"Growing up in Stillwater, New Zealand, population 86, Ruth Croft learned hard work from a young age. Her father ran a transport company, managing dozens of drivers and semi-trailers across the 600km West Coast in the South Island. On school holidays I worked for my dad full time, sometimes 14-hour days, says Croft. Shitty jobs like cleaning drains or the grease bay. I don't know anyone who works as hard as he does."
"The hard-work ethos made an impression on Croft, a professional runner who made history last month after winning the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), the most prestigious ultra in the world. The UTMB is a 174km (108 miles) race that passes through France, Italy, and Switzerland, encircling the Mont Blanc Massif. In doing so, she became the first woman to win the UTMB World Series Triple Crown, which includes OCC and CCC, which are shorter distances at the same event."
"Despite her level of success, Croft has remained an enigma to many, because she almost never talks about herself. That's a West Coast thing. You never toot your own horn, says Croft. I like to remind myself that it's just running, it's not like I'm curing cancer. This perspective has kept her humble and consistent, off social media and focused on the task at hand."
Ruth Croft grew up in Stillwater, New Zealand, absorbing a hard-work ethos from her family's transport business and long, physically demanding school-holiday shifts. She credits hands-on tasks and her father's relentless effort for shaping her discipline. Croft won the 174km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) and became the first woman to secure the UTMB World Series Triple Crown, which includes the OCC and CCC events. She maintains a private, humble approach, avoids social media, and focuses on performance. In the UTMB race she trailed early against a deep field, surged after 100km, and won by 32 minutes.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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