A mountain town, a brutally steep VK, and a trail festival that’s trying to feel like a hometown party instead of a corporate expo. We’re joined by Joe McConaughey, ultrarunner, coach, and race director of North Bend Trailfest, to break down why Mount Si delivers one of the most compelling short-course mountain running tests in the Pacific Northwest and why that matters for the future of sub-ultra racing.
We talk course specifics and what you actually get when you show up: a Mount Si Vertical Kilometer that hits sustained steep grades, a 30K that links ridgelines toward Tenerife, and a 10K option that still gives you a real summit-style effort. Joe also shares how North Bend’s location near Seattle makes travel simple, and why building the event around the park, local vendors, and family-friendly ideas like childcare support can make the weekend feel bigger than the distance on paper.
Then we zoom out into the behind-the-scenes reality of race directing on public land. Joe walks through permitting constraints in Washington, the difference between DNR land and other agencies, and the constant tradeoffs between protecting wilderness and keeping trails maintainable and usable. If you’ve ever wondered why some iconic routes can’t host races or why certain events cap fields well below demand, this conversation gets specific.
We also get into Joe’s athlete brain: FKTs, big ultras like Cocodona, John Muir Trail experience, and why overplanning hydration and sodium can backfire when the body refuses to follow your model. Add in new dad life and you’ve got a real look at how endurance goals evolve when time and energy are no longer unlimited. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves steep singletrack, and leave a rating or review so we can keep bringing you conversations like this.
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