Elite ultra runners preview Canyons-UTMB race, nutrition and more

By Henry Howard

Corrine Malcolm hosted a panel featuring Hoka athlete teammates Rod Farvard and Lotti Brinks kicking off events surrounding the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB on April 23 in Auburn, Calif. Malcolm, also a Hoka athlete, led the chat covering the Canyons races, new Hoka Mafate X, developments in nutrition related to performance and more.

This weekend three men and three women competing in the Canyons 100K will receive Golden Tickets to June’s Western States. Farvard is running the 100K but is already in Western States, thanks to his runner-up finish last year. Race weekend also includes a 100-miler, 50K and 20K.

Farvard, based in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., has run Canyons three times and Western States four times. Both courses share a portion of the same trails so it is a good practice run of sorts for competitors looking ahead to Western. (Here's an earlier profile about Rod Farvard.)

"Canyons really has set me up, I think every season to get into the Western States mindset more so now because the way the course goes for almost 30 miles,” he says. “Canyons for me has always been a stepping stone to test my fitness going into States, to get into the mindset to get back into Auburn trails and seeing the shift in the courses. These are the best races we have in the U.S. and the most competitive ones where athletes line up.”

(Follow the various races and get more information on the Canyons-UTMB race page.)

The path from Canyons to Western States

Farvard is following up on his successful 2024 when he was voted the No. 4 men’s ultra runner of the year. He won and set a course record earlier this year at the Santa Barbara Nine Trails, a 35-miler in the mountains. He broke the previous record held by Jim Walmsley, who finished ahead of Farvard at the 2024 Western States.

“He's someone I really look up to and have looked up to since I started in the sport,” Farvard says, while playfully displaying his “Jim Walmsley Fan” bracelet. “After last year chasing him at States. I feel like I've only become more of a fan of him, so much so that I rock this bracelet. I've been wearing it for about 10 hours, but I think it's going to be a part of me moving forward this season.”

Brinks, who won the Desert Rats 100K just 10 days ago, will take on a different role this weekend at the 100K.

“I'm here to support my sister-in-law, Careth Arnold,” she says. “A lot of people don't know we’re sister-in-laws because she doesn't have the Brinks last name. Anyway, I'm here to support her and cook for her. She ran this race last year and ended up getting the Golden Ticket last year, which ended up with both of us going to States last year, but we are hoping to do the same this year. I think she has a really good shot at podium or even winning. She's really fit and I'm excited to chase her all day.”

Another elite to watch on the women’s side is Katie Asmuth, who has three top 10 finishes at Western States but is now returning from injury. Farvard is friends with Asmuth, who he paced at Black Canyon in February.

“She's fit,” he said of Asmuth, who also lives in Mountain Lakes. “She is so hungry after not a great day at Black Canyon and she started banging out three workouts a week trying to get faster and fit at altitude.”

The panel also pointed out some other athletes to watch in other races this weekend. Among them: Heather Jackson in the 50K, Annie Hughes in the 100-miler, and Lin Chen, who is also running the 100-miler and then Western States in two months.

Carbs and ultra running 

The panel also discussed nutrition for performance and recovery.

It’s no secret in the ultra running community that fueling and nutrition are becoming increasingly important as athletes experiment with different strategies and push the boundaries of carbs intake.

About a week after her victory at Desert Rats, Brinks shared on Instagram how her nutrition strategy and strength training paid off in recovery.

“I started working with a sports scientist/nutritionist and it's been really helpful to dial in my nutrition during the race, but also outside of it,” she explains at the panel discussion. “I've never really tracked anything. I've always just eat when I am hungry. I still don't love tracking macros and all of that, but it has been helpful to see where I'm deficient and where I need to just eat more generally.”

Brinks also ups her carbs during a race and focuses on hydration as well. That’s especially important for her as she literally broke a sweat test.

“It's all very connected,” she says. “I am an extremely salty sweater to the point where I have to have 1500 milligrams of sodium in every single bottle per hour. I've been slowly trying to dial that in over the past couple months and it's been helping a lot.”

Farvard has credited, among other things, his increase in carbs per hour for his success in the past year. So the question is: Has he hit his limit of carbs per hour or can he push the limits further?

“It's risky for sure, but I've been trying to push more,” he says, floating the idea of 120 carbs per hour. “I do think more equals faster. I really do. It's just finding that tipping point and sometimes it's like one hour, you dial it back one hour, you try to take in more and then you get that extra boost in the hour following that hour. And so playing around with new stuff.”

And Farvard also mentioned a sign of when he’s found his tipping point.

"If you're burping, you know there's something going on in there," he says.