Courtney DAUWALTER

“In 2020, she set a record for the longest distance run non-stop by a woman: 283.3 miles”

It’s hard to believe that it was only a decade before Courtney Dauwalter was born that women were first allowed to compete in marathons. Now she’s redefining not just what women can do in ultra-running, but what humans can achieve. She’s won some of the biggest races, and beaten men to the finish line in the process.

An all-rounder at school, she went to college on a cross-country skiing scholarship and then worked as a full-time teacher, only turning professional in 2017 – a year after she won the 100-mile Run Rabbbit Run 75 minutes ahead of the second placer.

She tells jokes during races to see if her mind is still working, runs light but always carries a toothbrush, and doesn’t follow a training plan or diet – instead eating whatever her body tells her it wants. And it’s led her to course records galore, as well as wins at the most prestigous ultra races, including the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) and the Western States. In 2020, she even set a record for the longest distance run non-stop by a woman: 283.3 miles in just under 57 hours at Big’s Backyard Ultra. Oh, and she won that outright, too. Some say she’s the best ultra-runner on the planet, and it’s hard to disagree.