Tom Evans from the U.K. comes to the 2026 Hardrock 100 excited to race and experience the history of the trails. In the following interview, Tom talks about his training leading up to the race, learning about the history of the trails and race, having fun in Silverton, Colorado, with his crew, and what he thinks it’ll take to be successful on the day.
To learn more about who’s racing, check out our Hardrock 100 preview before following our Hardrock 100 live coverage during the race.
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Tom Evans Pre-2026 Hardrock 100 Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with Tom Evans before the 2026 Hardrock 100. How are you, Tom?
Tom Evans: Lovely to have you here, and welcome to our little house. Not a bad view, so very excited to be in Silverton and looking forward to a couple of days’ time.
iRunFar: Welcome to our humble little town. You’ve been here for a while now?
Evans: Yeah, I’ve been here for three weeks. We did Telluride first with a few more home comforts, and had an amazing time there. It was really easy to get on the course. Now we’ve been here for just under a week and it’s been amazing. We’ve been welcomed in and fully embraced Colorado, and as you can see from my bolo tie, or cowboy cravat as we like to call it.
iRunFar: You and your team have some good American accoutrements in there. An American flag, a cowboy hat, American flag on basically everything. Are they going to be decked out in this on the course?
Evans: I can neither confirm nor deny, but I think we will be the most, but least, American team at the same time.
iRunFar: All the rest of you crews, I think that’s a challenge right there.
Evans: Yeah, please do.
iRunFar: Bring it out. So you’ve been here for a while, you’ve been out on the course. What do you think of it?
Evans: I think it’s incredible. I think the first thing, when you think of Hardrock, because I’d never been out here before, I’d spent a lot of time watching YouTube and trying to get a good understanding of the course. I think the first thing that surprised me was actually the sections that are runnable are really runnable, especially in this direction. They would describe this direction as basically a wall up and a slope down, which I think suits me as a runner. I spent a lot of time working on my climbing over the last couple of years. I’m glad, doing it the other way you have quite a lot of gradual road climbs that in training you probably would run, and in a race, if you’ve gone a bit hard, you won’t run.
iRunFar: Especially at this altitude.
Evans: Especially at this altitude. I think that’s the big thing. We were very cautious for the first couple of days, taking it super easy, and have done Softrock a couple of times, which was amazing. The course is incredible. I think we were very lucky to have seen it with no snow. In a way it’d be beautiful with snow, but without the snow and all of the amazing flowers out, it’s been incredible. I’ve not seen a bear yet, though.
iRunFar: Maybe you will on race day. It happens out there.
Evans: Lots of mooses but no bears. It’s been an amazing time. The course is stunning, and I can’t quite believe that you’ve got to put a whole Softrock together in one run. It seems like an awfully long way. But I’m really excited and very grateful to be here.
iRunFar: You’ve been around the course a couple of times. I assume you’ve done it in the same direction. Are you doing it as a workout, doing segments, or just checking out the terrain? What’s the mix between focused endurance training versus course knowledge and enjoyment?
Evans: I think the first time we did it, I was very fortunate to do it with Ludo [Pommeret]. I think the amazing thing about our sport is that, if you were to read the trail running headlines, Ludo and I are probably the main two protagonists in the men’s race. Yes, there are some other amazing guys, Jimmy [Elam] and David [Ayala], and I’m sure others who will have an amazing race, but two Europeans coming in and battling it out in Colorado. To be able to do the course recce with him and to be taken under his wing and shown, “oh yeah, this is the best line to take.” And I was a bit worried about what’s the best way to go down from Kroger’s or Grant Swamp Pass? Having that was amazing. The first time was very much, as Ludo would describe, it as “Blah, blah, blah.”
iRunFar: He did say that in another interview I think.
Evans: It was very chatty, very talkative. It was great. We camped out, which was amazing. And then the second time was a bit of a race-pace test, and I did a bit of a workout climbing up over Oscar’s and then descending into Telluride.
iRunFar: So you had a quick segment from Sherman to the finish I believe it was?
Evans: Yeah. From Sherman to the finish that was sort of a race effort. Difficult trying to do the last 15 miles at race pace when you’re fresh, because pace and effort become further apart the more tired you are.
iRunFar: There’s a huge gap at the end of Hardrock.
Evans: So it felt like a race effort, but race time will be significantly slower. It’s been a real mixture. I’ve tried to keep the rhythm of my training fairly similar, but realizing that this isn’t a European race. Just because I’ve had a good race at Western States [100], I’ve had a good race at UTMB, you can’t just copy and paste that data from TrainingPeaks into this build, because it’s completely different.
iRunFar: Totally. So sticking on the technical training side of things, you do have a very technical approach to training and you have a team and all of this. You focus on very specific aspects. Were there any new or highly focused aspects, like vest training, different pole techniques, stuff that you wouldn’t do for every other race necessarily?
Evans: I live in the UK, so our longest downhills aren’t that long, so I did quite a lot work quad conditioning on the treadmill going downhill. We didn’t do loads and loads, but enough that you could get out here and hit the ground running, so to speak.
iRunFar: And is that weighted? It’s downhill on a treadmill.
Evans: Yeah, with a little bit of weight. We do some with weight, some without. And another thing we changed was poles. I deliberately picked bigger and heavier poles for this race, because as technology improves everyone’s obsessed with lightness, but you break a pole out here and it’s a pretty long day. So we’re using heavier poles, but same length. From a technical side, the training has been fairly similar. I did a lot of simulated altitude work back home, which I think definitely made a difference for the specifics in the sessions, but the acclimatization piece still takes time regardless of how much work you’ve done.
iRunFar: Were you able to do that running exercise, or are you mostly on cycling?
Evans: All running, all running. Yeah, we really tried to get the specifics for it.
iRunFar: It’s just a little less attainable for some people.
Evans: Yeah. A hundred percent. I’ve had an altitude generator at home for ages, but when we put the altitude up to 3,500 meters, I ended up needing two altitude generators. You’ve got to buy another one. It was difficult, but I think really worth it. It means when you come out here, it doesn’t necessarily make it easier, but it maybe makes it a little bit less difficult, which is probably the same thing. It was different and I definitely think something we will carry into other builds to a certain extent. And then the standard heat training still carried on, because even if the thermometer says it’s not overly hot here, when the sun is out, it always feels hotter than it is.
iRunFar: I think if you’ve talked to people who’ve done this race a couple of times, they’ll say they’d much rather have a wet year than a hot, sunny year, because it gets quite nauseous out there even at 80 or 75 degrees Fahrenheit on the thermometer, you’re feeling pretty bad.
Evans: It’s hot and you’re covering up. It feels so much hotter than it is. You can look at the thermometer and it’ll say 75, 80, and you think, oh, this is a nice day, shorts.
iRunFar: Perfect.
Evans: But you can burn super quick. Keeping yourself covered. So from a technical side, the kit I’ll be wearing, it’s not rocket science, but it’s different to things I have done before because this is a different race, different challenge.
iRunFar: What does differ than usual?
Evans: Just being a little bit more covered than normal. Keeping my neck covered at all times, keeping my arms covered at all times. Normally I would just say alright, I’ll go t-shirt and shorts and keep it simple. And underfoot is a little bit looser here, so having gaiters.
iRunFar: So you’re going to use gaiters? For some of it?
Evans: I’m going to use gaiters for all of it, but the gaiter is integrated into the shoe. It’s been a fun, really cool project with Asics to create a great shoe for UTMB. And then this isn’t a UTMB, so let’s take the blueprint of that and make it a little bit more Hardrock specific.
iRunFar: It’s like the MetaFuji Trail 2, but altered.
Evans: Hardrock edition, but not called that because I imagine there’s some copywriting around it.
iRunFar: It’s tailored.
Evans: It’s very much tailored to this course, and it will probably be a one and done.
iRunFar: You learn something about it and Asics learn something in the journey.
Evans: I think it’s been really cool. And seeing this race, or seeing this run, sorry, is a different challenge. It’s not a European race. It’s way more personal than just going out and trying to win.
iRunFar: Totally. And not to get into your own personal strategy, but it’s a much different competitive situation than a UTMB, where there could be 30 guys legitimately with a good chance for a podium. At Western States it’s not as deep, but it’s still quite deep. Here there’s only a handful of guys that are really going to challenge for that top spot, and you’re one of them. Does that change how you approach the race at all?
Evans: I think if you’d asked me a couple of years ago, I’d probably have said yes. But I think now the biggest helper in performance in this race is maturity. Going off a little bit too hard, especially going in this direction, going up Putnam and then over Grant Swamp Pass, you do that too hard and descend too hard off that, and that can be your race. Cooked already. Without giving too much away, it will be a very gradual start, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself a little bit back, with the idea that the second half of the race is a little bit more suited. There’s a bit more running, certainly around the Pole Creek section,
iRunFar: Which if you burn yourself early is not a fun time, but you can move there.
Evans: Yeah. If you can move you can move. I think being incredibly patient. Patient, mature performances here are the ones that, and that’s not just at the front of the race, I think that’s for everyone. Thinking that you can do something that you can’t do, you’ve not done it in training, you’re definitely not going to be able to do it in racing. Is there anything different? Yes. I think you can allow people to get away, because I see this as more of a personal time trial. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to try and run 18 hours here.
iRunFar: But you’re trying to run your best race.
Evans: But I’m trying to run my very best race, and I think my very best race comes from putting the blinkers on and ignoring everyone. If you find yourself in first or fifth place at KT, it doesn’t really matter.
iRunFar: Is there any thought of borrowing or latching on to some additional maturity? Ludo’s run this course a heck of a lot of times. To stick with him to Ouray, if I was a front runner in this race, that’s what I would do.
Evans: I think that’s definitely something we’ve spoken about, and we’ll kind of see what he does on the day. But Ludo and I are very, very different athletes. If Ludo tried to keep up with me on the flatter, more runnable bits, he’s probably going to struggle a bit. And if I try and keep up with Ludo on the really steep, more technical bits, I’m really going to struggle later. So I would have thought we will spend a lot of the race within a mile of each other, but maybe not as much time running together.
iRunFar: Got it.
Evans: Or we might end up running the whole race together and hold hands crossing the line. Who knows. I don’t think that will happen.
iRunFar: You don’t think that’ll happen. What are you most excited about on the course, or over the weekend?
Evans: To be honest, it’s such a breath of fresh air coming to a new race in a new environment that’s so community focused. It’s very easy racing in Europe to get completely overly performance orientated. Whereas for me, for this race, yes, I am performance orientated, but speaking with people who have lived in Silverton, we went into the train shop in town and the guy, I can’t remember his name.
iRunFar: Bob Boeder.
Evans: Bob Boeder. He’s written a book, and we had a 20-minute chat with him about when he did Hardrock, and he completed on his third time. This run means more than just a race. The trails here, they weren’t meant for recreation. These were livelihoods. These were people’s jobs. And while I’m running around in my super high-tech foam shoes and super lightweight kit, you sort of rewind the clock and think, I’m really struggling on this climb. No, you’re not.
iRunFar: You don’t have one-kilo apiece boot with hobnails in it, with a huge pack.
Evans: Precisely. So reliving the journeys that the miners were on, I guess, is what I’m really looking forward to. And standing on a start line where you’re really going into a big adventure. Having done UTMB four years on the bounce, it almost becomes, okay, this is what I do 10 days before, this is what I do nine days before, this is what I do on race day. Whereas here it’s completely new. It’s a completely different challenge. Don’t get me wrong, I love racing at UTMB, but being here is different and has really motivated me to be in my very, very best shape to be able to perform in these incredible mountains. Because if you don’t finish first, you may never come back.
iRunFar: No, I mean, and you were invited here. You drop out at mile 40, you’re not going to get that invite back next year. No.
Evans: No.
iRunFar: So it speaks to a different approach and maybe a different appreciation. Where you can legitimately run yourself into a UTMB or a Western States.
Evans: Every year.
iRunFar: More or less, yeah. Not to sound like I’m putting words in your mouth.
Evans: Yeah, if that was your real focus you could go year in, year out, and it’d be great. That’s what some people want to do. As for me, I’m now not a rookie at this sport, and I’ve been doing it for a relatively long time. To be able to come out here and race something completely different is incredibly inspiring and motivating at the same time.
iRunFar: Now how do you approach that? You’re here for a couple of weeks, you just met some of your team and crew here, and there are a bunch of characters probably running by below us in a second. Some people would get nervous and worried because there are all these new variables, and it’s very different in all aspects to UTMB or Western States. Or does having it be totally different in a totally different spot allow you to almost be a little looser, like a novice perspective, a childlike perspective, like an adventure?
Evans: Yeah, I think so, definitely. The way we’ve approached this year is train hard, play hard, and have fun at the same time. We’ve had such fun in the mountains during training. Yes, there’ve been times we’ve been really serious, like right, today’s a race-day replication, approaching it proper serious as if you were. It was quiet in the house. There are definitely nerves, you want it to go well. But then you have an easy day and you go down to Durango and you go to Boot Barn, and one of my coaches leaves wearing a sleeveless American shirt, cowboy hat, big belt buckle, and cowboy boots. And before you know it you’re driving around Silverton at night trying to see bears and he’s wearing that. Or leaving Silverton, we see a concrete athletics track and my physio and one of my coaches say, oh, I bet I could beat you on that. So we stop, they have a sprint, we get back in the car, and the lactate readings, you probably couldn’t even measure.
We’ve just had a lot of fun while being here. We’ve tried to bring some home comforts. I was so fortunate to have an amazing build into UTMB last year. Me, my wife, and our new daughter, as well as lots of friends, were in Chamonix for eight weeks before the race. Whereas here they’ve not come out, so I’ve not tried to replicate it but tried to make it as fun and as enjoyable as possible. Gone are the days where I can just put myself in a tiny apartment and stare at the wall for five, six weeks. Here, yes, we’ve come to do a job, but also have a lot of fun and play at the same time.
iRunFar: Right on. Well, I hope you have a great productive work day and a whole lot of fun out there.
Evans: Thank you very much. I’m sure we will.
