Brit elite runner Tom Evans, who is married to international triathlete Sophie Coldwell, was mugged at knife point in South Africa. His biography facts explored.
Tom Evans has made a name for himself as one of the top athletes in the United Kingdom. Before being known as a long-distance runner, he was a British Army Captain.
He won the 2023 Western States Endurance Run among the list of achievements he has since he shot to fame as a pro runner.
In November 2023, Tom who had been training in South Africa for one of the toughest ultra-trail races in the world, was forced to quit the race after being mugged at knifepoint for his wedding ring and watch on Table Mountain.
Tom was one of the star runners who had top celebrity billing for those competing in the RMB Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km race and was a hot favorite to win the tough event.
Although he was unhurt, he was traumastised by the incident.
Here’s everything we know about the professional runner; his net worth, stats, wife, kids, family, what happened to him, and more
Who is Tom Evans?
Tom Evan is a Great Britain cross-country runner.
He was born on February 3, 1992, in London, United Kingdom.
Ready-made star of the running world Tom Evans, boasts a plethora of race wins and course records over a range of distances despite only entering his first ultra in 2016.
Once the youngest captain in the British Army, the beginning of Evans’ career in the sport is partly credited to a drunken bet with his friends.
A natural athlete, he dabbled in track events and hockey as a youngster, but rugby was his primary focus – he represented England schoolboys and had trials with top-flight club Harlequins.
It was during his army days he discovered his passion for endurance running – after winning the 2016 Beacons Ultra he agreed to take on the grueling desert ultra ‘Marathon De Sables’, albeit under the influence of a few beers.
But he stuck to his word and achieved a remarkable result in the 2017 event, as he came home in third.
Since then, Evans has continued to astound and impress, setting records and picking up medals over a variety of distances across several countries.
He suffered a setback in 2021 as he was forced to undergo knee surgery, ending his dream of flying the flag for Britain in the marathon event at the Tokyo Olympics. However, after a five-month recovery period, he picked up where he left off and has since had numerous impressive finishes and overall wins.
This year Tom has won the 100-mile USA Western States Endurance Run and the 33-mile Ultra Trail in Snowdonia and was 2nd in the USA Black Canyon Ultra 60-mile race.
He has run for Great Britain’s cross country and trail running team and is training for the next Olympics and had hoped to celebrate Xmas by winning the Cape Town ultra.
Tom changed careers after taking part in the world’s toughest race the 251km desert ultra Marathon des Sables and came third and left the British army to become an athlete.
Tom is keen to make a positive impact on the world and is an ambassador for the spinal cord research foundation Wings for Life.
He pays tribute to his military background at every race, saluting as he crosses the finish line in what has become his trademark celebration.
Who is Tom Evans’ wife Sophie Coldwell?
British long-distance runner Tom Evans has been married to his spouse Sophie Coldwell.
Tom and Sophie tied the knot in November last year (2022).
However, the couple’s love story, including how they met, and where they got hitched, just to mention a few, remains undisclosed.
They celebrated their 1st wedding anniversary on the 12th of this month.
Tom Evans and his wife Sophie Coldwell have an age gap of 3 years. While the runner is 31 years old (as of November 2023), his sweetheart is aged 28.
By profession, Coldwell is also an athlete. She is an international triathlete.
Tom Evans and his spouse live in Loughborough.
Do Tom Evans and Sophie Coldwell have any kids?
Tom Evans and Sophie Coldwell are not known to be parents.
The couple has not shared they have children.
Also, there are no reports about them having welcomed a son or a daughter.
While they have no kids, they have two dogs, Rocco and Poppy.
How much is runner Tom Evans’ net worth?
Elite athlete Tom Evans, who has an athletic career that spans over years, has a current net worth that is less than $1 million.
He accrued his fortune from his work as a runner, and former solider. Tom Evans was previously a captain in the British Army with the Welsh Guards.
Tom Evans is a Red Bull athlete. He has also been sponsored by Adidas Terrex, Garmin, and Sun God.
What happened to runner Tom Evans?
Brit elite runner Tom Evans has been brutally mugged at knifepoint for his wedding ring and a £2,500 watch in South Africa.
The former British army captain, 31, had a knife held to his throat after two robbers ambushed him while out running alone on Table Mountain in Cape Town yesterday.
The former Welsh Guard’s captain was rugby tackled by two men close to the King’s Blockhouse on Devil’s Peak built in 1796 and though outnumbered fought back.
He managed to grab back his snatched mobile phone and sent the larger man packing but the smaller mugger pulled a machete and a kitchen knife from a backpack.
He said: “Once the knife was at my throat they made it very clear they would kill me if I carried on fighting so I stopped.
“They got my iPhone 15 and then took my Garmin watch both worth about £2500 then went through my back pack pulling everything out asking how much things were worth.
“Then they spotted my wedding ring and said if I didn’t take it off they would cut if off. I have just celebrated my 1st wedding anniversary and I asked them to not take it.
“The knife was pushed in harder and I thought Sophie would rather have me back in one piece than the ring so I took it off and gave it to them which was so very hard to do.
“They told me not to follow and ran off and I headed back down off the contour path and down towards Rhodes Memorial and the university to report what happened” he said.
The South African National Park Rangers searched the area along with police but could find no trace of the pair who attacked as Tom was out on a 40km mountain training run.
The mountain ordeal has traumatised the elite athlete so much that he no longer feels safe to continue his training program and is flying home on British Airways tonight.
Tom of Loughborough, Leics, said: “I’ve spoken it over with Sophie and it makes sense that if I can’t get myself in the right frame of mind physically or mentally to fly home.
“I have travelled all over Africa and had great experiences but this is my first time in South Africa and in Cape Town and it is very sad that I have been forced to leave.
“But what happened was very traumatic with two men with a machete and kitchen knife threatening to kill me and that will sadly be my memory of my first visit over here.
“Will I come back? Who knows? I’ve always wanted to do the Cape Town ultra-trail as it is one of the toughest in the world and I hope in the future I will catch a plane back.
“But it is not fair on Sophie to go back up on that mountain to train each day and if I can’t train then I can’t do myself justice in the race so I have no option but to pack my bags.
“I only got here on Tuesday so it has been short but sadly not-so-sweet” he said.
A fellow runner found traumatised Tom and guided him back down the mountain and reported the attack which is one of a string of muggings on trail runners and hikers.
He had flown into Cape Town International Airport on Tuesday a British doctor was shot dead at a nearby township in August and an American tourist was shot in the mouth.
Tom was running alone on a rugged trail in preparation for the rugged 100km RMB Ultra Trail in Cape Town next Friday which takes athletes up and down numerous mountains.
On the day Tom was mugged the Minister of Police Bheki Cele revealed the latest crime figures which showed 76 murders and 115 rapes a day took place a day in the last 3 months.
Government officials however insist most crime takes place in the townships and poor areas and involves gang turf wars and drugs and that attacks on tourists are rare.
The British doctor Kar Hao Tech, 40, shot dead and US tourist Walter Fischel, 55, shot in the face had both been taken by their Sat-Nav into a dangerous airport township.
Most tourists who are victims of crime mistakenly wander alone into known danger spots.
A Table Mountain park ranger said: “This trail runner unfortunately was attacked by opportunist muggers but he broke the golden rule to go on the mountain alone.
“We cannot stress enough that runners and hikers should enjoy the mountain but in groups as if alone you are a target for muggers or helpless if you have a fall”.
The crime situation was not helped in August when the ANC Government ordered the early release of 15,000 men from overcrowded prisons to house more criminals.
A sharp spike in knife and gun muggings in tourist areas has been reported since the mass release and Cape Town police are organising extra patrols for the summer.