New Zealand’s Ruth Croft took third at the 2024 UTMB via a well-executed strategy to start easy and run faster later in the race. In the following interview, Ruth talks about running according to splits for the race’s first half to keep things conservative, moving up into podium position in the race’s second half, and her late-race pass of Marianne Hogan to take second place.
For more on how the race played out, read our in-depth 2024 UTMB results article.
Ruth Croft Post-2024 UTMB Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Meghan Hicks of iRunFar. I’m with Ruth Croft. It’s the day after the 2024 UTMB, and you are the women’s second place finisher. How does that sound?
Croft: Yeah, no, it was good. I had a plan going into the race and executed it pretty much how I wanted to.
iRunFar: So there was, I guess, maybe a bit of a rumor going around pre-race, that you were going to, I don’t know, take it easy in the first half and then really push in the second half. And looking at how your race played out, it seems like you did exactly what that rumor said you were going to do.
Croft: Yeah. I had a race plan and I had all the splits that I needed for each timing point through to, it was pretty much the whole race, but the goal was to stick with them to Courmayeur. And yeah, pretty much, it was either a minute or two minutes up or down at all the timing points. And the goal was to get to Courmayeur trying to feel like I hadn’t run 81k. And then I just didn’t want it to be like, go out hard and then death march it in. I was trying to really avoid that.
iRunFar: And you had developed these splits based on the premise of if you can keep yourself fairly fresh early, you’ll be able to go, perhaps go harder than you would’ve been.
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: Than by going out more aggressively.
Croft: Exactly. I think for me, running a good hundred miles was going to come down to how well I paced it, and if I started too fast, yeah, I wasn’t going to be able to close fast. And so I was just going to be conservative and then try and pick people off in the back half.
iRunFar: So you, I think spent basically the first half of the race somewhere in the sixth to ninth place area. And splits wise, were you matching your splits and doing what you wanted to do?
Croft: Yeah, it was right on my splits right through there. People would say to me, they’re like, “Were you going through a really bad patch?” And I was like, “No. I was doing-”
iRunFar: “I was running my splits.”
Croft: Yeah. And it was good because I had this plan and I knew I was a bit back, but I just didn’t worry. I was just like, “I’m still on my times.” And so yeah.
iRunFar: Was there any uncertainty in… Because I think traditionally you’re a little bit more of an aggressive starter, is that a fair thing to say or…
Croft: I think it was my first UTMB and also I just think when I’d looked at the historical data UTMB, a lot of people positive split the course. And I think it’s-
iRunFar: By a long shot here.
Croft: By a long shot. It’s like get through Courmayeur four hours or sub four hours and then just try and hold it together for the end. And I just didn’t want to do that. I wanted to try to do the opposite.
iRunFar: Yeah. So you came through Courmayeur, I think you were in sixth place at that point. And then spent the next 30 to 40k moving up in position, slowly picking people off, or people came back to you or… Yeah. You must have arrived to Courmayeur fresh enough that part B of the plan, you were able to put that into action.
Croft: Yeah, the goal was to get 3 hours, 10 elapsed to Contamines, I did that. And then it was supposed to be 4:20 in the morning in Courmayeur, which is 10 hours, 20 elapsed. And I was pretty much bang on.
iRunFar: We’re being joined by the rescue service. And you said the goal was to feel fresh. It’s 80k into a race, how did you feel?
Croft: I didn’t feel great at the start. I felt like everyone went out really fast and it was hot. And I just thought of Ludo[vic Pommeret] and how he’s been able to turn it around. So I didn’t worry too much, but I didn’t feel terrible. And then I was actually starting, as the race progressed, I just started feeling better and better.
iRunFar: In where our team members were out on the second half of the course, they all kept reporting that you were running things that other people were hiking. That you were moving quicker than the people in front of you. Did you go into hunt mode or were you chasing splits or what was the mindset for that part?
Croft: So I started when I passed Blandine [L’Hirondel], I think after La Fouly, and then I got a split going up to Champex was that Marianne [Hogan] was 48 minutes ahead of me, which I was like, “Oh, that’s quite a lot.”
iRunFar: It’s a better real estate there.
Croft: Yeah, I know. But I was feeling good. And then I got told that she had possibly broken her finger and wasn’t able to use poles. And I’d made I think 11 minutes on a climb into her. And so I was like, “Okay, I think if I just keep moving, well, I could possibly pick her up by the end.” But I felt like she took a while to break. I was like, “She’s like a cat with nine lives.”
iRunFar: She’s on life three, four.
Croft: I know. I was like, I got into Champex and got told about the finger. And then I got into Trient and someone said, I don’t know if it’s true or not, they said that she’d sprained her ankle. And then I felt like…
iRunFar: That’s life four.
Croft: Yeah. And then I felt like the time was sitting around 28 minutes I think at Trient.
iRunFar: Okay.
Croft: And then it wasn’t until coming down to Vallorcine, I was able to put eight minutes on her between the last timing point. So I was like, “Okay, I think I can try and catch her.”
iRunFar: Find her at some point.
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: And ultimately the pass happened on the top half of the final climb, is that right?
Croft: Yeah, just before, maybe about five minutes before you come out on the ski slope up to Flégère.
iRunFar: Got it. And the way that she talked about that pass was that you looked amazing and she was doing the best that she could and there was just no touching that.
Croft: Well, it’s like I wanted to pass her convincingly so that she didn’t think that she could… She would come back-
iRunFar: “I am going to be my strongest right now.”
Croft: Yeah. And then when she’s out of sight, I’m going to start walking. No, but it was just like I was impressed or pleased with how I was feeling for the back half for the race and I was still able to move decently well.
iRunFar: You came into the finish line. It might be fair to say that you used what you had to give that day.
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: You looked like you had a feeling of physical relief, psychological relief. You put it all out there, you used it, you got to the finish in second.
Croft: Yeah, I think I was able to execute where I was at the best race I could have yesterday. Yeah.
iRunFar: You said a few minutes ago that this is your first UTMB.
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: Does that mean that there will be other UTMBs?
Croft: You’re like Martin [Gaffuri], he asked me that on the finish line. I was like, “You need to wait a bit longer.”
iRunFar: You said, “I’m not answering that right now.”
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: “What we do is psychotic,” or something like that.
Croft: Yeah. I think just knowing how it works, how UTMB works and how I think if I could come back and try and improve it, I think that’s what we all do. We always end up back trying to work on things that we felt that didn’t go quite right on the day.
iRunFar: You’ve done a lot of races in a lot of places around the world at this point. You’ve seen what there is to see in trail ultrarunning. Now that you’ve also seen the spectacle of UTMB and been within it and in the front of it, what is this like in comparison to the biggest, craziest other races that you’ve done?
Croft: I think this is probably one of the biggest ones, really. I don’t know what you would compare it to. I think it’s on its own really. It was amazing. The sport all lining out of town, and then at Notre Dame it was like, yeah, it was electric. I’ve never experienced that in any other race. And I think it was pretty special.
iRunFar: Was it cool? Yeah?
Croft: Yeah, it was really cool. But then it was a lot of stimulation at the start of the race and I was like, by the end I was like, “Okay, I’m ready for some chill nighttime miles.”
iRunFar: “I’d like to be out in Italy by myself please.”
Croft: But I was really cool the support we did get. Yeah.
iRunFar: It’s kind of interesting to me because running is the perfect introvert’s sport. You spend many hours in the mountains by yourselves. And then this is literally the polar opposite of that. You’re having an experience and it’s so external, all these people who are living it with you.
Croft: And it’s changed now with live coverage as well because it’s like, especially if you’re the lead female. For Katie [Schide], she was probably followed the majority of the day, but it’s just the way it makes other people follow along and support and watch it.
iRunFar: You said in your pre-race interview with us that you were pretty stoked that this was the season ender.
Croft: Yeah. It’s been, I think after not making the start line last year, and it’s been quite a big build to get to this point. And yeah, I’m just ready to get unfit and just chill out.
iRunFar: Yeah. And you do pretty cool stuff in the off season. You go home to where you’re from in New Zealand and do some tramping around the mountains.
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: And I think a little bit of running still.
Croft: Yeah. When I’m in New Zealand, it’s like when I do probably the biggest volume normally in my base building. But it just doesn’t feel like it’s the main focus like when we are in Europe. Martin’s obviously working at a lot of events and I feel like I’m pretty focused on training as well. So New Zealand, it feels like running takes a back burner, even though it doesn’t really.
iRunFar: Let yourself at least feel more relaxed about it.
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: Last question for you. It was really cool, at least for me to see your family on the finish line with you, your dad, mom and sister. It’s, I think, unusual that they get to come and see your events.
Croft: Yeah, they’ve never been to Europe to watch me race and they actually came last year for UTMB. So when I couldn’t make the start, I think that’s the thing I was disappointed about the most because I felt like they’d come all this way, but they actually didn’t care. They had a great time. And so yeah, also Martin’s family was out on course as well with signs.
iRunFar: Aww.
Croft: And I just think it’s a bit more special when you get to share it with people that you care about.
iRunFar: I think I got emotional watching you see your parents because I think you got a little emotional about-
Croft: Yes.
iRunFar: Yeah.
Croft: Well, I don’t know, even it was at the finish line, I was like, it’s just wild what we’ve done, been through three countries and spent the whole night and to get to the finish, to make the lap special.
iRunFar: And also this just edifies that it’s a team sport.
Croft: Yeah, totally. Yeah. And just for me going into Courmayeur knowing I was going to see Martin and then I had Chalky at Les Contamines, it really gets you through.
iRunFar: Yeah. Speaking of Chalky, did anything happen costumes wise?
Croft: No.
iRunFar: Oh, no.
Croft: I know. I was going into Trient, I was like, “I’m going to see the dinos here.” And then they weren’t there and I was like, “I’m going to see them in Vallorcine.” Didn’t see them and then apparently they didn’t get handed over. There was a miscommunication.
iRunFar: Oh, no. It’s like maybe the dinos didn’t make the flight or something.
Croft: Yeah, no, they were actually in Chamonix, but they just didn’t make it out of-
iRunFar: They didn’t make the…
Croft: … out the bag.
iRunFar: … transfer out to the aid stations. Aww.
Croft: Yeah.
iRunFar: Well, next time. Congratulations to you on your second place finish at the 2024 UTMB. And if you decide to make another lap around this mountain, that’ll be a fun watch.
Croft: Yeah. Thanks. Thanks, Meghan.
