Looking for the results of the women's race? Head to this article for all the details.
Tom Evans has written the ultimate redemption story at this year's UTMB, setting a new men's record after two consecutive DNFs at the race.
The British runner dominated the race from early on despite stormy conditions that took the runners through rain, snow, and hail overnight and resulted in a last-minute rerouting of the course to avoid the exposed Pyramides Calcaires section
"It's just the most incredible race and I think we were blessed with very British weather, we had snow, rain, and a bit of heat at the end," says Evans.
For the final hours of the 100-mile race around Mont Blanc, Evans kept company with American Ben Dhiman and fellow Brit Josh Wade, but started to eke out a wider and wider gap between himself and the other two runners, finally coming in at a spectacular 19:18:58, which is nearly 20 minutes faster than Jim Walmsley's 2023 record. However, because the course was altered due to weather, it's not yet clear whether the time counts as a new record.
"It was just a spectacular day when the mountains just threw everything at you, and the mountains will always win, and you just need to look after yourself and see who can get round the fastest," says Evans.
Evans took third place at the race in 2022, but this win has not come easily. He DNFd in 2023 after getting lost and disoriented in the dark overnight and then dropped out overnight again last year due to stomach issues. In 2023, he was mugged and assaulted on a training run for the UTMB Cape Town in South Africa, an experience he says he's been working with a psychologist to overcome.
"I am incredibly proud to have learned from my mistakes and executed a really good race."
Fellow Asics runner Dhiman ended up trailing Evans by over half an hour, finishing in 19:51:37 after winning both the Lavaredo Ultra Trail and Grand Raid Ventoux this year and Josh Wade landed third place in 20:05:06.
Evans' victory follows wins this year at Arc of Attrition and UTMB Tenerife. He worked with coach Scott Johnson, who also coaches Ruth Croft, the winner of today's women's race.
