Redemption for former soldier in the 109-mile ‘Super Bowl’ of trail running

Tom Evans had been here before. He was a glutton for punishment.

His last two attempts at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB), one of the toughest endurance races on the planet, had ended in failure. One almost ended in tragedy.

But here he was back again to tackle his nemesis for the fourth time.

Starting in Chamonix, in the French Alps, the 175.4km (109 mile) course around Mont Blanc runs through Italy and Switzerland with an elevation gain of 10,000m before ending back where it started.

Battling blizzard-like conditions, the Briton took victory an an incredible 19 hours, 18 minutes and 58 seconds, finishing 32 minutes ahead of second place American Ben Dhiman, with fellow Briton Josh Wade in third.

“The last two years, I have not finished, so to be able to come from that with a win and put my worries at ease and prove if you really want to achieve something, you find a way to do it…” the former army officer, 33, told BBC Sport, his words trailing off.

“It’s a race that starts at 6pm and you run through the night.

“This year we had rain, snow and gale force winds and the distance itself is no joke. It would be a long way in a car.

Evans finished third in the UTMB in 2022 and returned to compete the following year.

But what started as a shot at beating his previous finish almost ended tragically.

“I was completely unprepared for it and I started too fast,” he said.

“My body just went in to complete shutdown and I didn’t know what I was doing or where I was and the tracking system had failed.”

Following the incident, Evans’ career as a trail runner hung in the balance as doctors were unsure what had happened to him.

“One of the hormones your body will release after having a heart attack is the same as what it would release after pushing yourself to the absolute limit,” he said.

“So the concern was that I had either pushed myself to exhaustion or I had just had a heart attack.”

Evans’ first ultra-distance race was the 2017 Marathon des Sables, which he entered for a bet.

He has now become the first Briton to win at the UTMB since Lizzy Hawker enjoyed five victories in the women’s race from 2005-2012, and the first British man to win since Jez Bragg in 2010.

And he joins a group of runners to have won the UTMB and the Western States, a 100-mile endurance run.

His wife, Sophie Coldwell, a trail runner and Commonwealth gold medal-winning triathlete, joined him at the finish line with their three-month-old daughter Phoebe.

“It felt like a full circle moment where I had gone through so much adversity in the race that I was just incredibly proud,” Evans said.

“I was so proud that I had put myself up to fail and was willing to fail again but was then able get the result I knew I was capable of getting.

“It was just incredibly special to share that moment with them [Sophie and Phoebe]. They have sacrificed so much for me to be here.”

Phoebe may not have been entirely aware of what her dad had achieved, but as he lifted her above his head at the finish, Evans said social media had made “Lion King comparisons” to the moment.

As he crossed the finish line, Evans saluted in celebration, a nod to his time in the armed forces.

His career before sport is something he feels has helped make him a better endurance athlete.

“When I was in the military, there were times on courses where giving up just wasn’t an option,” he said.

“I was an officer and so for my soldiers I had to set an example – and I guess I get it is a similar mindset when I get out on the trail and push myself to the absolute limits.

During his training, Evans worked with Dr David Spindler, the sports psychologist who helped Mark Cavendish before he won his final-ever stage at the Tour de France.