Hayden Hawks - Transgrancanaria 128K

After winning the Artenara Trail 30K race in January, Unived Elite & Ultra Distance Runner, Hayden Hawks is back in Spain ready to race the Transgrancanaria 128K. The race starts this Friday, February 22, 2019 at 11:00 PM. We got a chance to catch up with Hayden and ask him a few questions on his thoughts and nutrition strategy for the race. Here is what he had to say.

Unived: 2019 has started off with a win at Artenara Trail in Spain. What are your thoughts going into this weekend’s race Transgrancanaria? 

Hayden: Going into Transgrancanaria I feel very confident in my training! I have been training really well and feel more fit than I have ever felt before! Artenara felt really good and easy, it was a great indicator of where my fitness is! I know the course, I am healthy, I am confident in my nutrition with Unived, and I am ready to run fast! 

Unived: What made you pick Transgrancanaria?

Hayden: I have never raced TGC before. I made this selection because I have always wanted to come back to the Canary Islands after racing Transvulcania and I heard great things about the race and the Island! It is also one of the biggest races for points on the UTWT and had amazing competition! This gives me a great chance of winning the UTWT and to compete with the world's best! 

Unived: It so happens that Transgrancanaria falls on your birthday. Do you have any special celebration plans?

Hayden: The only celebration plans I have is to be celebrating at the finish line hopefully in first place with my friends and competitors! 

Unived: How have you managed to fit your training in with so much snow in Cedar City?

Hayden: I came to Gran Canaria the whole month of January for this reason! It was perfect to get out of the snow and train on the dry trails with the heat of Gran Canaria all of January! While in Cedar City I focus a lot on speed and quality since I can’t get a lot of vert training in so it is the perfect balance! The snow and cold makes you stronger both physically and mentally! 

Unived: Do you have any specific goal for this race?

Hayden: My goal for any race is to win! I have the same goal for this race! 

Unived: How do you deal with low points during a race?

Hayden: When I fuel properly with the Unived products I have very little low points! When I do have these, I work on fuelling better and think about all the hard work I have put in, my family, and break the race into small chunks focusing on just getting to the next aid station! Nothing more has to be done than what has been done in training! 

Unived: What does your race nutrition strategy look like?

Hayden: I have been testing some new products from Unived with these new products I am able to get 90grams of carbohydrates into my body every hour with one drink mix and one gel! I will have the same strategy for this race! I will take one drink mix, one gel, 1 to 2 Unived RRUNN Caffeinated Salt Tabs, and maybe a little fruit or other foods along the way! It has worked perfect in training and should work in the race! 

Hayden training in Transgrancanaria in January with the Unived Trail Running Crew Socks.

Unived: Which Unived Performance Socks will you be using for the race? And why? 

Hayden: I will be using the Unived Trail Running Crew Performance Socks in the race! These socks are perfect! They provide great support and compression around the foot and ankle. Are the perfect height for trail running and I have never had any blisters with them! They keep my feet fresh for long runs and I love the tight secure fit! 

Unived: What is next after Transgrancanaria? 

Hayden: I have had a hard training block into this race. After I will take a couple week break with a little running and some cycling then I will get back to training and prepare for UTGK 80K in China in April! 

Follow Hayden here https://www.instagram.com/hawks_hayden11/