The 2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k noticed each Ruth Croft and Daniel Jones of New Zealand defend their 2024 titles — and set course data.
The pair lined up within the forests outdoors of Rotorua, New Zealand, at 7 a.m. native time on Saturday, February 15, alongside 720 different runners. Expectations had been excessive for the 2 Kiwi runners on the largest ultramarathon of their nation, they usually didn’t disappoint. They delivered dominant course-record wins in entrance of their house crowd, with occasions of 8:24:34 and seven:17:42, respectively.
Croft is coming off an enormous come-from-behind second place on the 2024 UTMB, a consequence that got here after wins on the 2024 Tarawera 102k and the 2023 Extremely-Path Cape City 100k. Jones additionally had a powerful 2024, ending fourth at each the CCC and the Western States 100 and profitable the Tarawera 102k. Every had gained this occasion twice up to now.
In its sixteenth yr, the race is the fourth race of six on this yr’s Golden Ticket Races collection, making two entries to the 2025 Western States 100 up for grabs for each the ladies’s and males’s fields. This incentive introduced a aggressive area to the Southern Hemisphere occasion, with many in search of the coveted, assured entry to the enduring California race. The 102-kilometer route, held on comparatively rolling terrain, has greater than 7,000 ft (2,200 meters) of elevation achieve, principally concentrated within the center third of the course, and may be very a lot a runner’s race.
Learn on to see how each races performed out.
New Zealand’s Ruth Croft profitable the 2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k, her third win and one other course-record end. Photograph: Tarawera by UTMB/Tim Bardsley-Smith
2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k Girls’s Race
Final yr’s second-place finisher, Beth McKenzie (U.S.), was the primary to reach on the outlet of Lake Tarawera, 17 miles (28 kilometers), in 2:04 elapsed. [From 2016 to 2018, Beth McKenzie (née Gerdes) served a two-year doping sanction after testing positive at the 2016 Ironman Australia for ostarine, a prohibited selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM).]
New Zealand countrywomen Ruth Croft and Caitlin Fielder, the latter of whom was the winner of the 2024 Tarawera by UTMB 50k and 2024 Les Templiers, had been clearly comfy on the paths of their house nation, and collectively they trailed McKenzie by two minutes.
Transferring to the Okataina checkpoint at 36 miles (58k), Croft now led with a close-chasing Fielder a minute again, after which lower than one other minute to McKenzie in third. The hole after the highest three was extra vital, with Helen Mino Faukner (U.S.) practically quarter-hour off the lead and Nancy Jiang (New Zealand), the 2023 occasion winner, a pair extra minutes in arrears. Kiwi Juliette Soule and American Lotti Brinks adopted, making the highest seven a U.S. and Kiwi nation duel.
Croft and Fielder used the hillier center third of the course to additional draw back from McKenzie, arriving on the Millar Highway checkpoint at mile 45 (73k) at 6:00 elapsed. McKenzie, who trailed by eight minutes in third, now had a 15-minute hole on fourth-place Mino Faukner. Jiang, Soule, and Brinks maintained their positions, working a half hour again from the lead and inside 10 minutes of one another.
By mile 52 (86k) on the shores of Lake Tikitapu, Croft had opened a small hole of simply over two minutes on Fielder and nearly 14 minutes on McKenzie. One other practically 20 minutes separated fourth-place Mino Faukner and fifth-place Jiang from a podium place.
Croft by no means faltered and had opened a virtually five-minute hole on Fielder with simply over 4 miles (7k) to race.
Including practically a minute to the hole within the closing miles, Ruth Croft emerged with the victory for a 3rd time and a brand new course file in 8:24:34, practically 50 minutes quicker than final yr.
Caitlin Fielder by no means gave up, ending second in 8:30:45.
Beth McKenzie took the ultimate podium spot in 8:46:09.
Helen Mino Faukner completed fourth in 9:03:01, and Nancy Jiang led a near-sprint for fifth, ending in 9:10:13.
Croft, the 2022 Western States 100 winner, instantly turned down her Golden Ticket. Fielder eagerly accepted hers. For the reason that Western States 100 guidelines state that athletes who’ve served a doping ban of greater than three months are ineligible to run the occasion, McKenzie was ineligible for the spot. Thus, the second Golden Ticket rolled all the way down to Mino Faukner, who’s reportedly taking her time to resolve whether or not to just accept it.
Ruth Croft, 2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k champion. Photograph: Tarawera by UTMB/Tim Bardsley-Smith
2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k Girls’s Outcomes
- Ruth Croft (New Zealand) – 8:24:34
- Caitlin Fielder (New Zealand) – 8:30:45
- Beth McKenzie (U.S.) – 8:46:09
- Helen Mino Faukner (U.S.) – 9:03:01
- Nancy Jiang (New Zealand) – 9:10:13
- Juliette Soule (New Zealand) – 9:10:40
- Lotti Brinks (U.S.) – 9:10:48
- Holly Ranson (Australia) – 9:33:30
- Anna McKenna (Australia) – 9:40:12
- Julia Chamberlain (New Zealand) – 9:43:56
2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k Males’s Race
Making his intentions for a 3rd consecutive win identified early, Daniel Jones arrived on the first checkpoint on the outlet of Lake Tarawera within the lead, overlaying the primary 17 miles (28k) in 1:51 elapsed. Strung out behind Jones was a gaggle of males that included Hiroki Kai (Japan), Hu Zhao (China), Cody Lind (U.S.), Marcel Höche (Germany), in addition to Individuals Adrian Macdonald, Ryan Montgomery, and Jacob Banta.
All that modified, although, by 4 hours elapsed and 36 miles (58k) executed on the Okataina checkpoint, the place Jones had shook all his chasers and was alone on the entrance. It was an eight-minute hole to second place Kai and one other 90 seconds to Zhao, who was working in third. Lind and Höche adopted intently in fourth and fifth, just below 1 / 4 hour again from the chief. Macdonald — winner of the 2024 Tarawera 100 Mile, in addition to the 2021 and 2022 Leadville 100 Mile — Montgomery, and Banta, sat in sixth by eighth.
New Zealand’s Daniel Jones wins the 2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k, his third victory of the race. Photograph: Tarawera by UTMB/Tim Bardsley-Smith
By the Millar Highway checkpoint, 45 miles (73k) in, Jones had elevated his lead over Kai to greater than 12 minutes at round 5:12 elapsed and with a lot of the climbing behind him. Whereas the highest two elevated their lead over the remainder of the sector, the battle for the ultimate podium spot was simply starting, with Zhao, Macdonald, Lind, and Höche all working inside three minutes of one another, 20 minutes again from the chief.
Reaching Lake Tikitapu at mile 52 (86k), Jones continued to methodically improve his lead on Kai, who was now 23 minutes again. Macdonald, who’s doubtlessly extra comfy on steep and mountainous terrain than the runnable trails of Rotorua, made a transfer on the hills within the center third of the course and closed the hole to second place to a mere three minutes. Lind, Höche, and Montgomery all handed a fading Zhao and continued to run inside quarter-hour of second place.
The hole solely continued to extend till the end, and Daniel Jones earned his third consecutive victory with a time of seven:17:42, practically half-hour quicker than his profitable time in 2024 and a brand new course file.
Hiroki Kai completed second in 7:48:45, in a well-executed efficiency that noticed him run in second place nearly all race.
Adrian Macdonald secured the ultimate podium place at 7:51:05, additionally with a well-paced effort.
Cody Lind and Marcel Höche rounded out the highest 5 with occasions of seven:54:11 and eight:02:49, respectively.
Since Jones already has an computerized entry to the 2025 Western States 100 as a consequence of his top-10 end in 2024, Kai and Macdonald had been awarded and eagerly accepted the 2 Golden Tickets.
2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k Males’s Outcomes
- Daniel Jones (New Zealand) – 7:17:42
- Hiroki Kai (Japan) – 7:48:45
- Adrian Macdonald (U.S.) – 7:51:05
- Cody Lind (U.S.) – 7:54:11
- Marcel Höche (Germany) – 8:02:49
- Ryan Montgomery (U.S.) – 8:03:34
- Jacob Banta (U.S.) – 8:23:42
- Eric Concé (New Caledonia) – 8:26:06
- Gary Carleton (New Zealand) – 8:34:49
- William Bielby (New Zealand) – 9:13:17
Daniel Jones, 2025 Tarawera by UTMB 102k champion. Photograph: Tarawera by UTMB/Tim Bardsley-Smith