The cool, wet weather did not spare the runners of the UTMB, who set off from Chamonix at 5:45 p.m. on Friday. 174 kilometers later, it was Britain’s Tom Evans who, after two withdrawals in previous years, won this 22nd Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc in spectacular fashion on Saturday, August 30, with a comfortable lead. In the women’s race, a trio battled it out until Switzerland, then New Zealander Ruth Croft—who came in second last year—managed to pull ahead of Frenchwoman Camille Bruyas.
He will not be receiving a fifth crown this year: François d’Haene, already a four-time winner, had to drop out after 70 kilometers of racing. In the women’s race, the overwhelming favorite Courtney Dauwalter will not be adding another title to her collection either, finishing 10th. The UTMB is as unforgiving to the favorites as it is to the underdogs.
At the halfway point, hopes were still high that a new Frenchman would win this 22nd edition of the UTMB. Leaving Courmayeur at 2:12 a.m., 26-year-old Théo Detienne was leading ahead of Tom Evans and American Ben Dhiman, but the recent winner of the Mont Blanc Marathon (90 km) had to give up in the face of the pace set by Tom Evans. The Briton crossed the Grand Col Ferret seven minutes ahead of Dhiman and thirteen minutes ahead of the Frenchman. He held on to the lead until the finish line. Detienne, meanwhile, dropped out after Trient.
Army captain and seasoned marathon runner,
Tom Evans is a regular
on the trail running circuit
A former British Army officer and seasoned marathon runner, Tom Evans is far from unknown: he took third place in the 2022 UTMB behind Kilian Jornet and Mathieu Blanchard, with a blistering time of 20:34 in a very fast race (19:49 for Jornet, 19:54 for Blanchard).
Evans won the Western States in 2023 but had to drop out of the UTMB that same season and the following one. So this is a sweet victory for Tom Evans, who at 33 finally won in Chamonix in 19:18. He succeeds Frenchman Vincent Bouillard, winner in 2024. Tom Evans’ first words at the finish line were about the difficult conditions, even for him, a Brit, he said.
This year, conditions were indeed difficult, with rain and even snow at the Col du Bonhomme, “very hard conditions” according to participants. At 1 a.m. on Friday night, the organizers shortened the route by avoiding the detour via the Pyramides Calcaires on the Italian side of the Col de la Seigne, reducing the time by about 45 minutes.
Tom Evans at the finish line on Saturday, August 30, 2025. ©Hoka UTMB
In the women’s race, a trio battled it out throughout the race. The favorite, American Courtney Dauwalter, was able to hold onto the lead for a long time. But two other competitors pushed her hard and eventually overtook her. France’s Camille Bruyas (2nd) ran an almost perfect race before being overtaken by New Zealand’s Ruth Croft, who gradually pulled away.
Ruth Croft won in Chamonix. One year after finishing second behind Katie Schilde, Ruth Croft took the win and ranked 21st overall in the race, men and women combined, finishing after 22 hours and 56 minutes of effort.