Courtney Dauwalter was unstoppable in 2023. Her year began with a Golden Ticket and course record at Bandera 100k, and then she broke three more course records—one of them being her own—at the most competitive races in the world. But when asked what stood out for her this year, it was the moments with friends and family that kept her going. We sat down with Dauwalter to find out what else fueled her success throughout the year.
“In general, fatigue was a lot going into 2023. I ran Diagonale des Fous in October, and I knew I wanted to go for the Golden Ticket in January. So it was a really quick turn to get back in training mode so I could hopefully set up the potential to try the double (Western States and Hardrock).”
Dauwalter ran the Texas 100k course in 8:59:37, beating Stephanie Howe’s 2017 course record of 9:08:35. “I needed Bandera to happen. It was just managing this really weird schedule of training and preparation with recovery, and focus just as much on the recovery so that I didn’t whirlpool myself down into a hole I couldn’t climb out of for a while.”
With the Golden Ticket secured, Dauwalter was able to set her sights on training for Western States and Hardrock, just three weeks later. Her performances at both races sent fans of the sport digging into past results to find out if there had been a similar performance by a female in the history of ultrarunning. Dauwalter’s course record of 15:29:33 and sixth-place overall finish at Western States meant that a female was capable of breaking 16 hours on a course that had previously seen Ellie Greenwood’s 2012 course record of 16:47:19 remain untouched for years. At Hardrock, her fourth-place overall finish of 26:14:12 beat her time from 2022 by 30 minutes, and again, was over an hour faster than the previous course record time of 27:18:24 set by Diana Finkel in 2009. In what felt like the icing on the cake, Dauwlter ran UTMB in September and brought home yet another win, finishing in 23:29:14 on the most competitive stage in the world.
The rock awaits Dauwalter after her course record win at the 2023 Hardrock. Photo: Peter Maksimow
After UTMB, Dauwalter said she went into “full recovery mode, didn’t move for quite a few weeks and then got to transition to ‘adventure mode.’” She describes “adventure mode” as playing in the mountains, running a race with her mom (Javelina Jundred 100k) and a running trip in the Dolomites in Italy. But for Dauwalter, the key was that it didn’t involve specific race preparation and that she was able to spend her time with family.
“I love those people so much and love the sport so much, so when I get to combine the two it’s amazing and those are the types of memories that I want to make. I was really fortunate that Kevin (Dauwalter’s husband) did Swiss Alps 100, which was a beautiful course, and neither of us had ever been there. I got to pace him for many, many hours, then, doing Javelina 100k side-by-side with my mom. Those were for sure the highlights of the year.”
Dauwalter’s unfaltering success in the sport of ultrarunning has inspired both men and women, but she continues to pave the way for female endurance athletes. “I feel so lucky to be in the sport right now. I think it’s a really cool time for women in the sport. More and more women pinning on race bibs, trying new things and pushing their limits. It’s inspiring all the time. I think that we all need to just keep going for it—the crazy ideas, the things that sound too hard, try—why not—and see what happens. Because even if we fall short, the journey of trying—that is the whole point of it. I want more people to experience the trails and try hard things.”
After such an incredible year, Dauwalter has decided to narrow her focus in 2024 and “go all-in on Hardrock and try to get around those San Juan mountains one more time.” She says, “I’m definitely still in the planning stages of 2024. I don’t know what spring race I’ll do to build towards Hardrock. I do have some ideas of projects and race ideas for the rest of summer and fall, but haven’t decided anything official yet.”
Her goal, during the months of November and December, was to “shut it down and do a full reset—full recharge,” so that she could head into 2024 “knowing all the tanks are filled to the brim again.”
“I’ve realized more and more how much it helps and how nice it is for our bodies but more so for our brains,” said Dauwalter.
In the meantime, she plans on “enjoying life as much as possible—spending time with my family, with Kevin, and being outside.”