Western States 2019: how high-tempo training with elite Ethiopians helped Briton Tom Evans to podium finish

Briton runs fastest Western States time by a non-American in 14:59.44, a performance that may well have won it another year

Evans’ efficiency is improved by time spent at altitude with East African runners, the slowest of whom has a 2:08 marathon

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Tom Evans with the group of elite Ethiopian runners in a high-tempo training session. Photos: Max Willcocks

Published: 11:54am, 1 Jul 2019Updated: 1:56pm, 1 Jul 2019

Tom Evans spent two months in Ethiopia training with marathon runners to prepare for the Western States 100 mile (WSER100, 161KM) ultra marathon and the workouts paid dividends as he finished third with the fastest ever time by a non-American runner of 14 hours, 59 minutes and 44 seconds.

“The slowest runner [in the Ethiopian running group], except for me, was a 2:08 marathoner,” the Briton said. “That made it very interesting. Their tempo runs were on dirt tracks with rolling hills, so were perfect for WSER100.”

“They would run until they dropped and we were being followed by a car so they’d be picked up,” Evans said. “At first, because of the altitude, I was the first to drop out but I began to get used to the elevation.”

WSER100 is one of the most prestigious 100 mile races in the world. It takes place in California, starting at altitude before descending into deep, hot canyons. Jim Walmsley won the race on Sunday in a record 14:09:28.

The brutal tempo sessions in Ethiopia were fuelled by fierce rivalries, with runners motivated by the hope of being picked up by foreign agents and given the opportunity to race and earn money abroad.