Courtney Dauwalter

Courtney Dauwalter is an American ultramarathon runner widely regarded as one of the greatest trail and ultra runners of her generation. Born on February 13, 1985, in Hopkins, Minnesota, she competed in cross-country and Nordic skiing as a youth, earning four Minnesota state titles in Nordic skiing before attending the University of Denver on a skiing scholarship. After earning a master's degree in teaching from the University of Mississippi, she worked as a science teacher before turning professional in 2017.\n\nDauwalter's career breakthrough came at the 2017 Moab 240, where she won the overall race outright in 57:55:13, finishing more than 10 hours ahead of the second-place runner. She went on to win UTMB three times (2019, 2021, 2023) and Western States 100 twice (2018, 2023). In 2023, she became the first person to win Western States, Hardrock 100, and UTMB in a single calendar year, completing what many consider the triple crown of ultrarunning.\n\nBased in Leadville, Colorado, at over 10,000 feet of elevation, Dauwalter is self-coached and famously intuitive in her training, often deciding her workouts on the morning of each run. She competes with a relaxed demeanor and a reputation for thriving in the later stages of races when others fade. Her palmares also include victories at Transgrancanaria, the Tahoe 200, Big's Backyard Ultra, and the Diagonale des Fous.