Scott Johnston, fresh off coaching both the men’s and women’s winners of UTMB in the same year, shares his coaching philosophy with Dirk Friel. Scott emphasizes the value of consistent, disciplined training rooted in tried-and-true principles. Not through flashy shortcuts, just a thoughtful blend of science, individualized pacing, and real-world adaptability.
Throughout the conversation, Scott explains how he tailored training for Ruth Croft and Tom Evans, highlighting that while every Evoke Endurance training plan is built on a shared set of core principles, the real magic lies in personalizing workouts to each athlete’s unique needs and life circumstances. Hear how Scott’s approach balances rigorous data—like lactate testing and measured thresholds—with the all-important “soft” skills of daily check-ins, building trust, and keeping athletes mentally anchored during major events.
One clear takeaway: success is less about pushing past your limits at every session and more about knowing when to hold back, adapt, or shift focus. Scott also dives into the technical side: steep treadmill sessions to build fatigue resistance, the smart use of poles, innovative altitude and heat strategies, and the power of true athlete-coach communication.
Standout Quotes
Balancing Speed and Strength in Ultra Running: “So both have way more speed reserve than they need for this. So we do for this kind of a race where speed isn’t really the essential element, we do do some maintenance work on that speed, but it takes a bit of a backseat.”
“You never know when that long of a race and especially in the kind of conditions we had this race where, you know, just a lot of things can happen in twenty hours that could derail the whole strategy.”
The Unpredictability of Endurance Races
The Importance of Athlete Feedback Over Hard Data: “But what I believe as a coach is more important is what the internal load was here. And that at this point, we don’t have a great way of collecting hard data about internal load, so we’re heavily reliant on the perception of how did this go? How did this feel? You know, are your legs still a little heavy from that thing we did a few days ago? Do we need to adjust going forward?”
“I think that indicates that we could get a lot of the same kind of training benefit, that we would get normally here in the mountains in his home gym on an incline trainer.”
Home Gym Training vs. Mountain Training
The Real Reason Elite Athletes Hire Coaches: “But the reason they don’t coach themselves is they need a partner to work through this stuff with, you know, bounce ideas off. [Saving the] mental energy of having to think about what they’re gonna do, and they need somebody to, I think, in some cases, to say no. “Today needs to be a rest day.”
