US marathoner McCandless speaks out on removal from Pan Am team

In an unfortunate series of events, the USATF had to make a last-minute switch with regards to their male marathon roster at the Pan Am Games. Accidentally overlooking marathoner Craig Leon due to clerical error, the United State’s national governing body named Tyler McCandless as a member of the team. Upon realized he had been missed, Leon contacted USATF and eventually hired a team of lawyers to back up his claim to a rightful spot on the team.

With less than two weeks before the start gun goes off, USATF named Leon as the second marathoner for Team USA, removing Tyler McCandless. In a press release on his own blog, McCandless made a statement about his devastation over being removed.

I never thought that accepting a nomination to the Pan Am Games would end in heartbreak. When selected to the Games, I deferred a full-time job offer by a month, pushed back my PhD dissertation defense by a month and dedicated nearly two months of intense training for the Pan Am Games Marathon – foregoing other racing opportunities as well. My mom even pushed back a necessary hip replacement surgery to see me compete in Toronto!

McCandless is going through what is every athlete’s worst nightmare: to achieve the dream of representing one’s nation, only to have it snatched away at the last moment.