When people hear that someone is a UTMB champion, it’s easy to assume their success comes from always doing more. More miles, harder sessions, less rest. That idea doesn’t really hold up when you look at how Ruth Croft trains.
This weekend, Ruth returned to Tarawera Ultramarathon, a course she knows better than almost anyone. With another calm, measured performance, she crossed the line as the winner once again, earning her fourth victory at Tarawera and continuing a level of consistency that’s rare at the top of the UTMB World Series.
What defines Ruth’s career isn’t just how often she wins, but how she sustains it. Rather than chasing peak moments or pushing every session to the limit, she’s built her training around patience, awareness, and long-term health. In the days leading up to Tarawera, we sat down with Ruth to talk about what's to come next. As she looks toward the 2026 season, she shared how she uses Amazfit not to chase quick gains, but to pay attention to the small details that keep her healthy and consistent year after year.
“I think we live in a world that’s always chasing quick fixes and instant results,” Ruth says. “For me, consistency looks like the opposite of that.”
Tools like her Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro and the Zepp App play a supporting role by helping her track trends in recovery, sleep, and heart rate variability, so she can make informed decisions before fatigue turns into injury. It’s not about doing more. It’s about showing up consistently, year after year.
Consistency Is the Foundation
For Ruth, consistency does not mean perfect weeks or flawless training blocks. It means showing up regularly and building momentum without forcing things.
Instead of chasing sessions that look impressive on paper, she focuses on repeating the work that rarely draws attention. The ordinary days that quietly stack together over time.
“Peak performance is built by showing up day after day and committing to the work that is not glamorous,” she explains. “It is trusting the process enough to repeat it.”
Some weeks feel light while others feel heavy. What matters is maintaining rhythm and avoiding sharp swings in volume or intensity that can derail progress or lead to injury.
“The goal is to be able to train again tomorrow,” Ruth says. “That matters more than one standout session.”
Training Smarter, Not Harder
Earlier in her career, Ruth felt pressure to chase big mileage weeks and turn every run into something moderately hard. Over time, she learned that restraint was what allowed her to progress.
“I noticed the biggest improvement when I truly started taking my easy runs easy,” she says. “That moderate effort zone is tempting, but it usually just builds fatigue.”
Today, her training is deliberately controlled. Hard sessions are purposeful but never all out. Easy days are protected, so recovery and adaptation can actually happen.
“With my coach, Scott Johnston, we rarely do sessions that feel maxed,” Ruth explains. “The goal is to minimise disruptions so I can keep stacking weeks together.”
Listening Early
One of the biggest shifts in Ruth’s approach has been learning to respond sooner, before fatigue turns into injury.
Mood is one of her earliest indicators. If she feels flat or disconnected from training for more than a couple of days, she checks in on sleep, fuelling, and overall load.
She also uses data to help confirm what she is already sensing. Tracking heart rate variability with her Amazfit T Rex 3 Pro (44mm) provides added context when something feels off.
“If I see a clear downward trend over several days, that usually tells me I am riding the line too closely,” Ruth says. “That is when it is smarter to pull back slightly.”
One off days do not drive decisions but patterns do.
Recovery Is Part of the Work
At this stage of her career, recovery is built into Ruth’s training rather than added on when convenient.
Monday is typically a full rest day, and body work is scheduled weekly. Beyond that, recovery comes down to consistency with the basics.
“Sleep is the cheapest performance enhancer,” Ruth says. “It is where real adaptation happens.”
She prioritizes sleep, fuels adequately, and keeps an eye on long term health markers. Making space for life outside of running is just as important.
“It cannot all be too serious all the time,” she says. “The better you look after yourself, the more consistently you can train.”
Tracking sleep and recovery trends in the Zepp App helps reinforce those decisions without replacing intuition.
“Recovery is what allows the work to actually stick.”
Post Race Reset and Choosing Races With Intention
After major races, especially one hundred milers/140 kilometers?, Ruth takes complete time away from running.
“You are not just recovering from race day,” she says. “You are recovering from months of accumulated training and focus.”
She waits until the desire to run returns naturally before building back in.
As her career has progressed, Ruth has become more deliberate with her race calendar. Each season is anchored by one clear priority race, with other events chosen carefully or simply for the experience.
“I want my training and racing to make sense across the whole season,” she says. “Not just feel exciting in the moment.”
Advice for Runners Who Want to Last
If Ruth could give runners one piece of advice for consistency, it would be strength training.
She has worked with the same strength coach for eight years and has not missed time for a major injury during that period.
“As mileage increases, strength work is often the first thing to be dropped,” she says. “Especially for women, it is non negotiable."
The Takeaway
Ruth Croft’s 2026 season is not defined by a single result. It is shaped by consistency, recovery, and awareness. By training intelligently and paying attention to the full picture, she is building something sustainable.
Because the runners who last are not the ones who push the hardest.
They are the ones who learn how to keep showing up.
Tarawera was only the beginning of 2026 race calendar. Stay tuned for what's next.