Tom Evans, a former British Army officer, started his journey to the start line with a drunken bet. He reckoned he could complete the 155-mile Marathon Des Sables. His mate reckoned he couldn’t. Turned out he could. Evans finished third as the best-placed European in the 2017 edition.
He left the Army in 2019 to concentrate on running and, after initially focusing on ultra-distance and trail running, has had to scale down his distances as he prepares for the marathon.
“On that start line, I will have some of the least experience of anyone in terms of number of races, but in time spent racing, I have probably got some of most experience,” he told BBC Sport. “In 2018, I raced for just under 100 hours.
“For me, the main difference between being in the military and being a professional athlete, is professional athletes train to perform their best when they are feeling their best whereas a soldier is training to perform their best when they are feeling their worst. To be able to carry over some mental strength and resilience stuff from the Army is really cool.”
If anyone watching is inspired to up their own fitness regime, it won’t be the first time that Rebecca Gentry has motivated people off the sofa.
Gentry, originally from Worcester, now works as a fitness instructor in New York for home workout company Peloton, steaming live treadmill classes to followers around the world.
She proved she can mix it on the streets as well when she ran a 2:37:01 time in the 2019 New York Marathon.
