Ultrarunner extraordinaire Courtney Dauwalter has picked up in 2024 proper the place she left off final yr. After famously profitable three of ultrarunning’s most epic races through the span of about 9 weeks final summer season—Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and Extremely-Path du Mont-Blanc—the 39-year-old athlete from Leadville, Colorado, defended her Transgrancanaria 126K title in a decisive wire-to-wire win in late February and received the Mount Fuji 100-miler for the second time on April 27, putting third total. She’s now gearing as much as go for a 3rd straight win on the Hardrock 100 on July 12-13 in Silverton, Colorado. After Hardrock, she’ll be crewing and pacing her husband, Kevin Schmidt, on the Leadville 100 on August 17-18, after which tackling a yet-unannounced path operating challenge in September.
We caught up with Dauwalter to speak about her fueling and coaching in a digital press convention, the place she introduced the Might 20 launch of her signature taste of Tailwind Vitamin Endurance Gasoline—Dauwaltermelon with Lime—as a everlasting a part of the model’s lineup. Since she’s emerged as one of many world’s prime path ultrarunners, she’s been identified for having a sound strategy to diet and fueling, by no means shying away from consuming no matter she needs, admitting her gentle spot for sweet and pastries, or having a beer every so often if she feels prefer it.
RUN: How did you develop such a wise strategy to diet and fueling, and what, if something, have you ever modified?
COURTNEY DAUWALTER: I’m nonetheless consuming all of my favourite issues each time they sound good in portions that sound good, and I’m not intending to alter that a part of my life, as a result of it simply provides me plenty of pleasure to dwell that means. I assume it’s acquired to be partly my upbringing, and in addition with Kevin and I, our concept of how we need to dwell our lives is to get pleasure from it to its fullest whereas it’s right here. We simply need to get pleasure from meals, get pleasure from meals out, benefit from the cravings that we’ve, and never fear about it. However I might say prior to now couple of years I do extra constantly do a restoration drink after a future or after placing in huge efforts, and that’s one thing that I used to be slightly extra lax with initially, so I really feel like that’s a step in the appropriate course.
What was your fueling technique if you first acquired into ultrarunning in 2011?
Once I first acquired into ultrarunning, I had no diet plan. I didn’t know what I used to be doing. My first race was a 50K, and I keep in mind not figuring out that these support stations could be buffets. My thoughts was blown after I acquired to them—all of the choices had been overwhelming. I simply began filling my pockets with jelly beans. In these first years, I did plenty of mimicking of what the folks round me had been doing. So if I got here to an support station and somebody was grabbing pickles and consuming Mountain Dew, then that’s what I might do. In the event that they had been grabbing pretzels and cheese cubes, that’s what I might go for. It was simply form of roulette for me on what I might find yourself consuming—if it will work, or if it wouldn’t work.
You’ve advised tales about just a few well-known bonks early in your profession. When did you begin to dial-in your fueling technique?
Initially, I by no means had a fueling plan in any respect. However then in 2017, I went to the Run Rabbit Run 100 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and Tailwind was accessible on track at all the support stations. I had a buddy who had began utilizing it that yr, and I keep in mind simply loving it and immediately not having all of the abdomen points and vitality dips that I typically had. I used to be like, ‘Oh, possibly that is what it’s prefer to have one thing dependable.’
What’s your present strategy to race-day diet?
At this level we’ve gotten fairly dialed on the race diet plan for these 10-to 24-hour efforts or the occasions of 100 miles or under. I’m not an individual who has my watch beeping at me ever to remind me to eat. I don’t get these sorts of reminders, and I don’t need to eat each quarter-hour or half-hour throughout a race. I’m going to simply gradual drip the energy I’ve as typically as doable—mainly it’s an consuming contest on the transfer. Now I do know my physique capabilities fairly effectively with about 200 energy per hour throughout these efforts. So, relying on the gap between support stations, I can rely solely on a bottle of Tailwind after which complement with some chews or waffles or gels, as a result of often I get truly hungry feeling and having one thing stable helps with that. However principally, I’m counting on Tailwind as my spine to the entire plan and usually aiming for that 200-calorie-per-hour benchmark.
You needed to overcome some abdomen challenges in UTMB in 2022 after which finally yr’s UTMB you appeared as bodily challenged as you might have ever been. How have you ever adjusted your fueling in these conditions?
The previous couple years (working with a nutritionist good friend), we’ve been higher at creating A, B, C and D plans—as a result of typically the proper diet plan that you’ve got relied on isn’t going to work. Our strategy is that’s tremendous, and listed below are some issues you can begin subbing in throughout a race that may cowl your wants. I view race diet like a puzzle piece, and typically it matches into the puzzle proper the place we would like it to, and typically we’ve to type shift issues round slightly bit. I feel one of many causes plenty of us love ultrarunning is as a result of, when issues simply aren’t going to plan, we’ve to problem-solve it.
You’ll be doing plenty of your pre-Hardrock coaching in and round Leadville between 11,000 and 14,000 toes above sea degree as soon as the spring snow subsides. How can you gas at such excessive altitudes?
That’s one factor I’m hoping to give attention to slightly bit extra on on this buildup and this prep for Hardrock, as a result of prior to now couple occasions I’ve run it, I’ve struggled slightly bit with taking stuff in. I might love to simply attempt to deliberately prepare my abdomen to be higher at taking in these energy whereas pushing arduous at 12,500 toes or 13,000 toes simply to see if we will make some strides ahead. So keep tuned on if that works or not.
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Do you might have any bucket checklist occasions you need to deal with within the coming years?
Not particular issues. I feel I need to simply hold discovering the challenges that intrigue me and hearth me as much as hold placing within the work, the coaching, the time, the trouble to go after them. And so no matter that’s, there’s not an inventory of issues I need to test off essentially, however, I’m persevering with to pour myself into this sport and see what’s doable whereas each one in every of my methods [muscular, digestive, endocrine, cognitive, emotional, etc.] is permitting that to occur. The Leadville 100 is on my brief checklist of races I might like to do as quickly as I can, however so far as a bucket checklist generally or what intrigues me, I’m nonetheless very fascinated about exploring the longer stuff and the way our brains and our our bodies can work collectively to take us over 100 miles. What does that appear like to maneuver effectively for 200 miles or 500 miles? In order that’s the place I’m placing plenty of my consideration into—simply discovering methods to check myself on stuff that’s actually lengthy.
You bought into ultrarunning by operating street races. Would you ever run one other marathon?
I’m fascinated about making an attempt a street marathon once more in some unspecified time in the future as a result of that was what led me to ultrarunning.. I didn’t assume I might make that distance, however I completed with out dying after which questioned, ‘What else is on the market that sounds too arduous that I might strive?’ After which I stumbled into the ultrarunning world. In these first marathons, I used to be an informal runner. I ran each day earlier than work as a result of it made me really feel higher to start out the day, however I wasn’t doing big miles or operating rapidly. So circling again to run a street marathon could be form of enjoyable.
You’ve talked lots about your eagerness to enter the ache cave if you’re racing. How did that start?
I positively didn’t invent it, and I don’t know who did initially, however I do know that for me that phrase simply grew to become this imagery that I actually grabbed onto—versus the wrestle bus or the harm locker or the numerous different phrases. That one for me was visually one thing I might see, and it was one thing that I might work with to be productive. Again in highschool, I had a cross nation snowboarding coach who was huge on the psychological aspect of the game and would all the time remind us and consider in our capability to push previous that second when it looks like you don’t have anything left. He was big on simply the concept there’s all the time yet another gear. So I simply crank the knob and consider that it may be cranked slightly bit extra. Having somebody who believed in me so wholeheartedly that I might belief to maintain pushing was necessary as a result of it’s arduous to try this if you’re any age, however for certain it’s arduous to do if you’re a teen. The concept that you are feeling such as you’re about to die and but you’re telling me there’s extra to push previous that? That’s arduous to be taught. So I really feel actually fortunate that I had that coach and to study that psychological aspect of sports activities and digging deeper than you assume.
You ran the Javelina 100K in Arizona together with your mother final October. What was that like? And what has been the lasting impact?
That was so particular, a spotlight of my life for certain. We ran collectively by the desert in Arizona, aspect by aspect the entire time by all of the highs and lows, and made it to that end line. I’ll keep in mind that without end, and that reward that she gave me of doing this factor with me and the game I really like and spending a lot time getting ready for it. She was coaching arduous again dwelling in Minnesota, making an attempt to discover ways to run trails, making an attempt to energy hike hills, and studying use all the gear as a result of she had by no means actually run trails earlier than. I feel the domino impact is that you would be able to begin something at any age. She was 66 after we ran this race collectively and 64 when she began this journey into path operating. I had advised her my dream was to run an extremely with my mother, and now that she has accomplished a 100K, she has discovered plenty of pleasure within the trails. Regardless that we don’t have a race on the calendar collectively but, she continues to be simply discovering that peace that the paths convey her, and it’s one thing she incorporates into her weekly life. I feel that’s actually cool, and it’s why I hope extra folks can discover out about path operating—not essentially even ultrarunning—however simply getting out on the paths and exploring slightly bit as a result of that feeling of transferring together with your toes surrounded by nature and feeling so small in an enormous panorama is actually, actually cool.
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What do you hope runners of any degree take away out of your success?
My hope is that individuals listening to concerning the stuff that I’m doing or that the ultrarunning group is doing helps them consider they might go after one thing that sounds too arduous or one thing that sounds loopy. Whether or not that’s operating 100 miles or 200 miles or not. We are able to all discover that factor in our lives that we will go after with slightly extra gusto and lift the bar for ourselves on what we’re truly aiming for. I additionally hope I generally is a small instance that you would be able to work actually, actually, actually arduous at one thing and have plenty of enjoyable doing it. These issues can occur on the identical time and there’s no motive to separate them. I by no means predicted this chapter in my life, however I really feel grateful each day for it. I’m simply making an attempt to squeeze as a lot dwelling out of this era of life as I can.
