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Growing up in Stillwater, New Zealand, population 86, Ruth Croft learned hard work from a young age. Her father ran a transport company, managing dozens of drivers and semi-trailers across the 600km West Coast in the South Island.
“On school holidays I worked for my dad full time, sometimes 14-hour days,” says Croft. “Shitty jobs like cleaning drains or the grease bay. I don’t know anyone who works as hard as he does.”
Her mother and brother also worked for the family company and all three were often in the office from sunrise to sunset. The hard-work ethos made an impression on Croft, a professional runner who made history last month after winning the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), the most prestigious ultra in the world. The UTMB is a 174km (108 miles) race that passes through France, Italy, and Switzerland, encircling the Mont Blanc Massif. In doing so, she became the first woman to win the UTMB World Series Triple Crown, which includes OCC and CCC, which are shorter distances at the same event. Despite her level of success, Croft has remained an enigma to many, because she almost never talks about herself.
“That’s a West Coast thing. You never toot your own horn,” says Croft. “I like to remind myself that it’s just running, it’s not like I’m curing cancer.” This perspective has kept her humble and consistent, off social media and focused on the task at hand.
Last year Croft placed second at UTMB and returned with hopes of winning, despite a deep field including American Courtney Dauwalter, who hadn’t lost a 100-mile race in eight years. The two ran much of the first 30km together, before Dauwalter built up an 11-minute lead through the night, as Croft fell back to third. Around the 100km mark, as the sun rose, Croft surged, eventually winning by 32 minutes.
“Winning UTMB won’t change how I’ll move through the world,” says Croft. “It seems cheesy and corny, but if you know who you are, external stuff won’t dictate your internal happiness. What it can do, however, is be a vehicle to bring people together.”
At the finish line, Croft was met by her parents. “You see the good the sport does. My dad was crying at the finish. All the people back home, on the coast, are just fizzing off it. Hamish, my brother, got emotional when he called to congratulate me. These are moments I cherish forever.”
This mirrors the culture of the West Coast, which is hard to break into, but tight knit and supportive once you’re in, Croft says. The 34,000 full-time residents are resilient and resourceful, living hours from the nearest city and battling torrential rain for days. “It can be tough, but we just get on with it.”
Croft started running in primary school and got her first coach at 14 as part of running club. In secondary school she was the national champion for cross country, mountain running, and steeplechase.
“At the World Championships, I was second to last in my heat, and learned I was a big fish in a small pond. I never thought about a career in running, but I loved endurance sports, because they were like the physical work I did with my dad. I felt like I had accomplished something.”
After graduating, Croft received a running scholarship from the University of Portland, but struggled with injuries and an eating disorder.
“I was unbalanced and unhappy. Who I was as a person revolved around running. I was shitty to be around when I was not doing well. I’ve had to work a lot on that, to be fine if running is taken away.”
Today, Croft has created balance by viewing her life like seasons. In the summer, she dedicates herself to training and racing, and in the winter she restocks and resets.
“It’s all business in the summer, when I’m in Europe. Then I go back to New Zealand and put all that to the side.”
“Starting in January, every decision is focused on running. I love long term goals that you’re gradually working towards,” says Croft.
“It keeps me motivated. In the middle of UTMB I was thinking that if I didn’t win, I’d be even more motivated to come back next year. I just want to get the most out of myself.”
