British ultrarunning star Tom Evans started his 2025 season in winning style with an impressive victory in the Arc of Attrition by UTMB 50 while new mum Elsey Davis was a class apart in the women’s race – the pair of them setting new course records in the process.
The Arc of Attrition is now under the UTMB banner and the 50-mile event started at the unique Minack Theatre in Porthcurno at 8.30am on Saturday and follows the Cornish section of the South West Coast Path to the finish in Porthtowan.
Here’s how it all panned out…
Evans asserts to shatter record time
Evans was the winner of the iconic Western States in the USA in 2023 but hasn’t raced since a DNF at UTMB last August.
He was content to run in the lead group in the early stages but by what was essentially the mid-point in St Ives he had moved into a narrow lead from fellow Brit Hugh Chatfield, with Keith Wigley just a few minutes behind in third.
And that was how it stayed to the Godrevy checkpoint 62km but Evans gradually started to eke out a lead as the other two ran together.
Crossing the line with his familiar salute celebration, the former British Army Captain became the first person to go under seven hours for the Arc 50 as he stopped the clock in 6:54:40, smashing Mark Darbyshire’s previous best of 7:39:31 from two years ago.
Chatfield by now had distanced Wigley to take second in 7:04:13, with Wigley rounding out the podium in 7:13:35, both of those times well under Darbyshire’s mark too and well ahead of the rest.
Afterwards on his Instagram account, Evans posted: “Such a fun day out on the trails with @arcofattritionbyutmb opening up my account for the season with @asicsrunning – thanks for the support this week, looking forward to everything to come 🚀
“Great to share miles with @hughs_there and @wildwigley making the first half tough! Big year for you both!”
More joy for Davis
The women’s race saw a superb display from Elsey Davis as she fully justified favouritism.
After 45km at St Ives her lead was 20 minutes over Scarlet Dale but that would go out and out.
At Godrevy (62km) it was well over an hour, with defending champion Poppy Collingwood having now moved into second place.
And Davis reached Porthtowan just before 4.30pm to go sub-eight in 7:55:48 and finish sixth overall.
And there was a lovely moment when she crossed the finish line as there was a surprise greeting from her wife Sarah and new-born son Victor.
Davis’ time was well under Fiona Pascall’s 8:18:46 mark from 2023 and it was nearly and hour and a half later when last year’s winner Collingwood arrived in Porthtowan. Third home was America’s Amanda Basham.
Click here for a full report on the Arc of Attrition 100.
Arc of Attrition by UTMB 50 results, Saturday 25 January 2025, 50 miles (81km)
MEN:
- Tom Evans (GBR) – 6:54:40
- Hugh Chatfield (GBR) – 7:04:13
- Keith Wigley (GBR) – 7:13:35
WOMEN:
- Elsey Davis (GBR) – 7:55:48
- Poppy Collingwood (GBR) – 9:21:50
- Amanda Basham (USA) – 9:42:40
