Tom Evans revealed a new relaxed mindset and a killer training session both helped him take the next step to becoming a UTMB winner.
The British star put together a perfectly executed race to run away from his rivals in trail running’s biggest race – despite sometime horrendous conditions.
He was third in the race in 2022 but suffered painful DNFs in the following two years.
They were banished in quite brilliant style in Chamonix this time as he joined a very select group to have won both UTMB and Western States.
‘This is proof that you can’t fail’
And speaking to the press afterwards Evans said: “This is proof that you can’t fail – instead you can just learn from your mistakes. I am incredibly proud to have learnt from my mistakes and executed a really good race to win the biggest and most beautiful trail race in the world.”
He has worked with a psychologist over the last year and also said that becoming a father for the first time – his wife Sophie Coldwell, a professional triathlete, gave birth to Phoebe in May – had also given him a completely different perspective.
He explained: “For me it was about being really happy on the start line. And just dealing with any demons that I had and realising what the important things in life are.
“And not pushing too hard, too soon. Having the confidence to be really patient was the important thing in the race itself.”
Here on RUN247, we’d highlighted the influence of his coach Scott Johnston beforehand – his “muscular endurance training” could hardly have had a better shop window as he also looks after women’s UTMB winner Ruth Croft.
And Evans reckons one workout in particular was pivotal: “Heavy uphill long reps – wearing a heavy weighted vest for an uphill tempo, then hide the pack, run down and hike back up at tempo without the pack. Those sessions made a huge difference.”
Doing it for his family
Looking at the race itself, Evans added: It’s just the most incredible race and I think we were blessed with very British weather. The snow, rain and then heat at the end – a bit of everything.
“It was just a spectacular day where the mountains threw everything at you. The mountains will always win and you’ve just got to look after yourself and see who gets round the fastest.
“You needed everything. You needed to be able to run fast, hike in mud, do snow, do rain, look after yourself in the big mountains.”
But above all it was having the love and support from his family which he says made the biggest difference. Both his wife and daughter greeted him amid emotional scenes on the line and Evans underlined: “Running is a team sport and to have the support from my wife and having Phoebe has just added so much incredible value to my life.
“And in the tough moments it was them who I was thinking of and who I was doing it for.”
Asked what’s next his first response was “who knows” but he did throw in the intriguing possibility of “maybe a Spine” one day. There are various different lengths (and times of year) but the full Spine Race is a 268-mile epic along the Pennine Way which is dubbed “Britain’s most brutal”.
