American ultramarathon runner Courtney Dauwalter has become the first person in history to win the three major 100-mile mountain trail races within one calendar year, after winning the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in France over the weekend.
The 38-year old became the women’s champion on Saturday, crossing the line in a time of 23 hours, 29 minutes and 14 seconds — after covering the course of roughly 171 kilometres — 10,000 meters of it uphill.
This is the third time Dauwalter has won the women’s race of the UTMB, considered “the most mythical and prestigious trail running race” and the most competitive trail ultramarathon in the world.
With her latest win, the former high-school teacher has secured the ‘The Triple Crown’ of trail ultrarunning — in June, she won the Western States 100 in California (161 km) and in July, she won the Hardrock 100 (163km) in Colorado.
Speaking to the media after her latest race, Dauwalter said she was still processing the win, and described her legs as “completely destroyed.”
“Finishing was the number one goal,” she said. “I wanted to finish no matter what time of day, what day it happened…I was doing everything I could, which is how I try to always race.”
Dauwalter praised the race for being broadcast world-wide, though admits there were moments she wanted to “reset…in silence.”
“There were a couple times when I thought in my head, like, I just need a minute,” she explained. “I was really struggling, especially on some of the more technical downhills. I just wanted a minute to like, reset myself in silence, and by myself. And that wasn’t ever available.”
“There was no minute…And so it’s, I mean, pros and cons, for sure.”
She explained that music helped a lot: “I’ll put in music, is because it helps me feel like I have this bubble to give myself those moments.”
Speaking to the New York Times recently, she described her daily routine: 4am rise, 40 minutes of stretches, followed by a run which can last anywhere between one to five hours. On any given week, she can be covering 225km worth of training.
“I try and go into every week really open to whatever happens so that I will actually tune into my body and listen to it,” she said.
“If I go into a week thinking it is going to be a really big mileage week or I have all these grand ideas about it, then I find it harder to listen to my body and actually respond to what it is telling me.”
As for her current future plans, Dauwalter said she is “… in no mental space to make any future plans.”
“But after some relaxation, we’ll start scheming for sure,” she said, referring to her crew, which includes her husband, Kevin Schmidt.
Since 2019, Dauwalter has been sponsored by Salomon, a sporting goods brand, and has tried to use her platform to encourage more women into ultramarathon.
Most recently, she has promoted a new line of running shorts designed for women that are longer and looser than traditional shorts for women on the market.
“[Perhaps] the length is the thing that makes someone get out on the trail and try,” she said.