Tom Evans from the U.Okay. returns to the 2024 UTMB after a third-place end in 2022 and a disappointing DNF in 2023. On this interview, he talks about how he ready for the precise calls for of UTMB, how his winter cross-country operating season is translating into extremely racing, and what he hopes to attain this lap round Mont Blanc.
For extra on who’s racing, try our in-depth males’s and girls’s previews and comply with our reside race protection beginning Friday.
Tom Evans Pre-2024 UTMB Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Tom Evans. It’s a few days earlier than the 2024 UTMB. We discover ourselves right here once more in Chamonix. Hello, Tom.
Evans: Meghan, thanks a lot for having me. And yeah, you’ve chosen a beautiful spot and also you’ve introduced the great sunshine with you as effectively.
iRunFar: Effectively, you’re the native right here, so I really feel such as you’re the one who’s extra controlling the climate.
Evans: Oui, c’est vrai!
iRunFar: Okay, so that you have been right here on the beginning line final yr, you’ve been right here on the beginning line previously, however I feel it’s possibly a unique Tom Evans right here this yr.
Evans: I raced right here for the primary time in, or for the primary UTMB, in 2022 and had…
iRunFar: A tremendous race.
Evans: Yeah. It’s very uncommon that issues don’t go flawed in races, and sure, there have been some issues that didn’t go completely, however there was no second the place I believed, “I’m having a very low second.” And I undoubtedly didn’t discover the race simple, however I didn’t actually battle at factors. I ran in addition to I might have achieved, and I couldn’t have been happier. So I then got here right here in 2023, sort of anticipating to have the identical factor.
iRunFar: A enjoyable little march via the mountains.
Evans: Yeah. By that time, I had achieved Western States twice, and had two good outcomes. I’d achieved UTMB as soon as and had a very good consequence. So I simply thought, “Oh, 100 miles, that is simple.”
iRunFar: I discovered 100 mile operating.
Evans: Precisely. When are having unhealthy days, I’m like, how is…
iRunFar: You simply haven’t cracked the nut but.
Evans: Yeah, precisely, that is… So yeah, I used to be undoubtedly introduced right down to earth and realized what a hundred-mile race within the mountains can do as a result of it can chew you up and spit you out. So a really, very totally different mentality and really totally different coaching, each by way of every little thing, from areas to the pace work to the classes that I’ve been doing. The whole lot this yr has been totally different, and I assume in a manner appears just like my Western States construct up, however very totally different on the identical time. Very comparable construction, very comparable hours, however basically totally different as a result of once we discuss coaching, we discuss you prepare for the calls for of the race.
And everybody can do that, so you may work out, okay, with a purpose to do that race, what have I truly bought to have the ability to do? And you then work backwards from that. Okay, effectively what do my coaching classes appear like with a purpose to take me one step nearer to what I have to do on this race? So yeah, this yr has been, what are the calls for of the race? Okay, cool. I do know that. I’ve run CCC twice, UTMB one and almost a half occasions, and I really feel like I do know what I have to do with a purpose to put myself able to have a very good day. However once more, it’s 100- mile racing and also you try to management what you may management, however typically it really works, typically it doesn’t. However yeah, undoubtedly totally different bodily and totally different mentally, coming into this yr.
iRunFar: Final summer time, you tried to attach the dots of the grey to Western States-UTMB double, which is only a… It is a difficult race, that’s a tough race, after which getting them each proper in a single summer time is, I don’t know, one of many hardest issues on this sport proper now. This yr you’re taking, from the surface trying in in any case, a way more conventional 100-mile construct. You probably did begin off with a reasonably non-traditional winter in relation to lengthy distance operating. You began with a cross-country season, which is absolutely cool.
Evans: I did. Within the UK, and I feel in Europe particularly, cross nation is the basics of operating, it’s the place I began operating, it’s the place everybody, of their native operating golf equipment, it’s what you do in winter. And in a manner it’s like path operating as a result of splits don’t actually matter. I feel the cross nation racing within the US is absolutely cool, but it surely’s additionally actually quick as a result of quite a lot of it’s on golf programs, it’s not muddy, it’s sometimes not hilly. Whereas I’m doing my county championship, my state championships, was round 4 farmer’s fields, and if you happen to can say 4 farmer’s fields shortly, you’re doing effectively.
iRunFar: I’ll strive however I’m happy with you for that.
Evans: And in locations, you’re knee-high in mud. So if you happen to really feel such as you’re operating three minutes per kilometer or 5’30” a mile, and truly in actuality you’re operating seven minutes a mile, and it doesn’t matter as a result of it’s the trouble.
iRunFar: You’re attempting so laborious. Yeah.
Evans: So I assume it’s just like operating within the mountains. Understanding, sure, it’s a brief race, it’s 10 kilometers so it’s simply over half-hour. However yeah, I assume all of these, you don’t fear about these metrics, you simply run on really feel and it’s a race. It doesn’t matter who’s on the first nook first. Identical as right here. It doesn’t matter who will get to Les Houches first, it doesn’t matter who will get to Vallorcine first, the winner is the one who will get again to Chamonix first. And I feel it’s similar to cross nation. So I additionally bought to race, I’ve raced 13 occasions this yr, that’s most likely essentially the most out of anybody. So quite a lot of them have been shorter, 10 kilometers, eight kilometers.
iRunFar: Had been 9 of them, 10 of them, cross nation?
Evans: Yeah, I’ve achieved three chair races this yr.
iRunFar: Okay, cool.
Evans: So it’s been a very cool manner. I’ve been capable of observe race week. I’ve been capable of observe different issues that you simply don’t wish to make these errors within the day. So yeah, I transitioned from cross nation, culminating in racing the cross-country world championships.
iRunFar: You guys did actually good there.
Evans: Yeah, we did actually good. I had a little bit of a niggle going into it, however managed to handled it and nonetheless managed to complete within the prime third, which was nice. And I used to be tremendous joyful and a very nice well-earned… Yeah, that was the purpose for the start a part of the yr. And I then transitioned from there and had 5 weeks till Transvulcania. So I recovered and did some coaching and was actually proud of my race in Transvulcania, ending joint second. I used to be actually nervous, I’d not been on coaching camp, I’d not achieved any climbing, I’d not achieved any lengthy descents, however truly the cross-country pace and conditioning I assume had performed large dividends and truly then discovered it actually very easy to get again into doing lengthy runs.
iRunFar: That’s attention-grabbing.
Evans: It was actually attention-grabbing. After which-
iRunFar: I assume it’s since you’ve opened up your excessive finish to this point that the center and the decrease finish just-
Evans: Comparatively simple.
iRunFar: Oh, that’s attention-grabbing.
Evans: Which is absolutely attention-grabbing. So I assume we’ve tried to hold that throughout, and even now nonetheless holding just a little little bit of that in. And I used to be presupposed to race at Zugspitze, however I didn’t due to this little niggle that was hanging round and at last bought that sorted to race Lavaredo. However once more, as a result of I had been coping with this, I hadn’t been on coaching camp, I’d been coaching at dwelling, and many time on the treadmill. So simply attempting to get issues dialed in. And once more, actually proud of the efficiency at Lavaredo and simply over 12 minutes behind the King of Lavaredo, Hannes [Namberger], and you may’t, at that race, if anybody’s going to beat you, it’s-
iRunFar: It’s okay to be crushed by Hannes.
Evans: It’s okay to be crushed, you’re the following greatest particular person on that course. So yeah, I used to be actually proud of that. After which I’ve gone straight from Lavaredo, I’ve solely been dwelling for six nights since Lavaredo, or spent a few weeks in Chamonix, and virtually two months in [Les] Tines. Yeah, the final 12 weeks has been extremely conventional ultrarunning, 100 miles, purpose being operating round Mont Blanc.
iRunFar: Final yr once we interviewed you earlier than the race, you talked so much about, you felt like one in every of your weaknesses was making ready to run via the night time, and I feel that’s the place you had challenges in the end. Trying again, now that you’ve the hindsight of 1 actually nice expertise at UTMB, a much less nice one, and likewise your CCC experiences, what kind of hindsight imaginative and prescient are you bringing ahead with you to Friday, Saturday?
Evans: I feel at night time, I assume that’s being ticked off, that’s the explanation I raced Lavaredo.
iRunFar: Okay.
Evans: You get the perfect-
iRunFar: It’s an evening race.
Evans: It’s an evening race. You get to run. It was a 12-hour race, I began at 11:00 p.m.
iRunFar: You have been destined to try this one, your physique simply determined that for you.
Evans: The race that I pulled out of, it was additionally an evening race. There was logic in selecting a race that began at night time as a result of I needed a complete run via the night time as a result of I’m sometimes not that snug operating at night time. So there may be technique, once more, we work again, what are the calls for of the race? Working at night time.
iRunFar: I bought to determine nighttime.
Evans: How do I determine that out? What’s the very best lamp for me to make use of? Is the very best lamp for me the very best lamp for everybody else? Possibly, possibly not. And so yeah, I feel that’s modified. And I feel the large factor for me is persistence. I’ve at all times preferred speeding issues, whether or not it’s in school or racing. I like entrance operating. I feel these days it’s, I couldn’t let you know the final time a person entrance run in any main race from the very, very starting.
iRunFar: Who sticks it then?
Evans: Who sticks it? And I feel particularly a race like right here, the final time right here would’ve been Pau Capell, and that was an unimaginable race, and I feel left everybody pretty speechless. And I’m not saying that I don’t suppose that may occur. I can’t try this. That’s not my model of racing. My model of racing is that if I can management the primary half, I’m then capable of race the second half, moderately than attempting to race the second half, then I’m not capable of management something within the second half. Like I discovered final yr, and the tempo was manner too scorching final yr, and each Jim [Walmsley] and Zach [Miller] had actually, actually low moments. They managed to tug it collectively, they managed to get via it, and ended up having unimaginable runs. However you examine, from final yr, Germain [Grangier]’s run in comparison with Jim and Zach’s and-
iRunFar: Two totally different animals, wasn’t it?
Evans: Two utterly totally different types of racing. And so yeah, undoubtedly the extra conservative strategy initially, attempting to be affected person. And I feel it’s going to be a reasonably difficult yr this yr as a result of it’s going to be scorching, however I don’t suppose it’s going to be loopy scorching, but it surely’s nonetheless going to be scorching. It’s like a Western States and other people say, “Oh, it’s not a scorching yr.” Yeah, it’s still-
iRunFar: 90 one thing levels. Yeah.
Evans: It’s nonetheless going to be scorching and it feels manner hotter right here. And particularly the climb popping out of Courmayeur, it’s actually scorching, it’s actually humid, it’s actually sticky. And I feel that might be a serious a part of the race, and someplace the place we’ve recognized the place it’s, yeah, have a couple of methods for getting via that half. And yeah, I feel simply approaching it at far more of a, taking a step again and every little thing from a hundred-mile perspective moderately than it as a, that is simply an extension from a Western States.
iRunFar: Effectively, you nailed it whenever you stated a couple of minutes in the past that the race shouldn’t be received in Vallorcine, the race is received on the end line. And the persistence factor is the reward, if you are able to do that.
Evans: For positive. However regardless whether or not it’s profitable a race, the race finishes right here, it’s not a 100k race, it’s not a hundred-mile race, it’s 107-mile race. It’s a must to get right here. And so, one in every of my large targets this yr is ending.
iRunFar: To get right here.
Evans: To race sensibly. And if I actually battle and I find yourself mountaineering the final 15 hours, which I actually hope I don’t, it’s my fault, and now you’ve bought to reside with the implications. It’s really easy to tug out of races, and the extra you pull out of races, the simpler it then turns into. And I so almost pulled out at Lavaredo as a result of I’d gone via the night time, that was the primary, it was proper, we predict we’ve sorted out your nighttime, let’s undergo it. So when it bought to sunlight, I used to be like, “Oh, I simply pull out, it’ll be simple.”
iRunFar: Apply what I have to observe.
Evans: Yeah, precisely. I practiced what I have to observe and now it’s very easy. So yeah, the extra you pull out, the simpler it turns into. So I feel for me, sticking in when it bought actually robust at Lavaredo, which it did, as a result of I wasn’t ready, this has now been a very nice full circle second that now I really feel extremely calm and able to give it a very good shot on Friday night time.
iRunFar: Wonderful. We look ahead to seeing you do the complete hundred miles, or 109 miles or no matter that is, and seeing you again in Chamonix.
Evans: Hopefully have a post-race interview.
iRunFar: There we go.
Evans: Thanks very a lot.
