Dr. Sarah Ruggins – Record-Breaking Endurance Cyclist on Pushing Limits, Managing Pain, and the Power of Aggressive Patience

In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Sarah Ruggins—a high-achieving investment professional, academic powerhouse, and now a record-breaking ultra-endurance cyclist. From her early days as a national-level track athlete in Canada to surviving complex PTSD and rebuilding her life, Sarah’s journey is one of transformation, resilience, and radical self-belief.

In 2023, Sarah competed in the Transcontinental Bike Race, and in 2025, she took on her most audacious challenge yet: cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back again—2,715 km in just 5 days, 11 hours, and 14 minutes, setting a new outright record.

This conversation dives deep into the planning, training, and mindset behind the ride—from strength work and 3:30 AM mornings to battling hallucinations, sleep deprivation, and pain barriers. Sarah shares her three-part mantra—Focus, Discipline, Gratitude—and unpacks how elite performance is built in the margins: with structure, strategy, and sacrifice.

Whether you're chasing a personal goal or looking for motivation to push your own limits, this is an episode that will fuel your fire.

 New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

 Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

 Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x

Show notes

• Who is Dr Sarah Ruggins
• Working as an investment professional for the past 10 years 
• Growing up in Canada 
• Being part of a very active family
• Doing a lot of running and focusing on track and field 
• Working with the best coaches
• Holding national records in middle distances 
• Preparing for junior olympics at 14/15
• Wanting to represent her country at the highest level
• Her teenage years
• Needing a routine surgery on her feet
• Developing a disease of her nervous system 
• The impact on her life
• Developing complex PTSD 
• Getting back to a ‘normal life’
• Starting to focus more on academics 
• Getting 4 degrees in 4 different subjects
• Competing in the trans continental bike race in 2023
• Wanting to understand what her limits were
• John O’Groats to Lands End and back again
• Being supported by a crew
• Working with Rob Lee from RLP Coaching 
• What training looked l