Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast · Bevan McKinnon

#660 - Ruth Croft

·1 hr 15 min·5 clips

Scott Johnson has Ruth Croft doing weight-vest climbs on Roy’s Peak, starting at 8 kgs and building to 12.

1. Fitter Radio Triathlon Podcast #660 opens in Wanaka with Bevan McKinnon and Tim Brazier talking Roy’s Peak and walking poles. 2. Bevan McKinnon and Tim Brazier host the show, and Ruth Croft joins as the interview guest because she is central to the episode’s ultra-trail focus. 3. The episode asks how Ruth Croft has shifted from faster runnable racing toward Alpine ultras like UTMB. 4. Bevan and Tim compare Roy’s Peak with weighted hiking, including the value of poles on steep climbs and descents. 5. They tie that discussion directly to Ruth Croft’s training changes and her use of a weight vest. 6. The episode then moves into Lanzarote World Cup, where David Cantero, Tim Hellwig, Georgia Taylor Brown, and Nina Eim are named in the results. 7. They also discuss the Dallas race, where Lionel Sanders won and Jackie Herring took the women’s victory after a shortened swim and strong wind. 8. The hosts mention Race Ranger being used in Dallas and note that the race acted as a test of the 20-meter drafting rule. 9. Bevan and Tim turn to Geelong and the Pro Ironman Series, highlighting Hayden Wilde, Yelly Geens, Christian Blumenfeld, Pierre Le Corre, Joss Ferris, and Jake Birtwhistle. 10. They also note that Kat Matthews, Tamara Jewett, Grace Thek, and Millen Agnew shape the women’s side of that start list. 11. Ruth Croft says she took five days off after Tarawera, then ran and hiked part of the Old Ghost Ultra while trailing Charlie. 12. Croft says Tarawera remains important because it is a UTMB qualifier and because racing at home is low-key and avoids travel. 13. Croft says the 2024 Tarawera course has changed several times, so records are hard to compare across years. 14. Croft describes this year’s Tarawera conditions as wet and muddy, with the last 15K becoming particularly churned up. 15. Croft traces her running back to Christchurch club running, North Canterbury coaching, and junior selections for world cross-country and mountain running. 16. Croft says the University of Portland period left her burnt out, with an eating disorder and stress fractures. 17. Croft explains that trail running in Taiwan began as a way to meet people, sign up for races, and explore places like Mount Fuji, Everest Base Camp, and Mount Kinabalu. 18. Croft says Scott Johnson at Evoked Endurance changed her training most by emphasizing muscular endurance and weight-vest work. 19. The episode feels like a hybrid of race-news roundup and a detailed coaching interview, with Bevan and Tim moving easily between results, travel stories, and training specifics. 20. Anyone following ultra-trail running, Tarawera, or UTMB would likely want this episode, while listeners only seeking short-course triathlon results might skip it.

As heard by us

Wanaka travel talk gives way to a rain-heavy course breakdown and Croft's running background.

Wanaka weather and travel set the scene before the focus shifts to Ruth Croft, a rain-soaked event, and the way the course held up under mud and churn.

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For a muddy-race debrief and Ruth Croft's background, press play.

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