New Zealand duo Ruth Croft and Dan Jones claimed their third Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB 102km (T102) titles with runs that blew their competition out of the water as both athletes set new course best times on their way to victory.
Croft completed the course in 8:24:34, more than 30 minutes faster than the previous best time set by Camille Heron (USA) in 2017 and more than 45 minutes faster than her time from last year.
Jones’ victory earned the Whakatāne raised runner his third successive T102 title. His time of 7:17:42 was just under six minutes faster than the previous course best time set by Jim Walmsley (USA) in 2017. Here’s how it all panned out…
Women’s race – Star quality
Croft was pushed hard all day by fellow Kiwi and Rotorua local Caitlin Fielder, racing her debut T102.
Fielder eventually finished second in 8:30:45. Beth McKenzie (USA), last year’s runner-up, rounded out the women’s podium in 8:46:09.
“It’s just awesome, to race at home is really special, and it’s the community here and the people. For the first 20K I was just catching up with Kiwis and you don’t get to do that in Europe, so it was really cool,” said Croft.
“I knew Beth would go out quick, because that’s what she did last year. I actually felt pretty awful for the first 40K just on the forestry roads, then once I started getting into some single track, it felt a lot better. But obviously I had Caitlin Fielder right behind me so there was not much room to breathe, and I was just lucky to pull away at Blue Lake [penultimate aid station]. It’s so cool to see her [Fielder] get second and also a Golden Ticket for Western States.
“I felt like I raced a lot smarter this year, I didn’t go out so hot, didn’t go out with Beth, and so I think that saved it for the second half. But also, I knew my fitness this time compared to last year was in a better place. I was just happy to finish a bit stronger,” she added.
After once again starting her season at Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB and with another victory, Croft will head over to Europe soon to begin her preparations for her main goal of the year – UTMB, the race she finished second at last year.
Men’s race – Jones makes history
Jones was also pushed hard early on but by the finish he was more than 30 minutes clear of Hiroki Kai from Japan in second, with Adrian Macdonald (USA), last year’s TMiler champion, in third.
“I’m ecstatic. I knew I was in good shape, so I just wanted to see what kind of form I was actually in. We went from the gun, and we had some good competition out there, I was pushed pretty hard for about 30 or 40 kilometres. I kept on pushing right on the edge and I was just holding it together,” said Jones.
“I always think that first race I did here head-to-head with Hayden [Hawks] will probably aways be the most memorable competition-wise, but certainly lining up with such a stellar field on the start line was epic.
“We were all pushing it and it was quite good because we shared the pacing duties. I was looking at my watch and we were running 3:50s for a whole bunch of that first marathon. It was fast and runnable, but I was just keeping in the back of my mind that there were some big hills to come,” said Jones.
Jones will now turn his attention to the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in California, USA, taking place in June. The Kiwi has finished fourth and fifth there in the past two editions and says he’s excited to see what he can do in 2025.
“I guess it’s very hard to compare courses, but that time today and the way I just felt racing, I feel like I’m levelling up in this sport. I think my result showed that today, so I’m just really excited to see what I can achieve now,” he said.
Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB is a qualifying race for the 2026 UTMB World Series Finals, taking place in Chamonix, France, with the top three female and male finishers in the T102 securing direct entry into the CCC (100km) race at UTMB Mont-Blanc.
This year, the T102 race also returned as a HOKA Golden Ticket qualifier for the 2025 Western States, with the top two female and male finishers earning automatic entry – unless the first or second place participant is already in Western States (or decides to opt out), when the automatic bid slides to third place, fourth place, and subsequently down to fifth place as needed.
The HOKA Golden Tickets at Tarawera Ultra-Trail by UTMB were accepted by Hiroki Kai (JPN), Adrian Macdonald (USA), Caitlin Fielder (NZL), and Helen Mino Faukner (USA).
Tarawera Ultra-Trail, New Zealand – Saturday 15th February 2025
T102 RESULTS – WOMEN
- Ruth Croft (NZL) – 8:24:34
- Caitlin Fielder (NZL) – 8:30:45
- Beth McKenzie (USA) – 8:46:09
- Helen Mino Faukner (USA) – 9:03:01
- Nancy Jiang (NZL) – 9:10:13
T102 RESULTS – MEN
- Daniel Jones (NZL) – 7:17:42
- Hiroki Kai (JPN) – 7:48:45
- Adrian Macdonald (USA) – 7:51:05
- Cody Lind (USA) – 7:54:11
- Marcel Hoeche (DEU) – 8:02:49
