I feel like we gotta be a little pod for that. Um first of all, giant congratulations.
SPEAKER_00Wishing you the best luck.
SPEAKER_01Um and can't wait to see how how things unfold on Friday. So, I think that's a good thing.
