Diagonale des Fous champion
Won the 180-kilometer crossing of Réunion in 27:13:23, 11th overall.
Athlete profile · Sources reviewed Oct 20, 2026
Ruth Croft
UTMB, Western States and Diagonale des Fous champion
Ruth Croft has won UTMB, Western States, the Diagonale des Fous, CCC, and OCC, alongside four victories at New Zealand’s Tarawera T102.
New ZealandGreymouth, New ZealandW35–39
The record so far
Ruth Croft is a New Zealand mountain ultrarunner from Greymouth. Her results span fast 50-kilometer trail races, competitive 100-kilometer events, and the leading 100-mile races in Europe and North America.
Croft won UTMB in 2025 in 22:56:23 after finishing second the previous year. That victory added the 100-mile race to earlier wins at CCC in 2015 and OCC in 2018 and 2019, giving her victories across all three principal UTMB Mont-Blanc finals.
She won Western States in 2022 with 17:21:30, then the third-fastest women’s time in race history. Croft also has four Tarawera T102 victories, including an outright win in 2021, a 2025 course record of 8:24:34, and another win in 2026. She withdrew from UTMB two days before the 2026 start, then won the Diagonale des Fous on Réunion in October 2026 in 27:13:23, 11th overall, ahead of Alyssa Clark and Agathe Bes.
Defining performances
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Fourth Tarawera T102 victory
Won the 103.2-kilometer race in 8:41:11 gun time, with an official net time of 8:40:28.
UTMB champion
Won the 174.2-kilometer Mont-Blanc race in 22:56:23, finishing 21st overall.
Western States champion
Won in 17:21:30 after placing second on her 100-mile debut the previous year.
Wins across CCC, OCC, and UTMB
Won CCC in 2015, OCC in 2018 and 2019, and UTMB in 2025.
Performance history
Selected results, not a complete race history. Rankings and record descriptions reflect the cited sources at their review dates. Distances may use different rounding conventions.
| Date | Event | Performance | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Raid Réunion — Diagonale des Fous180 km mountain trail | 27:13:23 | 1st woman · 11th overall | View ↗ | |
| MaXi-Race — Shokz-Demi-tOur58 km mountain trail | 6:20:52 | 1st woman · 23rd overall | View ↗ | |
| Ultra-Trail Australia — UTA5051 km mountain trail | 4:34:42 | 2nd woman · 10th overall | View ↗ | |
| Tarawera Ultra-Trail — T102103.2 km trail | 8:41:11 gun · 8:40:28 net | 1st woman · 10th overall | View ↗ | |
| Ultra-Trail Ninghai — CNH6058.3 km trail | 5:51:49 | 1st woman · 12th overall | View ↗ | |
| UTMB174.2 km mountain trail | 22:56:23 | 1st woman · 21st overall | View ↗ | |
| Tarawera Ultra-Trail — T102103 km trail | 8:24:34 | 1st woman · 8th overall · Course record | View ↗ | |
| UTMB173.3 km mountain trail | 22:48:37 | 2nd woman · 16th overall | View ↗ | |
| Ultra-Trail Cape Town100 km mountain trail | 12:12:20 | 1st woman · 10th overall | View ↗ | |
| Western States 100100-mile trail | 17:21:30 | 1st woman · 12th overall | View ↗ | |
| Western States 100100-mile trail | 17:33:48 | 2nd woman · 9th overall | View ↗ | |
| Tarawera Ultramarathon102 km trail | 9:21:03 | 1st woman · 1st overall | View ↗ | |
| OCC55.5 km mountain trail | 5:50:14 | 1st woman · 15th overall | View ↗ | |
| CCC101.1 km mountain trail | 12:54:53 | 1st woman · 8th overall | View ↗ |
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