11 takeaways from the 2025 UTMB race

By Henry Howard

We’ll remember the 2025 UTMB races for the gutsy performances from the runners who stood atop the podium, those who gutted the challenges to reach the finish line and for those who unfortunately had to DNF.

Who won the 2025 UTMB? Tom Evans won the 2025 UTMB, after dropping out of the race in both 2023 and 2024. He previously won CCC, too. On the women’s side, Ruth Croft won UTMB and now has victories in the big three in the race series. She won OCC in 2019 and CCC in 2015.

Among other notable elites, previous UTMB champion Jim Walmsley added a OCC title to his collection while course record holder at UTMB Courtney Dauwalter proved that she is human after all.

Croft, Walmsley, Evans and CCC champion Francesco Puppi are now among seven runners who have won at least two of the three highest-profile UTMB races.

Here are 11 takeaways from the 2025 UTMB race:

• “Best dad I can possibly be.” Tom Evans won UTMB by a margin of 32:39, the largest since Pau Cappell's victory in 2019. Evans, who ran a smart race in terrible weather conditions, was clearly inspired by his infant daughter, Phoebe. “She’s already in my heart. Now, she’s in my head as well,” he said in a pre-race interview with iRunFar, indicating that he would be running with a photo of Phoebe tucked in his hat. “This year I want to set the example of I’m now not just Tommy ultra runner. I like to think I’m so much more. I want to be the best husband, the best dad that I can possibly be. And yeah, I can’t wait for her in a few years to be able to look back at pictures and be like, ‘Oh, I was here and got to watch Daddy do these things.’ It’ll be really, really special this year.” With victories at UTMB and Western States, will Evans turn to another high-profile race like Hardrock, or aim to repeat at UTMB perhaps?

• A UTMB Triple Crown. Ruth Croft didn’t just beat a competitive UTMB field, including three-time champion Courtney Dauwalter, but Croft became the first woman to complete the UTMB Triple Crown, adding to her previous wins at OCC and CCC. Her win also breaks a streak of five straight victories by American women at UTMB. With this victory, she has risen to the top of the current crop of women’s top ultra runners, along with 2024 UTMB champion Katie Schide and Courtney Dauwalter.

• A “disappointing” top 10 finish. Did Courtney Dauwalter peak when she nailed the Triple Crown (Western States, Hardrock and UTMB victories in less than two months) in 2023? It’s hard to know what physical toll that unique Triple Crown has had on Dauwalter. At this year’s UTMB, she was in the lead early but gradually slipped back. Still it’s admirable that as a pre-race favorite, she kept chugging forward and came away with a top 10 finish. Given her extraordinary fitness and experience, I wouldn’t bet against Dauwalter in any race.

• Jim Walmsley is still the king. After bowing out of June’s Western States due to injury, Walmsley returned in grand style taking the victory at OCC with a late surge. His time of 5:00:35 edged Cristian Minoggio by 20 seconds in an exciting finish. Will Walmsley seek a victory at CCC to complete the trifecta? In an interview with Dylan Bowman’s Freetrail podcast after the race, Walmsley said, “Maybe CCC is the perfect middle spot for me. But I really like how UTMB challenges me. For me, UTMB is the table I want to sit at. I missed being part of the fight for this race. UTMB is still the fire. CCC is not the goal for me at this point.” Walmsley is still among the world’s best ultra runners. My hunch is that he’ll focus on being competitive at Western States, taking aim at Scott Jurek’s record for wins by a male.

• All he does is win. Francesco Puppi’s win at CCC continues a banner 2025 that’s seen him take a victory at the Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB in the 100K race, and the Lavaredo Ultra Trail by UTMB, Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB, and Transgrancanaria Marathon at 50K distances. Time to start the petition to bring Puppi to Western States, which he would be able to race with the Golden Ticket he earned at CCC. More on that later.

• Was this the race of the year? Will the women’s CCC race end up being the race of the year from an overall standpoint? The top three finishers were all within 2:23. Martyna Młynarczyk fought off a late surge from Sylvia Nordskar to win in 11:41, just 18 seconds ahead. Their finishing times are the race’s second- and third-fastest ever. Third-place finisher Anna Tarasova crossed the line in 11:44:18.

• Rising to the top. The U.S. men looked super strong at CCC, with David Sinclair (runner-up) and Drew Holmen (third) leading the Americans who landed four men in the top seven spots. Billed as a highly competitive race beforehand, the CCC competitors did not disappoint. It’s a good sign that the Americans have a strong, deep contingent.

• Ludovic Pommeret, man. What a legend. Pommeret finished in sixth place in a time of 20:40, which is significantly faster than when he won in 2016. And this comes just a few weeks after he won Hardrock, again. Oh, and he's 50.

• An unheralded podium finisher. Quick: Who finished on the podium in both Hardrock and at a UTMB race this year? Katharina Hartmuth, that’s who. After taking third place for the second year in a row at Hardrock, Hartmuth also finished third at UTMB. With a strong collection of top finishes, Hartmuth is among the top runners yet doesn’t seem to get the deserved recognition.

• The impact on year-end awards. How does this past weekend’s results help shape this year’s Ultrarunner of the Year, Trail Runner of the Year and other accolades? Clearly, Croft, Walmsley, Puppi and others boosted their chances with strong performances. But there is still a lot of racing left to do — like the World Championships coming up in just a few weeks.

• Elites enter Western States field. Let us not forget that CCC was the first of six Western States Golden Ticket races. And, to no surprise, there are some legitimate contenders in this group. It’s notable that the athletes have not yet accepted — or denied — the Golden Ticket entry thus far. But on the men’s side they are Francesco Puppi, who has not raced Western but won the Canyons 100K in April; David Sinclair, who also has not raced Western but won and set the course record at the JFK 50 in November; and Drew Holmen, who has two top five finishes at Western. On the women’s side, there are no previous finishers at Western States. CCC winner Martyna Mlynarczyk, who DNF’d at Western in 2025, placed second at CCC a year ago; while runner-up Sylvia Nordskar and third-place finisher Anna Tarasova would be making their first appearances.