Catch me if you can

Words RACHAEL SIGEE

Driving a pick-up truck through his temporary hometown – Sedona, Arizona – British ultrarunner Tom Evans is beginning to look like one of the locals. A cowboy hat, he jokes, is next on his list. Evans is on the first of three planned stints of altitude training Stateside, and while the 31-year-old misses his home in Loughborough, his wife Sophie, their two dogs Rocco and Poppy, and their brood of rescued battery- farm chickens, he’s laser-focused on his upcoming American challenge.

The 100-mile (161km) Western States Endurance Run in California this June is a race Evans calls “the Super Bowl of trail running”. He’s also preparing for the Wings for Life World Run on May 7, a unique annual event that raises money for spinal-cord injury research and sees thousands of runners across the world race against a moving finishing line while being chased by a virtual Catcher Car.

Evans is putting together his own team to take on the challenge, and is more than qualified to be captain: since his statement-making thirdplace finish in the 251km Marathon des Sables in 2017, the former British Army officer, originally from Sussex, has established himself as one of the world’s top ultrarunners. But it’s another podium placing –in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc last August – that he’s most proud of, coming as it did just a year after major knee surgery.

Here, Evans talks to The Red Bulletin about the emotional investment of ultrarunning, and that big injury comeback…

The Red Bulletin: What do you love most about ultrarunning?

Tom evans: It’s not just a physical challenge but arguably a bigger one mentally. Your mind is the thing that unlocks it. I want to see how far I can push myself, and I’m constantly searching for that limit. Western States is described as ‘a life in a day’ – you go through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and it’s how you deal with them. You learn so much about yourself. In this sport, there are more uncontrollable factors than controllable ones, so you have to solve problems and make tactical decisions quickly. I didn’t get the same buzz from road or track running.

What has been the biggest highlight of your career?

I had major knee surgery in August 2021 and, a year after that, I raced in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. It’s 170km with 10,000m of climbing, going through three countries. My goal for that race was to be on the starting line; I ended up finishing third. [It helped me] put all my rehab demons to bed and say, “I do belong here.” I was so emotional, because I’d worked so hard. I did believe I could do it, but deep down there was a huge question mark.

How does it feel at the finishing line after putting yourself through such a gruelling experience?

Racing is relatively easy – I race four or five times a year, but I train 350 days and there’s no one watching and cheering for you [then]. So if a race goes well, it’s almost a relief that everything I did worked. It’s really emotional, both the victories and the losses. I heard a phrase on a podcast last year: “Don’t let the highs go to your head or the lows go to your heart.” I think that’s so important. I want to be stood on the starting line knowing I’ve left no stone unturned.

Why should people join your team for the Wings for Life World Run on May 7?

Running is such an individual way to express yourself, but a team is only as strong as its parts. I want to create this team to hold me accountable to then hold all the others accountable. It’s that tribe mentality – a collective of individuals coming together to achieve something we couldn’t do on our own. I might have people in the UK, the US, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, wherever. We’re all doing it together. And Wings for Life is a charity I’ve seen do incredible work. I want to raise as much money as I can.

How far are you hoping to run?

I ran 63km last year in Vienna. So… 64?

Are your tactics different in a race like this where you’re trying to avoid the Catcher Car rather than reach a set finishing line?

It’s really important to trust yourself, go out at a pace and hold that pace. Whether I have to run, walk or crawl, I’m just going to keep going and try to get as much distance as I can between myself and the Catcher Car. It’s the same mindset that everyone should go into the race with: as long as you keep moving in the right direction, you’re doing an incredible thing. You’ve just got to put one foot in front of the other. Running is such a basic sport; in racing, all you’re trying to do is get from A to B as quickly as possible. Whether it’s Usain Bolt in the 100m or Eliud Kipchoge running the marathon, we’re all trying to do that same thing. The Wings for Life World Run starts at 12 midday on May 7;

wingsforlifeworldrun.com