Episode 106: Dr. Sarah Ruggins

Endurance Beyond Limits. Racing the Transcontinental Race and Breaking Boundaries

Unyielding Spirit

In the latest episode of the Seek Travel Ride I welcome an extraordinary guest, Dr. Sarah Ruggins, whose journey from a promising long-distance runner to an ultra-endurance cyclist is nothing short of inspiring. Sarah’s athletic journey began with long-distance running, where she showed immense potential from a young age. Her prowess on the track led to aspirations of competing in the Olympics for Canada. However, fate intervened through a devastating injury and a subsequent battle with a neurological disease that left Sarah with near-total body paralysis. Her rehabilitation process was gruelling and proved transformative, reshaping her perspectives on life and sport.

Finding Freedom on Two Wheels

Though running was Sarah’s first love, it was cycling that gave her a new lease on athletic life. In 2023, despite identifying as a relative novice in cycling (Sarah didn’t even own a bike when she signed up for her first ultra race!), Sarah threw herself into the world of ultra-endurance racing. Her debut at the Transcontinental Race (TCR) Europe challenged not just her physical stamina but also her mental fortitude.

Racing as part of a pair in the TCR 2023, Sarah and her partner navigated the demanding 4,000-kilometer course across Europe. Although a crash forced an early end to their race, they had already exceeded expectations, and Sarah was left with a profound sense of accomplishment and unfinished business.

Competing Against Odds Again: TCR 2024

Determined to complete what she started, Sarah returned to the TCR in 2024, this time with a new racing partner. However, just 200 kilometres into the race, an injury forced her partner to scratch from the TCR. This left Sarah as an “orphaned dot”—a racer unrecognised as a full participant. Undeterred, Sarah pushed herself to incredible limits, ultimately finishing the race on her own terms. Her strategy and determination had her riding alone into the top tiers of competitors, proving her capability despite the setbacks. Sarah’s journey in TCR 2024 shed light on important dialogues regarding diversity and inclusion in ultra-endurance events. Her advocacy, combined with the completion of the arduous course, underscored her resilience and commitment to breaking moulds.

Beyond the Race

Sarah feels passionately about using her platform as a way ofbeing able to give back to the community. Her various fundraising efforts reflect the support she received from charities during her own rehabilitation journey and she seeks to promote causes close to her heart, such as The Bike Project, which provides bicycles to refugees in the UK, enabling them to attain greater independence and integration into society.

A World Record Attempt

With the lessons learned from TCR and other races, Sarah is now setting her sights on a world record attempt in 2025. Her determination to close the loop on her journey—from a sidelined athlete to a contender in the world of ultra cycling —is as strong as ever. She has set herself the challenge of breaking the world record for the fastest cyclng time trial by a woman for Lands End – John O’Groats – Lands End. To me this really embodies her spirit of embracing challenges head-on, a mantra she has lived by: “How hard can it be?”, right?

Hearing Sarah share her story starkly showed me that even when confronted with monumental challenges, there is always a way forward. Her evolution into the world of ultra cycling is inspiring and challenges our notions of perceived limits, redefining what’s possible. I encourage you to follow her challenge play out via her instagram channel – @_not_that_kind_of_doctor

Images used here have been shared with me by Sarah – credit also to @JamesBusbyImages

During the episode Sarah also mentioned the charity work being done by @The_BikeProject as well as @Bikes4Refugees

The Seek Travel Ride podcast