Courtney Dauwalter

Dauwalter was raised in Hopkins, Minnesota and competed in track, cross-country, and Nordic skiing in high school. She was a four-time Minnesota state champion in Nordic skiing during her high school career.{{Cite web|url=https://www.irunfar.com/2019/01/courting-success-an-interview-with-courtney-dauwalter.html|title=Courting Success: An Interview with Courtney Dauwalter|date=17 January 2019}} She attended the University of Denver on a cross-country skiing scholarship studying biology,{{Cite news|date=2018-12-05|title=The Woman Who Outruns the Men, 200 Miles at a Time|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/sports/courtney-dauwalter-200-mile-race.html|access-date=2022-01-17|issn=0362-4331}} and then earned a master's degree in teaching from the University of Mississippi in 2010 while participating in the Mississippi Teacher Corps.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mtc.olemiss.edu/mtc-in-the-news/2017/9/1/sample-post-1|title=Education Edge Magazine features MTC Alumnus, Courtney Dauwalter '08|date=September 1, 2017|website=Mississippi Teacher Corps}}

She taught for several years, following in her mother's footsteps who was also a teacher, teaching biology, chemistry, and physical sciences for middle and high-schoolers in the Denver area, before becoming a full-time professional runner in 2017.{{Cite web |title=Courtney Dauwalter, queen of Ultra Running |url=https://thepilloutdoor.com/feature/courtney-dauwalter-queen-of-ultra-running/?lang=en |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=The Pill Outdoor Journal |language=en-US}}

Dauwalter lives and trains above 10,000 ft in Leadville, Colorado. She is married to Kevin Schmidt, who supports her in ultrarunning events.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-14 |title=Who Is Courtney Dauwalter? Meet The Woman Who Crushes Ultras |url=https://marathonhandbook.com/who-is-courtney-dauwalter/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |language=en-US}} She does not have any children or pets.

She is known for her positive attitude and sense of humor during races, following a relaxed approach to nutrition. Dauwalter is well known for wearing baggy long shorts for comfort, including during her racing. She is also known for embracing the "Pain Cave," the mental space she refers to when entering the most challenging parts of a race.{{Cite web |last=Debutify |date=2022-10-14 |title=Inside the Mindset - 4 Things we can Learn from Courtney Dauwalter |url=https://themindsetverse.com/blogs/the-mindsetverse/inside-the-mindset-4-things-we-can-learn-from-courtney-dauwalter |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Mindsetverse |language=en}} She has said she has reframed the "Pain Cave" as a place she wants to reach because it signifies where real work and growth happen.{{Cite web |last=Fader |first=Mirin |date=2022-08-30 |title=Inside the Pain Cave With Courtney Dauwalter, the GOAT of Ultrarunning |url=https://www.theringer.com/sports/2022/8/30/23323367/courtney-dauwalter-ultra-running-marathon |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=The Ringer |language=en}}

Dauwalter's mother Tracy also has become involved in ultrarunning, the two running Javalina Jundred 100 km race in Fountain Hills, Arizona in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Tilton |first=Morgan |date=2023-11-21 |title=Courtney Dauwalter and Her Mom Are Tackling Ultras Together Now |url=https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/courtney-dauwalter-mom-ultras/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Trail Runner Magazine |language=en-US}}

In 2016, Dauwalter set a course record at the Javelina Jundred 100K and won the Run Rabbit Run 100-mile race, finishing 75 minutes ahead of second place. She also won the 2017 Run Rabbit Run while battling temporary blindness when running the final 12 miles.{{cite web |last1=Schranz |first1=Eric |title= Courtney Dauwalter {{!}} Blind Perseverance at RRR100 |url= https://ultrarunnerpodcast.com/courtney-dauwalter-rrr100/ |website= Ultrarunnerpodcast|date=2017-09-15 }} She won the 2017 edition of the Moab 240 race in 2 days, 9 hours, and 59 minutes, finishing first overall and beating the second-place finisher by more than 10 hours.{{cite web |last1=Rojek |first1=Taylor |title=There's No Stopping Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a22564627/theres-no-stopping-ultrarunner-courtney-dauwalter/ |website=Runners World|date=2018-08-03 }} In 2017, she set the then-record for the longest run in 24 hours, at 155.391 miles during the Riverbank One Day Classic.{{cite web |last1=Mitka |first1=Nate |title=238 Miles On Foot: Courtney Dauwalter Wins Moab Ultra |url=https://gearjunkie.com/courtney-dauwalter-moab-200-winner |website=Gearjunkie|date=2017-10-16 }}

In 2018, Dauwalter won the Western States 100-mile race, with a finishing time of 17h27m. She competed in the Big's Backyard Ultra in 2018, finishing second overall and completing a total of 67 laps, setting the women's course record at 279.268 miles.{{Cite web|url=https://theknow.denverpost.com/2018/10/22/courtney-dauwalter-bigs-backyard-ultra/199188/|title=Golden woman ran 4-mile loop for 67 hours aiming to be the last person standing in a crazy ultra-race|date=2018-10-22|website=The Know|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-14}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeFNtPKqQLI&t=5s|title=Big's Dog's Backyard Ultra: The Last Man Standing|date=2018-11-13|website=YouTube}} She also placed second in the Tahoe 200, beating the previous women's course record by over 18 hours.{{Cite web|last=Scacco|first=Justin|title=Colorado ultrarunners shatter Tahoe 200 course records|url=https://www.sierrasun.com/sports/colorado-ultrarunners-shatter-tahoe-200-course-records/|access-date=2020-07-01|website=www.sierrasun.com|date=14 September 2018 |language=en-US}}

In 2019, she won the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in a time of 24 h 34 min 26 sec, coming in 21st overall.{{Cite web |title='Sluggish' Courtney Dauwalter looks back on UTMB win |url=https://www.trailrunningmag.co.uk/news/articles/sluggish-courtney-dauwalter-looks-back-on-utmb-win |access-date=2019-12-14 |website=Trail Running |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Strout |first=Erin |date=2019-09-18 |title=Ultrarunning Star Courtney Dauwalter's Superpower? Don't Overthink It |url=https://www.womensrunning.com/2019/09/training/ultrarunning-star-courtney-dauwalters-superpower-dont-overthink-it_103069 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214213953/https://www.womensrunning.com/2019/09/training/ultrarunning-star-courtney-dauwalters-superpower-dont-overthink-it_103069 |archive-date=2019-12-14 |access-date=2019-12-14 |website=Women's Running |language=en-US}} In 2021 she would return to set the women's course record. She competed for the United States at the IAU 24 Hour World Championship in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France in October 2019, finishing 12th. In 2020, she won the American section of Big's Backyard Ultra. She ran 68 laps for 283.3 miles for a finish time of 56 hours, 52 minutes, and 29 seconds, setting the record for the longest distance recorded by a female runner in the race.{{Cite web |date=20 October 2020 |title=Courtney Dauwalter Wins U.S. Big's Backyard Ultra with a Record-Tying Effort |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a34419496/bigs-backyard-ultra-2020-results/}}

In 2021, Dauwalter entered the Hardrock 100 but did not finish. In 2022 and 2023 she entered again and won, beating the previous women's course records for the Hardrock 100 set by Diana Finkel by over an hour, in each direction.{{Cite web |date=2017-04-26 |title=Pacing Diana |url=https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/profiles-people/pacing-diana/ |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=Trail Runner Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=OpenSplitTime: Full results - Hardrock 100 2023 |url=https://www.opensplittime.org/events/hardrock-100-2023/spread?display_style=segment&filter%5Bgender%5D=combined |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=www.opensplittime.org}} Her time for the Hardrock 100 in 2023 was 26:14:08, beating the previous counter-clockwise course record (Hardrock changes the direction of its course each year) by an hour and four minutes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a44555119/courtney-dauwalter-2023-hardrock-100/|title=Courtney Dauwalter Obliterates Another 100-Mile Course Record|date=July 16, 2023|website=Runner's World}}

Also in 2023, she won the Western States 100, besting the previous women's course record set by Ellie Greenwood in 2012, finishing in a time of 15:29:34.{{Cite web |title=Ultra runner Courtney Dauwalter breaks record of world's oldest 100-mile race by almost 80 minutes |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/26/sport/courtney-dauwalter-western-states-100-course-record-spt-intl/index.html |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=CNN |date=26 June 2023 |language=en-US}} This set the overall record for the Western States–Hardrock double. With this she became the first athlete to set course records at Western States and Hardrock in the same year. In September 2023, she then won the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc again, making her the first person in history to win the triple of Western States, Hardrock, and UTMB in a single year.

In 2024, Dauwalter continued her winning streak by securing first place at the Mt. Fuji 100 Mile in Fujiyoshida, Japan, completing the 165.4 km race in 19:21:22 and finishing 3rd overall.{{Cite web |last=Turner |first=Jonathan |date=2024-04-26 |title=Mt. Fuji 100 2024 results: Courtney Dauwalter crushes women's race and is third overall |url=https://run247.com/running-news/trail/mt-fuji-100-2024-results-report-courtney-dauwalter |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=RUN247 |language=en-GB}} She also won the Transgrancanaria in the Canary Islands, Spain, finishing the 126 km race in 15:14:54.{{Cite web |title=Courtney Dauwalter and Raul Butaci win The North Face Transgrancanaria Classic {{!}} TRANSGRANCANARIA - WEB OFICIAL |url=https://transgrancanaria.net/en/courtney-dauwalter-and-raul-butaci-win-the-north-face-transgrancanaria-classic/ |access-date=2024-07-03 |language=en-US}}

As of 2019, she was sponsored by Salomon.{{Cite web |last=Michelson |first=Megan |date=2019-10-08 |title=Inside the Mind of Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter |url=https://www.rei.com/blog/run/inside-the-mind-of-ultrarunner-courtney-dauwalter |access-date=2019-12-26 |website=REI Co-op Journal |language=en-US}}

Dauwalter is famous for her distinctively long, "baggy" shorts, which she frequently wears during ultrarunning competitions. These shorts were dubbed "Shortney" shorts by Salomon,{{Cite web |last=Pineda |first=Leonard |date=2023-06-06 |title='Shortney' Running Shorts Worn By Courtney Dauwalter Now Available At Salomon |url=https://backpackers.com/blog/shortney-running-shorts-worn-by-courtney-dauwalter-now-available-at-salomon/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Backpackers.com |language=en-US}} when it launched a "Shortney" capsule collection in 2023 including oversized technical trail shorts and a T-shirt.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=You Can Now Buy Courtney Dauwalter's Signature Long Shorts: "The Shortney" |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a43853179/courtney-dauwalter-salomon-shortney/ |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=Runner's World |language=en-US}} Her shorts have been described as making runners feel "rebellious" against the trend of shrinking women's running shorts.{{Cite web |date=2023-09-14 |title=Why Are Women's Running Shorts So Short? |url=https://lyftlyfeapparel.com/blogs/news/why-are-womens-running-shorts-so-short |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=LYFTLYFE APPAREL |language=en}}

Dauwalter was named Ultra Runner of the Year in 2018 by Ultrarunning Magazine after winning 9 of the 12 races that she entered, including two where she finished first overall.{{Cite web|url=https://ultrarunning.com/featured/dauwalter-and-walmsley-2018-ultrarunners-of-the-year/|title=Dauwalter and Walmsley 2018 UltraRunners of the Year|date=16 January 2019}} She was awarded Ultra Runner of the Year also in the years 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. {{Cite web|url=https://ultrarunning.com/features/reference/ultrarunners-of-the-year-historical/|title=Ultrarunners of the Year - Past Winners|date=26 December 2014}}

In 2020, she received the George Mallory Award at the Wasatch Mountain Film Festival for pushing the boundaries of physical human achievement.{{Cite web |title=George Mallory Award |url=https://wasatchfilmfestival.org/awards/george-mallory/ |access-date=2020-12-16 |website=Wasatch Mountain Film Festival |language=en-US}}

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Category:Living people

Category:American female ultramarathon runners

Category:1985 births

Category:21st-century American sportswomen