Ruth Croft Wins 2025 UTMB Powered by Neversecond

When Ruth Croft crossed the finish line of the 2025 UTMB in Chamonix, it wasn’t just a triumph of endurance—it was the culmination of years of refinement, experimentation, and trust in both her body and her fueling strategy. Ultra-trail racing is often described as a test of grit, but in truth, it’s an all-out competition in the science of carbohydrate delivery. Ruth won not by chance, but by mastering what she calls the “carbohydrate arms race.” At the center of it all was her partnership with Neversecond.

A Long Road to the Top

Ruth didn’t arrive at UTMB overnight. Over the past decade, she’s steadily carved her place among the world’s best ultra-trail runners, known for her tactical racing and steady resolve. But like many endurance athletes, she’s had her battles with fueling. At the Western States Endurance Run (WSER) four years ago, Ruth openly struggled to get gels down. Her stomach revolted, forcing her to back off intake when she needed energy most. That experience planted a seed: if she wanted to thrive at the world’s biggest races, she had to train her gut as hard as she trained her legs. Fueling couldn’t be an afterthought. It had to become part of the performance equation.

A Year of Testing Behind the Scenes

In 2024, Ruth began experimenting quietly with Neversecond products, introducing them into training and small events. She kept things under wraps, letting her body dictate whether this new system was sustainable. Her first big behind-the-scenes test came at UTMB Tarawera Ultra, where she deployed Neversecond as a silent ally. The results spoke volumes: steady energy, no gastric blow-ups, and recovery that allowed her to bounce back quickly. By early 2025, Ruth made the call. Neversecond wasn’t just another nutrition brand. It was her partner for the biggest year of her career.

Static Plans vs Dynamic Fueling

Ruth is open about how her fueling philosophy has changed. “In the past, my race nutrition plan was simple: hit the same carbohydrate target every hour, regardless of terrain or effort. Usually, that meant aiming for ~80 g/hr all day." That approach had worked to a point, but it didn’t reflect the reality of racing UTMB: climbs that push athletes into the red, descents where intensity drops, and cold nights that complicate fueling logistics. Working with her nutritionist, Paul Booth, Ruth reimagined her plan. “This year, after working with Paul, we shifted to a more dynamic strategy: fueling according to my exertion over the demands of the course, rather than sticking to a static ‘X g/hr no matter what’ rule.” This shift wasn’t just about numbers—it was about flexibility, efficiency, and eliminating barriers.

Tools of the Trade

Ruth’s fueling plan relied on a streamlined toolkit built around Neversecond’s C-Series System:

C30 Energy Gels – isotonic, fast-absorbing, and predictable in their 30 g increments.
C30 Unflavored Drink Mix – neutral and easy on the stomach, ideal for long-term intake.
C30+ Caffeine Gels (75 mg) – deployed strategically on sections where Ruth had historically struggled.

She also adjusted for practical challenges that can derail fueling: “I had also learned from my DNF at Transvulcania due to hypothermia, that if your hands get cold, opening gels becomes near impossible, and basically you’re screwed. So for the cold section through the night I preloaded gel flasks with Neversecond gels that I could sip on easily even with gloves on, and used the Neversecond C30 Unflavored drink mix (3 scoops in 500ml soft flask). Anything that removes a barrier to fueling is a win.”This was more than nutrition—it was race craft.

Gut Training: The Hidden Work

The most transformative part of Ruth’s preparation wasn’t just what she fueled with, but how she trained her body to accept it. “The gut training we did was another big factor, which entailed 3 x per week fueling-specific sessions or long runs on a higher CHO approach, usually averaging 120 grams CHO per hour. Being able to take on three gels back-to-back at Vallorcine wasn’t luck—it was a result of teaching my stomach to tolerate and absorb high carb loads under stress.” For Ruth, the contrast with her WSER experience was stark: “While I was struggling to down gels after 15 hours when I raced WSER 4 years ago, and have also always relied on real food during 100 mile races, this year I was able to fuel for just under 23 hours on Neversecond gels and powder drinks.”

The Carbohydrate Arms Race

Ultras today are a battle of fueling efficiency. Athletes who can consistently absorb more carbohydrate, sodium, and fluid gain an undeniable advantage. Ruth acknowledges the shift. “It feels like in the ultra space it’s a CHO arms race about how much one can consume, and I think it is great that there has been a shift to better fueling. However, what I really took away from all this is that race nutrition should be a dynamic strategy based on many factors, rather than a static target.”

Science in Action

Neversecond’s fueling system is designed for exactly this purpose: science-first, athlete-tested, and grounded in precision. With its 2:1 glucose-to-fructose ratio, each serving allows athletes to push carb absorption beyond 90 g/hr and up to 120 g/hr. Sodium levels are calibrated at 200 mg per 30 g carbohydrate, ensuring hydration is balanced with fuel intake. For Ruth, this science wasn’t abstract—it was her reality on the course. Each sip and squeeze delivered predictable results. There was no guesswork. No improvisation. Just repeatable fueling hour after hour.

The Race Unfolds

UTMB 2025 was a battle of attrition. The field was stacked, the weather volatile, and the course as punishing as ever. But Ruth never wavered. Her pacing was steady, her fueling uninterrupted. Observers noted how composed she looked through Courmayeur, how strong she climbed into Champex-Lac, and how relentless she was in the final push back to Chamonix.

More The Another Win

Ruth’s UTMB victory wasn’t just personal. It was a blueprint for how modern ultrarunning is evolving. Long gone are the days when athletes could “wing it” on bananas and cola. Today’s ultra scene is, as Ruth proved, a carbohydrate arms race. Winning requires more than talent. It requires a partnership between athlete, coach, and nutritionist, all backed by products that deliver science in every sip. Ruth’s triumph showed what happens when those elements align.

Lessons for Every Athlete

Not everyone is racing UTMB, but every endurance athlete can learn from Ruth’s journey:

Fueling is trainable. Just as you build aerobic capacity, you can build gut tolerance.
Consistency beats improvisation. Random snacks won’t cut it in long races; predictable fueling keeps energy stable.
Match intake to exertion. Ruth’s dynamic strategy recognized that the body’s needs change with terrain and intensity.
Simplify your system. A streamlined kit—like Neversecond’s modular 30-gram increments—reduces mental load when fatigue sets in.

Looking Ahead

Ruth Croft’s UTMB win will be remembered as one of the great performances in trail running history, but also as a watershed moment in the sport’s relationship with science. She proved that fueling isn’t an accessory—it’s the foundation. For Neversecond, the victory underscored what the brand has stood for since its inception: science-first solutions for athletes who refuse to leave performance to chance. For Ruth, it was validation that every trial, every gut-training session, and every flask of C30 brought her one step closer to the summit of the sport. And for the rest of us? It’s a reminder that success in endurance sport doesn’t just belong to the strongest legs or the fiercest hearts—it belongs to those who fuel smart.

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