Pushing into the top five we have two athletes that ran blazing times at two of the most competitive 100-mile races of the year. Not only did they better the competition but they contended with hot-hot-heat in the process of securing their wins. Finally, and maybe most importantly, both these athletes held onto their sense of humor in the process while being chased by inflatable dinosaurs or competing while dressed as a cat. If you have missed any of the inaugural TROY awards coverage you can catch up here: sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth.
In fifth position we have adidas Terrex’s Ruth Croft and Nnormal’s Dakota Jones.
Steady-Eddy, Ms Consistency, Ruth Croft’s trail and ultrarunning career exudes it. She’s an athlete who rarely finishes off the podium much less off the top step – 2022 was no exception. While potentially not racing as frequently as some of her competitors when Ruth shows up she does so in a big way. At the finish line of the 2021 Western States Endurance Run (WSER), where the New Zealand based athlete finished second, she wasn’t immediately ready to return for the 2022 race …and we don’t blame her 100-miles is a long run. In 2022 Ruth not only returned to WSER but she bettered her performance winning the race in 17:21:30, the third fastest women’s time on record. Chased by the fastest top-ten women’s spread in history – oh and a pack of inflatable dinosaurs! Ruth finished out her season at Grand Trail Des Templiers where she finished a close second to number ten on our TROY list, Camille Bruyas.
FT: What was your personal highlight from 2022?
RC: Getting chased by Dinos!
FT: What was a struggle or something you learned in 2022?
RC: Weta’s [a giant flightless cricket] can freeze overnight and still be alive when they defrost in the morning… Or on a more serious note …Ultrarunning is still best when shared.
FT: What are you looking forward to in 2023?
RC: Figuring out the UTMB puzzle.
Don’t call it a comeback – or maybe do – either way Dakota Jones’ 2022 felt like a reemergence for the talented Utah based athlete. After a slight step back from running to return to school and launch his non-profit climate action incubator Footprints (a organization we are proud to officially be partnering with) Dakota seems to be finding a balance of give and take in his running and work once again. After a win at the Canyons 50-kilometer early in the season Dakota was part of the stellar showdown with François D’Haene and Kilian Jornet at the Hardrock 100-mile run, where he ultimately finished third behind the two absolute legends. Last but certainly not least we all wondered what the guy known for crushing mountains could do at a race in the desert like the Javelina 100-mile. Turns out it’s break the infamous 13-hour mark that has alluded many fast athletes in past editions of the event – and in that moment I think we collectively said, “He’s back!”
FT: What was your personal highlight from 2022?
DJ: I think the accomplishment I’m most proud of from 2022 was turning my climate-action organization Footprints into a nonprofit, developing a professional business model, hosting a really great camp in July, and laying the foundation for a lot of really powerful climate work in the trail running space and beyond over the next few years. I’m proud of the way I raced, but it felt like in 2022 I was finally able to combine sport, competition, and community outreach in a way that felt like I was giving close to as much as I was taking. That’s something I’ve been trying to do for a long time, and I hope Footprints can make that possible for a lot more runners to do the same in the future.
FT: What was a struggle or something you learned in 2022?
DJ: I struggled with mental health through the year, and I had to learn to ask for help. In fact, I moved from Montana to Utah in order to be closer to family, and I had to learn to manage being busier than I’ve ever been before. We all go through these ups and downs, but it takes a lot of humility to acknowledge them and seek help. I’m still learning to do that.
FT: What are you looking forward to in 2023?
DJ: I’m excited to continue my work with Footprints, to train and race through another year of exciting objectives, and to continue working with NNormal to tell stories about people and environmental issues through the lens of trail running. Last year I felt like I began to find a way to expand my personal goals so that they support other people and places, and I’m really looking forward to seeing if I can do even better this year.
Here to stay or back for good we can’t wait to watch Dakota at WSER in June and Ruth take on her first full loop of UTMB in September – it will be a season full of excitement from tip to tail. Congratulations to both of these talented athletes on their 2022 seasons, we can not wait to witness 2023! On our way to fourth on the list tomorrow, check back first thing to find out which two athletes landed in the “wooden medal” position.