Emotional scenes at the end as Tom Evans’ wife and daughter embraced him at the finish line after the 33-year-old Brit finished well clear of his rivals
Fast action hero Tom Evans justified his decision to quit the army for extreme ultra trail running as he clinched the 100 mile Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc title. The 33-year-old Brit from Eastbourne finished well clear of his rivals to achieve the most prestigious feat in ultra trail running on Saturday in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France.
Evans, who trains at Loughborough University, is a former military captain who left the army to pursue his dream of competing. Grabbing a Union Jack flag from a fan, he was cheered on by spectators lining the streets as he powered down the home straight.
Tying the flag around his neck to use it as a cape, Evans paused around a metre before the finish line to make what is understood to be his trademark salute – a nod to his background in the British Army. Evans then enjoyed an emotional embrace with his wife, the international triathlete Sophie Caldwell and their daughter, Phoebe.
His time, of 19hr 18min 58sec, was set on a shorter course than usual due to the weather causing minor changes as the athletes covered over 100 mountainous miles through France, Italy and Switzerland.
”This was just the most bizarre race where driving down the weather was okay but then we had rain and snow,” he said. “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.”
Surrounded by photographers, Evans then poured the drink into one of his running shoes and enjoyed a celebratory drink. Evans finished third in the same race three years ago behind Spaniard Kilian Jornet. He was then forced to drop out in 2023 and 2024. He bounced back in style this year, however, to leave his rivals for dust. He went on: “To have a victory at UTMB is a dream come true and I’m joining a special and small list of incredible athletes. I’ve had two DNFs in the past two years but this shows if you put your mind to it then anything is possible.”
Ben Dhiman of the United States finished runner-up – just over half an hour behind Evans – with another Brit, Lake District-based Josh Wade, finishing third to make the podium.
Evans’ victory makes him the first British man to win the UTMB since Jez Bragg, victorious in 2010 on a course much shorter than usual due to bad weather.
Evans’ first ultra-distance race was the 2017 Marathon des Sables, which he entered for a bet. He finished third to convince himself he had the ability to keep going. Just a year later, Evans was the winner of the UTMB’s sister race – the ‘CCC’ (Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix).
He has since represented Britain in the World Half-Marathon Championships and last year’s World Cross Country Championships, in Belgrade.
His success in Chamonix makes him the first Brit to win at the UTMB since Lizzy Hawker clinched five victories in the women’s race between 2005 and 2012.