More Than an Athlete. Part of the Team: Caiden Thom's Journey to the Top

From running alongside his dad in Aberdeenshire to training under one of Scotland's most accomplished mountain runners, 21-year-old Caiden Thom is quickly establishing himself as one of the exciting young talents in Scottish trail running. And we believe he's only getting started.

At Highland Fuel Nutrition, we've always believed that supporting athletes should mean more than providing products and putting a logo on someone's chest.

It's about recognising potential, backing ambition and being part of the journey.

And that's exactly why we're proud to have Caiden as part of the Athlete team.

With podium finishes at UTS 25K and Two Valleys, a growing list of impressive performances and some seriously ambitious goals for the future, Caiden is making his mark on the Scottish trail running scene.

Where It All Began

Caiden is 21 years old, born and raised in Aberdeenshire, where he still lives today. Away from running, he's an apprentice IWOCS technician at Proserv, balancing a demanding training schedule with his working life.

His journey into running wasn't necessarily about chasing podiums or dreaming of international competition.

Initially, it was simply a way to stay fit for football.

He started joining his dad on runs, but it was a difficult period for the family that ultimately helped shape his relationship with the sport.

Following the death of his grandfather, Granda Thom, from cancer, Caiden's dad channelled his grief into running, increasing his training and eventually developing into a talented ultrarunner.

Watching that journey inspired Caiden to follow in his footsteps.

As he explains:

"I wasn't very good at it, but growing up I was taught that nothing comes easy and you need to work for what you want."

It's a mentality that has stayed with him.

And looking at where he is today, it's clearly paying off.

More Than Running – A Different Perspective

There's another side to Caiden's story that goes beyond running, training and race results.

Caiden's older brother, now 30, lives with Emanuel syndrome, an extremely rare genetic condition that can cause significant physical and developmental disabilities.

It's something that gives Caiden a different perspective on the opportunities he has. Speaking with Caiden, one thing that really stands out is how aware he is of just how fortunate he is to have a body capable of doing what he asks of it.

To run mountains, push through difficult training sessions, compete in races and test his physical limits. Things that can easily be taken for granted.

His brother's condition is something Caiden comes back to when reflecting on that. He knows that not everyone has the same opportunities or physical capabilities, and that being able to do what he loves is something worth appreciating.

It's a perspective that goes far beyond podiums, finishing times or personal bests. And perhaps that's one of the things we admire most about Caiden.

He's an incredibly talented young athlete with ambitions to compete at the highest level, but he also understands how fortunate he is simply to be able to get out there and run.

The Breakthrough: UTS 25K

Every athlete has a performance that changes their perspective.

For Caiden, that moment came at the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia 25K.

Despite already producing strong performances, he admits it was only recently that he began to appreciate his potential to compete at a higher level.

UTS was the turning point.

"UTS 25 was my breakthrough race. I felt that all my training came together that day and surprised even myself."

That result, alongside a podium finish at Two Valleys and other strong performances, has helped establish Caiden as a runner worth watching.

But what's particularly refreshing is his attitude towards racing.

He doesn't view disappointing performances as failures.

Instead, he sees them as opportunities to learn.

"I never see them as setbacks or disappointing races. I see them as learning curves. I'm still relatively new to this level of racing and I have loads to learn, and I find that exciting."

That mindset is important because for all the talent Caiden has already demonstrated, he's still very much at the beginning of his development.

The Sacrifices Behind the Results

It's easy to look at race results and forget what goes into producing them.

The early mornings. The long training weeks. The weekends spent in the mountains. The social occasions missed.

Caiden is refreshingly open about the changes he's made to give himself the best opportunity to progress.

Like plenty of people his age, he enjoyed going out, attending raves and having a good time but eventually, he realised, he needed to make some changes.

Running had become something he genuinely wanted to pursue, and that meant making decisions about where his priorities lay.

He describes putting significant effort into training and sacrificing social events as major factors in his progression.

It's not always easy, particularly at 21.

His typical training week now involves around 70 miles of running, increasing to 80–90 miles during bigger training blocks.

That includes everything from easy miles on rolling trails and faster sessions on flatter terrain to long days in the mountains.

And he's doing all of that alongside a full-time apprenticeship.

"I balance this with early mornings and busy nights, but at the end of the day I wouldn't want to be doing anything else."

Not because everyone needs to run 90 miles a week, but because Caiden has identified what he wants to achieve and is prepared to put in the work to get there.

Learning from One of Scotland's Best: Robbie Simpson

One of the most exciting parts of Caiden's development has been his relationship with coach Robbie Simpson.

For anyone familiar with Scottish mountain running, Robbie needs little introduction. An accomplished international mountain runner, Robbie has competed at the highest levels of the sport.

And for Caiden, he's someone he looked up to long before they started working together. The coaching relationship came about through his friend (and another exciting HFN Athlete) Jordon, who was already being coached by Robbie.

After a phone call to discuss his development, Caiden decided to make the move. He's also quick to recognise the contribution of his previous coach, Kev Mottram from Evolve Running, who continues to coach Caiden's dad.

Kev helped develop Caiden's aerobic fitness and running form from an early stage, building the foundations that allow him to handle the training demands he faces today. Since joining Robbie, however, there's been one particularly noticeable change.

Elevation. And lots of it.

"More elevation. Lots more elevation! Many weekends of driving out of flat Aberdeen and into the Highlands for some real mountain running."

Training alongside Robbie has also provided a fairly direct indication of the level required to compete at the top.

Caiden admits those early mountain sessions were humbling, but over time, he's started to notice the improvements.

"Even running with him and feeling so unfit, to now managing to hold on a lot longer — he still drops me! — has made me feel like I'm beginning to finally perform at a semi-pro level."

It's an encouraging sign of his progression and probably the most valuable lesson Robbie has passed on isn't about mileage, elevation or race tactics.

It's much simpler.

"Enjoy it. Without enjoyment, what's the point?"

That philosophy runs throughout Caiden's approach to the sport.

How Far Can Caiden Go?

This is where things get particularly exciting. At just 21, Caiden has already demonstrated that he can compete at a high level but he isn't interested in stopping there.

His ambitions stretch well beyond the Scottish racing scene.

When asked how far he believes he can go, his answer is measured.

"I would love to be competing at the biggest stages, but right now I'm just really enjoying the journey."

For 2027, he already has two major targets in mind.

Sierre-Zinal and UTMB Scotland.

Sierre-Zinal is one of the most prestigious mountain races in the world, attracting some of the strongest athletes in the sport, it's exactly the kind of environment Caiden wants to test himself in.

Looking further ahead, there's one particular competition that has captured his imagination since he was younger.

The Golden Trail Series.

"I watched it when I was younger and always wanted to do the series."

He's also keen to test himself against athletes such as Hans Troyer, while continuing to learn from Robbie, someone he once admired from a distance and now considers a good friend.

There's still work to do and Caiden is the first to admit it.

Downhill running.

"For those that know me, this is my kryptonite. But I am definitely getting better at just sending it."

With Robbie guiding his training and several years of progression ahead of him, it'll be awesome to see just how far he can take things.

Fuelling the Journey with Highland Fuel

As Caiden's training volume and racing ambitions have increased, nutrition has become an increasingly important part of his preparation.

But finding the right products hasn't always been straightforward. Caiden has struggled with a sensitive stomach and previously found that many carbohydrate drink mixes simply didn't agree with him.

That changed when he tried Highland Fuel.

"Fuelling is very important to me. Without it you cannot perform for long, hard efforts. That's why I'm so glad I found Highland Fuel, as I have a fragile stomach and couldn't take in most carb mixes on the market until I tried HFN."

His current approach includes BareFuel before racing and during events, alongside energy gels.

Typically, he'll take a 500ml bottle containing two scoops of BareFuel before a race, followed by another bottle during the event, sipping regularly while taking Precision Hydration gels approximately every 20 minutes.

It's a strategy he's developed around his own needs and what works for him and BareFuel has become a regular part of his routine.

"Steve reached out to me and I decided, why not! And to my surprise, I found it was the only carb mix that has worked for me."

For us, that's exactly what we want our products to achieve. We didn't create Highland Fuel to be another logo on the shelf. We created it because we wanted to share straightforward, effective sports nutrition that athletes could rely on.

Knowing that BareFuel has helped Caiden find a fuelling approach that works for him is something we're incredibly proud of.

More Than an Athlete. Part of the Team.

There's another reason Caiden's story means a lot to us.

Highland Fuel was his first sponsor.

We genuinely believed in his potential early on, and we've been proud to support him as his performances and ambitions have grown. But from our perspective, this relationship has never been purely about results.

We're not interested in building a team based solely on podium finishes, follower counts or how many times someone can post about a product.

We want to work with genuine people. Athletes who share our values, believe in what we're doing and have ambitions we can help support.

And trust us, Caiden is exactly that.

When we asked what being part of Team HFN meant to him, his response reinforced why we approach athlete partnerships the way we do.

"It means loads to me. It was my first sponsor, and HFN have believed in my goals since day one and always supported me."

He also understands the importance of having the right people around you.

"Probably the most important thing to have is a team and family who believe in you in this sport, because training isn't always sunshine and rainbows."

There will be brilliant races, personal bests and hopefully plenty more podiums. But there will also be difficult training blocks, disappointing performances and moments when things don't go to plan and we want to be there for all of it.

Because that's what being part of a team should mean.

Just Getting Started

There's no doubt Caiden has talent as his performances already speak for themselves.

But what excites us most isn't what he's achieved so far it's what could come next..

He's 21 years old, working with an exceptional coach, putting in the training and beginning to understand what he's capable of. He has ambitions to race against some of the best mountain runners in the world.

And he has the attitude and work ethic to give himself every opportunity to get there.

When asked where he'd like to be in five years, his answer was simple.

"Still enjoying it and travelling the world to race."

And perhaps that's the most important part of his story.

For all the ambition and determination, he hasn't forgotten that running is something he loves.

We'll leave the final words to Caiden, who had this advice for any young runners dreaming of reaching the highest level.

"Never let anyone say that your dreams are too ambitious. If you want it that bad, then work hard to prove them wrong."

He also made a point of saying that any young runners with questions are welcome to message him on Instagram.

That tells you plenty about the person behind the performances.

We're incredibly proud to have Caiden representing Highland Fuel Nutrition.

And while nobody knows exactly where his running career will take him, we genuinely believe he has the potential to reach the very top.

We're looking forward to being part of that journey.

Welcome to the next chapter, Caiden.

"Never let anyone say that your dreams are too ambitious." — Caiden Thom