An incredible speaker line-up has been finalised for the National Running Show 2026 which takes place from 31st January to 1st February at the NEC in Birmingham, England.
It includes an abundance of athletes, adventurers, celebrities, industry experts and thought leaders who will take to the various stages and spaces catering to every running interest and ability level.
It is the biggest running community meet-up in the UK, bringing together in excess of 30,000 enthusiasts across two days and showcasing a wide range of over 250 established and emerging brands.
Evans announces 2026 race plans
The exciting speaker line-up includes decorated and iconic athlete Carl Lewis, elite runner and 2028 Olympic hopeful Phily Bowden, one of the UK’s most successful middle-distance athletes Laura Muir and avid marathoner and pop rock band star Harry Judd.
And among those recently added to the speaker roster is decorated ultrarunner Tom Evans, who this summer fulfilled a long-held ambition by becoming the first British man to win UTMB since 2010.
Sometimes referred to as the ‘Super Bowl’ of trail running, UTMB starts and finishes in Chamonix, France and passes through Italy and Switzerland, incorporating approximately 10,000 metres (33,000 feet) of positive elevation gain. An average ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF) rate of around 30-40% evidences the difficulty of the challenge.
Evans was third there in 2022 behind a record-breaking Kilian Jornet and then the following year he went on to win the most prized event in the United States – Western States.
But things unravelled at UTMB in 2023 and 2024, meaning he had unfinished business when he returned to Chamonix for this year’s edition.
And in what at times were brutal conditions – forcing a late change in the route – he produced an absolute masterclass, pacing it perfectly as he gradually distanced his rivals for an emphatic success to join a very select group to have won both UTMB and Western States.
And he’s recently announced that he will return to the The North Face Transgrancanaria in early March, this time to race the 126km Classic having won the shorter Advanced event there in 2022.
Sophie Power back for more!
Trail running enthusiasts with their own UTMB aspirations will be keen to hear from two further speakers at the show who formed part of the winning support team this year.
Performance Nutritionist Paul Booth who fuelled both Evans and Ruth Croft to victories at UTMB will be speaking at event; as well as Data and Performance Scientist Joseph Mestrallet. Joseph was instrumental in securing Ruth and Tom the UTMB podium, creating bespoke tactical and strategic pacing plans that incorporated the exact conditions of the race.
British ultrarunner and member of the GB team which won gold at the 2025 24-hour World Championships Sophie Power will be returning to The National Running Show. In 2025, Sophie, who founded the charity SheRACES, drew huge crowds and global media to her live demonstration at the show, setting a new world record for the longest distance run by a woman on a treadmill in 48 hours.
