Last year’s second-place finisher, New Zealand’s Ruth Croft returns to the 2025 UTMB with more course knowledge and experience. In the following interview, Ruth talks about some of the things that she’s changed from last year, her pacing, and some of her training techniques.
For more on who’s racing, check out our in-depth women’s and men’s previews and follow our live race coverage starting Friday.
[Editor’s Note: If you are unable to see the video above, click here to access it.]
Ruth Croft Pre-2025 UTMB Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with Ruth Croft before the 2025 UTMB. How are you, Ruth?
Ruth Croft: I’m doing well. Yeah. I think it’s good that we get a southern hemisphere catch-up and a northern hemisphere.
iRunFar: Totally. It’s a good system here. So you were here last year and ran a really good race, and you’re the top returnee this year. Yeah?
Croft: Yeah, I think on paper.
iRunFar: On paper, yeah.
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: What does that feel like? Does it feel like pressure, excitement, or do you ignore what happened last year?
Croft: I think going into it, I definitely don’t want to think back too much to last year. I feel like this year is a blank slate because overall last year was a positive experience, and I know that’s not always the way the dice rolls in an ultra. Yeah, I’m excited to be here always. Yeah, looking forward to it.
iRunFar: Can you take something away from that experience last year? What went right that allowed you to have such a good race and a strong finish?
Croft: Yeah, I think I was just super conservative through to Courmayeur and then was able to move quite well after that. Definitely, I learned a lot just with things like nutrition and stuff. I hadn’t raced time-wise that long before, and so there were some things that I learned that I definitely changed this year.
I think it’s just easier going into it for the second time. I feel like mentally as well. I think you’ve got your spreadsheet already sorted from last year. You can just pull that up and do a few tweaks. So overall, just feel I know a bit more about what I’m getting into.
iRunFar: Do you have that game plan? I mean, it worked for you at Western States in the past, going there, running it, and then coming back and really nailing it even better.
Croft: Yeah, it definitely helps for sure, having raced it once. Again, I think it might be a bit of a different race as well, just looking at the weather as well, so that might change things a bit too.
iRunFar: Yeah. What did you change with nutrition?
Croft: I used solid food for the first three hours. I didn’t think I was going to be able to use gels and powders for the full race, but now I know that yeah, I’ll be totally fine to use gels and powders from the gun.
iRunFar: So you have really excelled at a whole range of courses really, but do you think something like UTMB suits you best or other events?
Croft: I think a lot of it I owe to my coach, Scott Johnston. I think before I started working with him, I wouldn’t say I was great at hiking uphill. I actually hated it. I feel like I come more from a pure running background. So he’s actually got me a lot stronger. So now I actually enjoy hiking uphill.
iRunFar: It’ll probably be nicer during the race when you’re not doing it with, what is it, a 10-kilo pack you hike up hills with? What’s your routine for…
Croft: Yeah, we got up to 12 kgs at the end, but yeah, this is where I’ve been using my partner. So I’ll do normally three reps of 20 minutes with, we started at eight kgs at the beginning of the season in January, and then it progresses to 12 kgs. Normally, my partner, Martin [Gaff], he runs it down so I don’t smash my quads.
iRunFar: What’s his name?
Croft: He’s the Downhill Donkey. He did his hamstring at Mont-Blanc Marathon weekend dressed as a goat. So he’s been out in the past …
iRunFar: Dressed as a goat, which is his nickname or has been one of his nicknames, but he was playing around in a costume?
Croft: So I’ve just been using the lifts. I normally just ask someone at the top of the lift to bring my vest down, and then will run down.
iRunFar: That’s worked pretty well?
Croft: Yeah, it does work.
iRunFar: You’re back at UTMB. What brings you back? Do I even have to ask that question, or is it a competitive nature?
Croft: For sure. I just want to try and improve on last year. I think it’s always performance that I’m seeking, and I love that it’s a competitive field. Yeah, it’s our biggest stage, and I think it’s always special. I’ve got my folks coming over from New Zealand. Yeah, my best friend’s going to be here, Martin will be crewing me, his family’s here. So yeah, I just love sharing that day with them.
iRunFar: That’s pretty cool. I mean, this is one of your biggest days in the office for your job for the year.
Croft: It just brings a lot more meaning when you share it with people that you care a lot about.
iRunFar: That’s really cool. It seems to, at least from an outside perspective, that over the past year or so with your new coach, you’ve had a much more analytical or, I don’t know if that’s the right way to look at it, a more analytical approach to training or even testing or that sort of thing. Has that changed over the past?
Croft: Yeah. So I’ve been working with Scott for, this is my third year. I just think he’s very intentional around the training. Everything’s very specific. It took me probably a year to get used to the way he coaches. I feel just working with him, I have a lot of trust that I know that he’ll have me on the start line as best prepared as I can be.
Then I have been working with Joseph Mestrallet there. He’s a data scientist, and so I worked with him, this is my third year. So the first year I DNS’d at UTMB, but he was the one that came up with a pacing plan last year. So I also have been working with him this year, and he’s been a lot more integrated with my coach this year.
iRunFar: Have you done more data testing as well?
Croft: Not a ton to be honest. So it’s been more that Joseph and Scott have been talking more. I stay out of it because what they do, I don’t understand. To be honest, I don’t really have a lot of interest in it either. So I just focus on staying in my lane and doing what I need to do. Then Scott and Joseph are behind the scenes, throwing ideas back and forth.
iRunFar: Nice. You each have your role.
Croft: Yeah, for sure. I think for me, it’s important I don’t get stuck in the weeds of the data side of things, and I think it’s important that I focus on what I need to do, which is just recovery, sleeping well, eating well, that sort of thing.
iRunFar: Taking care of yourself.
Croft: Yeah. For sure.
iRunFar: You’re training to be a naturopath right now, right?
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: I was wondering about that interplay from the data analytical side, but you offload that to other people and stick in your sweet spot.
Croft: Yeah. I’m definitely way more interested in the nutrition, the holistic side of it. Then also I work with someone on blood analysis, and that is what really interests me, so I focus more on that for sure. Yeah.
iRunFar: Got it. Well, I hope all things come together for you and you have a good time out there, Ruth.
Croft: Thanks, Bryon.
