Just two months after smashing the Arc of Attrition course record, ultra runner Tom Evans was back on the UTMB World Series podium this weekend with another big win.
The British runner took first place in the 14th UTMB Tenerife, following a 110k (68 mile) course through volcanic Teide National Park. Evans arrived at the finish line in Puerto de la Cruz in 12:32:20, more than 45 minutes ahead of Spain's Manuel Alexis Martin Lorenzo and over an hour in front of third-placed Jean-François Cauchon of Canada.
So pleased was the former British army captain with his performance – his total rest time on the course was just one minute eight seconds – that he stopped just before the finish line to give a victory dance, before continuing on and delivering his signature salute at the finish.
"It's an incredibly special island. Amazing people, amazing scenery. Yeah, I just had such an amazing journey and adventure today," says Evans, who explains it was his first trip to the Spanish island.
Evans looks to be back properly on form after a rocky couple of seasons. In 2022 he placed third in the UTMB finals, followed by a second place at Black Canyon then winning both the UTMB Snowdonia and Western States in 2023. However, he then suffered two disappointing DNFs in the UTMB finals in 2023 and 2024, and was mugged at knifepoint in South Africa on a training run between those two races.
At the beginning of this year, however, he announced he'd inked a new deal with Asics and just two days later became the first the first runner to break the seven-hour barrier at the UK's Arc of Attrition. Those Gel Trabuco Max shoes seem to be working.
In the women's race, Spain's Estel Roig Fortin took first place in 15:16:32 followed by Latvia's Linda Boldane and Switzerland's Mélanie Delasoie. South Africa's Toni McCann took first place in the 24k race, writing to Instagram, "20k races don’t get enough credit. That was hard!!"
The tough course takes runners over 20,862ft of elevation gain (6,359m) from the coast through volcanic peaks and rock formations before a steep descent through pine forests back to the sea, and below-freezing windchill conditions were forecast for the higher elevations during the race.
The UTMB Tenerife was the latest race from the series to be streamed live, with the next one on the schedule the UTMB Australia May 17. Head to our article on UTMB live for the full 2025 schedule.
