British ultra-distance runner enjoys win at iconic and gruelling trail and mountain race
Tom Evans achieved arguably the most prestigious feat in mountain and trail ultra running on Saturday (Aug 30) when he won the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc title.
The British runner was well clear of his rivals as he enjoyed the final strides in Chamonix, France, with the streets lined with thousands of spectators.
Taking a Union flag in the home straight, he tied it to his back like a cape and then paused a metre or so before the finish line before making his trademark salute – a nod to his background in the British Army.
He then embraced his wife, the international triathlete Sophie Caldwell, together with their daughter, Phoebe. Taking one of his ASICS’ shoes off and cracking a can of Red Bull, he then poured the drink into it and enjoyed a celebratory drink.
His time was 19hr 18min 58sec although it was set on a slightly shorter course than usual due to the weather causing minor changes as the athletes covered more than 100 mountainous miles through France, Italy and Switzerland.
The 33-year-old, who is based in Loughborough, finished third in the UTMB in 2022 behind winner Kilian Jornet. He was then forced to drop out of the UTMB in 2023 and 2024. But this time the Briton was a class apart from his rivals.
“To have a victory at UTMB is a dream come true and I’m joining a special and small list of incredible athletes,” he said. “This was just the most bizarre race where driving down the weather was okay but then we had rain and snow. I formed a buddy-buddy system with fellow runners at one stage and we were checking in with each other because the weather was so bad.
“I’ve had two DNFs in the past two years but this shows if you put your mind to it then anything is possible.”
After winning the Western States ultra-race in 2023, this is the former military man’s biggest win yet.
Evans’ first ultra-distance race was the 2017 Marathon des Sables, which he entered for a bet. Surpassing expectations, he finished third and realised he had a talent worth pursuing.
The following year Evans won the UTMB’s sister race – the ‘CCC’ (Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix). A great all-round runner, he has also represented Britain in the World Half-Marathon Championships and World Cross Country Championships, the latter in Belgrade last year.
In Chamonix this weekend, Evans became the first British man to win the UTMB since Jez Bragg, who won in…
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