Evans was born at
Langbank, Renfrewshire. Her first outdoor pursuits were mountaineering and rock climbing. In order to improve her fitness for these activities, she began running in 1976 while at
Jordanhill College where she underwent teacher training. She also began orienteering at around the same time. As a runner, Evans won the
British Fell Running Championships in 1979 and 1981, and in 1979, she set a ladies’ record for the
Bob Graham Round with a time of 20:31. She has won the
Ben Nevis Race seven times, more than any other woman. Among her other fell race victories were Ben Lomond, the
Langdale Horseshoe,
Sedbergh Hills,
Borrowdale, the
Fairfield Horseshoe, the Kentmere Horseshoe, Pendle, and the
Snowdon Race. She still holds the female record for the Cow Hill Race from
Fort William. Evans was a Scottish Orienteering Champion and represented Great Britain in the
World Orienteering Championships in 1985. She was a winner of the navigational Lake District Mountain Trial and, together with Anne-Marie Grindley, was in the first female team to complete the elite course of the
Karrimor International Mountain Marathon. Evans competed in the
World Ski Orienteering Championships and was selected to represent Great Britain in
cross-country skiing at the
1984 Winter Olympics where she participated in the
5 km,
10 km,
20 km and
4 x 5 km relay events. She died on 31 August 2024. ==Private life==