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Australia-New Zealand travel bubble benefits upcoming UTWT race near Sydney

Ruth Croft will be one of many New Zealanders racing in Australia's Blue Mountains this weekend

Photo by: Lyndon Marceau / marceauphotography

The Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT) has had a spotty start to 2021, as only one of its first four races managed to go ahead as planned. That lone race was February’s Tarawera Ultramarathon in New Zealand, and after a couple of cancelled runs, the UTWT is finally set to get back to action with Ultra-Trail Australia. The event, which is in Australia’s Blue Mountains just outside Sydney, has close to 7,000 runners registered, including New Zealand’s Ruth Croft, who won the Tarawera 102K race earlier this year and will be headed to the U.S. to compete at Western States in June. 

Croft wins the 2021 Tarawera Ultramarathon 102K. Photo: Graeme Murray.

In February, Croft not only won the women’s race at the Tarawera Ultramarathon, but she took the overall title, crossing the line 18 minutes ahead of the top male athlete. This was the first time in the race’s history that a woman won the event outright, and Croft’s 9:21:03 finish also beat the women’s course record. The recently established Australia-New Zealand COVID-19 travel bubble presents Croft (and other Kiwi runners) with the chance to head “across the ditch” to race in the Blue Mountains. 

RELATED: Ruth Croft wins Tarawera Ultra outright, becomes first female to take overall title

“The bubble has worked out well,” Croft said ahead of the race. She will be racing the 50K on Saturday, which she notes will be a good tune-up run ahead of WSER on June 26. “Everyone says great things about Ultra-Trail Australia and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”

A shot from Ultra-Trail Australia in the Blue Mountains. Photo: Kurt Matthews

This won’t be Croft’s first race in Australia since the borders opened up, as she competed in the Australian Olympic trial race in late April. She owns a marathon PB of 2:34:18, and she was shooting for the Olympic standard of 2:29:30. Unfortunately, Croft pulled out of the race after about 30K, but she can now refocus on the trails, where she has excelled in years past.

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In addition to her dominant win in New Zealand earlier this year, Croft has won several other big races, including the 55K OCC race at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in both 2018 and 2019. She has proven that she is a strong force on the ultrarunning scene, no matter where she races, and she could post some quick results at Ultra-Trail Australia and WSER.

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