Where will Courtney Dauwalter stop? The 38-year-old American could be content with being the only athlete in history to have won the four most prestigious ultra-trail races in the world, namely the Western States, the UTMB, the Hardrock and the Diagonal of the Fools. A feat that she shares only with a certain Kilian Jornet. But no, she just smashed the Western States women’s record on June 24, completing the 161 km (5,500 m of elevation gain) in 15:29, 1:18 less than the previous reference mark. So much so that Courtney Dauwalter now holds the record times for all these legendary events.
And this Friday (2 p.m.), here she is engaged in “her” Colorado, for an insane Western States-Hardrock sequence (161 km, 10,000 m of D+) that the few dingoes to have attempted have so far never been able to convert in double victory. Yes yes, this XXL challenge junkie only allowed herself three weeks of rest between her two 100 miles. Salomon’s flagship athlete returns for 20 minutes on its exceptional performance, on its “cave bread” and on the recent marketing of its famous large shorts “shortney”.
What does this Grand Slam of titles, but also now of record times in the four most legendary ultra-trail races in the world, inspire in you?
Records, times and rankings are never goals for me. None of that matters to me. Above all, I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to run these four ultra-trails and to give it my all. Afterwards, I’m happy that it’s not going too badly for me so far (smile).
How did this crazy idea of linking two huge 100-mile races in three weeks come to you?
I’m constantly looking for new ways to challenge myself and explore what I call my “pain cave” (“the den of pain”), to seek to determine my limits. I also spent a lot of time, more than 60 km, in this “bread cave” on the Western States. But that’s exactly what I want. This challenge has been floating around in my head for several years. I was wondering how cool it would be to test this. There are already athletes like Jeff Browning (3rd and 4th in 2016) who tried to chain the two races. I thought it was the perfect time for me, after winning the Hardrock 100 last year.
Do you know how your body will absorb two such successive efforts?
I hope my body can withstand this sequence. We will quickly be fixed on that (smile). I had to combine the characteristics of the two races in terms of my preparation. The Western States runs at a very fast pace, and I also had to do a lot of hiking in view of the Hardrock, with its high elevations to climb. My number one priority was to make sure I felt physically and mentally as fresh as possible to attack Western States. I knew that three week timing would be short, both for training and for real recovery.
Even if you claim not to worry about the rankings, you finished 4th overall (general ranking, men and women included) at the Diagonale des Fous 2022, then 6th last month at the Western States, just ahead of Mathieu Blanchard. A podium in such a race seems more and more accessible to you, doesn’t it?
I will never see it as a goal to aim for a particular place but if it happened, it would be great. I see no problem in dreaming that it is possible. I just want to end by telling myself that I gave everything I had in me. There are so many variables in a 100 mile race. For example, you cannot control other runners. So I don’t want to focus during such a long ordeal on “external results”. I want to focus on “my inner efforts” and my dynamism.
Do you still sometimes think that symbolically, your presence on the podium of such an event would be huge for all of women’s sport?
Yes yes, there is nothing wrong with believing that it is possible, for any female athlete for that matter. The women’s ultra-trail is clearly in an exciting momentum right now. Our sport is growing as a whole, and the women are growing really fast, with huge gains being made with every race. So I think so, one day we will see a woman climb to the podium in the scratch of a big race. I don’t know if it will be me, or when that day will come. But it’s exciting to believe in that, clearly.
Between your fun routine of brushing your teeth during pit stops and your extremely wide shorts, do you realize that you’re out of place in the world of trail running?
Let’s just say I’ve never worn tight running shorts. I grew up always preferring loose, comfortable shorts. When I started trail-running, I therefore naturally opted for men’s basketball or football models, whatever I found long and wide in fact. Comfort is key, especially when you’re going to push yourself for so long. Believe me, the last thing you want to deal with on an ultra is not feeling comfortable in your clothes. When I joined Salomon in 2017, I chose the long shorts from its men’s line. The brand has supported me and this choice of cut has never been a problem for them.
Have you ever felt judged on the edge of the trails because of this clothing choice?
No, I never felt judged by anyone with my shorts. Maybe I was sometimes, but I didn’t feel that way. I never saw this topic as a big personal struggle. It’s just that people have often tried to understand why I had a different outfit from other trail runners. To this day, I’m the only elite athlete at races to wear such long shorts. When I explain myself, it makes sense to everyone and we move on.
Since spring, your “shortney” with this “oversize” style, which you co-designed with Salomon, has now been marketed…
I’m proud that we are able with Salomon to break fashion for women’s clothing, as it is supposed to be. There, we open up other possibilities and I hope to see many women feel good running with a “shortney”.
Reassure us, after this crazy Western States-Hardrock sequence, you don’t for a moment plan to participate in the Ultra-Trail of Mont-Blanc (171 km, 10,000 m of D +) on September 1?
Ah, I never say never (laughs). There, I’m obviously only focused on Hardrock. Afterwards, I will see how my body and my mind feel, and then I will decide the rest of my summer.