Back to the 2026 Western States 100 for a fifth start, Hayden Hawks arrives in Olympic Valley, California, as a true veteran of the race. In the following interview, Hayden talks about his long-term return from injury, training with Hoka teammates in northern Arizona ahead of this race, his exceptional race-day support from his family, and being in a mental place where he can truly run his own race.
To learn more about who’s racing, check out our men’s and women’s previews before following our live race coverage on race day.
[Editor’s Note: If you are unable to see the video above, click here to watch it.]
Hayden Hawks Pre-2026 Western States 100 Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Gabe Joyes here with iRunFar at the 2026 Western States 100 with Hayden Hawks. Hayden, welcome back to Olympic Valley. How are you?
Hawks: It’s good to be back, man. Of course last year I couldn’t race, which was a bummer, but really happy to be back. This will be my fifth time starting Western States and I can’t wait. I’m excited for it.
iRunFar: What was the injury that kept you from 2025?
Hawks: Knee injury. I had to have a minor procedure to clean my meniscus, which is probably wear and tear from 20 years of running, but doing better now. Everything’s been really good this year, pretty smooth. Really happy with my build and my progress and just excited to get out there and run.
iRunFar: Good, good. Glad you’re healthy. It seems like you were doing a lot of training in northern Arizona this year?
Hawks: Yeah, we had a Hoka team training camp in Flagstaff. I was down there training with Hans Troyer and Adam Petermanmostly. Did a little bit with Jeshurun Small and Dan Jones because they were doing a little camp down there as well and we had a great time. I’ve been to Flagstaff many times before, but we really enjoyed the trails and the camaraderie and everything. Training camp went really well.
iRunFar: Good, good. Do you find it difficult training with that many other high-level athletes, to reign it in, or do you feed off of that? Does it give you energy to push and maybe find that next level coming into a race like Western States?
Hawks: It doesn’t really bother me. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m kind of a vet when it comes to this, and so for me, I just do what I need to do, and if it lines up with the guys then I join them and have a good time. If not then I just say, “hey guys, I got to do what I need to do today,” and I go out and I do my own run and run my own pace and do what I need to do. We train together, but we really only trained probably half of the time. The other half of the time I was doing workouts on my own and doing what I needed to do, and just following my coach and doing exactly what he told me to do.
That’s kind of one thing I’ve learned from this injury and from everything is I tend to overdo things. I tend to push too much, and I just need somebody to reign me in, tell me exactly what I need to do. And as I do that, as I just follow exactly what my coach Robbie Britton tells me to do, I stay healthy. I do good. I’m in a good position because of it, and just really happy with where I’m at, considering where I’ve been in the past. And maybe I didn’t do as much training as everybody else, but I did what I needed to do and that’s what’s most important. And I just feel really balanced, like I’m in a good spot coming into this year.
iRunFar: That’s great. Coaches are good for that. That’s really encouraging and exciting to hear. You’ve kind of been a Western States journeyman. You’ve had sensational finishes, down-to-the-wire finishes, DNF, DNS. What do you think the next chapter of Western States looks like for you? What are your goals for coming into this weekend?
Hawks: To be honest with you, I haven’t really thought too much about it. It’s just go out there and run the best race that I can and see what I can do. I’m just kind of at this point in my life and in my career where it’s like I can only control what I can control, and that’s really all I can focus on. I come out here. I have a great time with my family. My son’s actually helping crew me this year, which is awesome. First time for that. My parents are coming out. My brother’s going to pace me the last 20 miles, which will be pretty awesome.
Honestly, I’m just in it for the journey and see what happens. I think I run my best when I do that. I don’t know if that’s going to be a win or if that’s going to be another podium or maybe just the finish. I have no idea. But all I can do is what I can do, and I know I’m in a good spot. I know I’m fit. I know I’m healthy. I know I’m excited and ready to go, and that’s all that matters to me. I feel very calm going into the race this year, just seeing how it plays out and just running my race and seeing what happens.
iRunFar: That’s amazing. I was going to ask you about your support. It seems like you’re going to be so well supported out there and hopefully it’ll bring you lots of energy. Has your whole family crewed you at other races before, or is this going to be the first time having that maybe slightly larger, more personal support network?
Hawks: Local races, like races in the United States, my parents tend to come to every single one that they can. Most of my family comes out to watch me. We have a pretty close family, and we’re pretty tight knit. We try to support each other as best we can. My kids have been out to almost all my races. My son has actually crewed me at Tarawera in New Zealand. He’s crewed me at Kodiaklast year. He’s a vet when it comes to crewing at eight years old. I have a great support system. I have a lot of friends, a lot of family that come out to this race. I think that’s what makes this race so special, because they can come out to it. They love it just as much as I do, and we just have a really good time. The crew that I have this year is the same crew that I’ve had every year I’ve been at Western States, so we know exactly what to do. We’ve executed really well in the past, and that’s all we’re focusing on, is just mimicking what we’ve done in the past. I think if we do that, we’ll be in a good position.
iRunFar: Great. I’ve had a similar experience where I have my kids and family crew me at aid stations. I find that sometimes I take a little bit longer at aid stations because of that, but I feel like I run better and with more joy because of it. Do you connect to that at all? Does it in some way slow you down, but maybe still net positive, speed you up?
Hawks: It doesn’t slow me down. I’m pretty fast through aid stations, and I kind of have to be. I don’t really stop at aid stations, but it is really good to see them. It definitely gives me kind of extra energy, especially if I’m going through a hard section or I’m just feeling a little tired. To see my kids, to see my mom and dad, to see my brother and my wife, it gives me extra energy and it helps me. It’s a family affair. We just really enjoy the whole process together. I couldn’t do any of this without them. My parents constantly watch our kids so that I can go out and train and do things. My wife is just the most supportive person in the world, and she does so much for me. I can’t thank her enough for that. My career and my success wouldn’t be possible without them. I don’t think that we need to change anything up when we come to races. We just do the same thing that we do at home. We have a good time, and we support each other. That’s kind of my philosophy around it, and it works really well.
iRunFar: Amazing. Thinking back to going into specific race performance, you mentioned the race is going to be a journey for you. Do you have some process-oriented goals along the way? Are there specific things that you’re aiming to accomplish on the race course that will enable you to have the finish you’re looking for?
Hawks: Yeah. I actually felt this at Canyons [100k], which was really cool, in April. I just really enjoyed being out on the trails and running again. I think that was a huge thing for me. I think a lot of us focus so much on the race itself and competing the whole time. I sat there and I kind of took a deep breath while I was at Canyons. I looked around me and I was like, I just really like being out here. I love being on these trails, and I was having so much fun. Even though I wasn’t leading the race or I wasn’t winning, I was in a really good spot mentally. I was just like, “man, this is just cool.” It brought back this joy that I have had in my career for a long time, but maybe I’ve lost it at times in my career. It brought that back to me. I was just reminded about why I do this and why I love this.
I hope to bring that same energy out here at Western States because, of course, Western States is longer than Canyons, and I’m definitely going to need that. That’s my thought behind it. It’s just like, go out there, have fun. Bring joy out on the trails. Enjoy the trails. Enjoy being back here. I’ve worked really hard to get back here, through the injury, through everything. I’m just really excited to be back at this. This is my favorite race. If it is my favorite race, why not enjoy it? Why not enjoy the process? That’s kind of more what I’m focused on. Of course, I really want to make sure I take care of myself, and I execute at the aid stations, and I eat and drink and do those things. Outside of those things, I’m just focused on having fun, running with the guys, enjoying the trails and the views, and just taking all of Western States in again.
iRunFar: Very good. What is it about Western States that makes it your favorite? What is it that makes it a special event for you?
Hawks: I’ve said this many times. It’s the community, it’s the family, the friends. It’s the aid stations. So many supporters out there and people that just really love you and really believe in you. It’s awesome to go into those aid stations and feel that love and that support. I think also it’s the history of the race. I’m a history buff. I love history. I’ve had a lot of really cool experiences out here as well. Even with the DNF and with the blow up in 2021, when I tried to go out with Jim Walmsley in my first Western States, I still have so many stories and experiences from those hard moments that I think about still. I’m just like, man, this race has really changed me as a person. It’s brought so much to my life. It’s matured me as an athlete. I just really am grateful for that. I hope to have more stories to share after this year as well.
iRunFar: It’s slightly inconvenient that those hard moments, those learning moments, are what does make it so memorable and kind of keep you coming back.
Hawks: For sure, yep.
iRunFar: Maybe that connects to my last question for you then. If you could go back in time and talk to 2021 Hayden on the starting line, what advice would you give him?
Hawks: Take care of yourself more. I think in 2021 I was so focused on beating Jim. I was so focused on winning the race that I didn’t take care of myself. I didn’t do the little things that I needed to do to get to the finish line. Of course, that’s why I blew up. I think the other thing is just run your own race. Don’t compare yourself to anybody else. I think the younger me compared myself a lot to other people. I had these heroes in the sport, like Jim. Jim was someone I looked up to, but I also compared myself to him a lot. I compared myself to Kilian [Jornet] and all these other guys. I wanted to beat them, but I also compared myself to them. That wasn’t a good thing because I was trying to be something that I’m not. I wasn’t running my own race. I wasn’t doing the things that Hayden needs to do to be at his best. I think I’m racing all those guys still this weekend. We’re all going to race together, but I’m going to run my own race. I’m going to do what Hayden needs to do. If that’s good enough to beat someone like Jim or Kilian or whoever else is in the race, then great. If it’s not, then it’s all that I could do.
iRunFar: Right.
Hawks: That’s what I would tell myself. Just do what you need to do and stop comparing yourself.
iRunFar: Amazing. Cool. We’re all stoked to see the 2026 version of Hayden Hawks. Version 5.0, or what would you call it?
Hawks: Exactly.
iRunFar: Cool. Thanks so much, Hayden. This is Hayden Hawks before the 2026 Western States 100.
