Ruth Croft is a New Zealand ultramarathon and trail runner from Greymouth. A former University of Portland athlete who later lived in Taiwan for over five years, she transitioned from track and mountain running to trail ultras, earning global victories including Western States 100 (2022) and UTMB (2025). She has also won multiple UTMB-series events (OCC, CCC) and set course records at Tarawera.
UTMB Index
802
Birth Date
January 15, 1989
Birth Place
Greymouth, New Zealand
Hometown
Stillwater, West Coast, New Zealand
Key Achievements
- UTMB Winner (2025)
- Western States 100 Winner (2022)
- Tarawera Ultramarathon 100K Winner (2021 CR, 2024, 2025 CR)
- OCC Winner (2018, 2019)
- CCC Winner (2015)
- Trail World Championships Silver Medal (2019)
Career Highlights
- 2025: UTMB Champion (Chamonix)
- 2025: Tarawera 102K – Course Record (title defense)
- 2024: UTMB – 2nd place
- 2023: Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100K – Champion
- 2022: Western States 100 – Champion (17:21:30)
- 2021: Tarawera 100K – Champion, Course Record (9:21:03)
- 2019: Trail World Championships – Silver Medal
- 2018–2019: OCC Champion (back-to-back)
- 2015: CCC Champion
Notable Traits
- • Grew up on New Zealand's West Coast; educated at Rangi Ruru Girls' School
- • Ran steeplechase at 2006 World Junior Championships
- • Scholarship athlete at University of Portland (USA)
- • Lived in Taiwan 5+ years; worked in marketing at Garmin
- • Ran the Arctic Circle Trail in 2022; Nakasendo Trail in 2023
- • Studying toward a career in naturopathy