Courtney Dauwalter - Trail Runner Profile

Courtney Dauwalter is an American ultrarunner regarded as the greatest women's trail runner of all time. In 2023 she became the first person to win the Western States 100, the Hardrock 100 and UTMB in a single year, setting course records at the first two, and she has won UTMB three times (2019, 202

Courtney Dauwalter quick facts

  • Nationality: United States
  • UTMB Index: 859 (as of 6 October 2026, UTMB profile)
  • ITRA score: 833 (as of 29 August 2026, ITRA profile)
  • Key results: UTMB titles: 3 (2019, 2021, 2023); Hardrock titles: 4, including a 2026 course record; Historic first: Western States + Hardrock + UTMB in one year, 2023

UTMB Index and ITRA scores change after every race. The dates are when each number was read from the official profile.

Country: United States · Team: Salomon · Specialities: 100 miles+, Multi-day

Right now: 2026 Hardrock champion and course-record holder; dropped out of the 2026 UTMB at Lac Combal.

Key facts

  • UTMB titles: 3 (2019, 2021, 2023)
  • Hardrock titles: 4, including a 2026 course record
  • Historic first: Western States + Hardrock + UTMB in one year, 2023

The 2023 triple

Across roughly ten weeks in 2023 Dauwalter won Western States in a course record 15:29:33, took another course record at Hardrock three weeks later, and completed the set at UTMB in September. More than 300 miles of racing and 25,500m of climbing in a single summer, and the first time anyone had won all three in one year.

A career of records

Her three UTMB titles put her behind only Lizzy Hawker among women. Her Western States record stood until Jenn Lichter ran 15:28:05 in 2026. At Hardrock she has now won four times, and in July 2026 she broke her own clockwise course record by more than eight minutes with a 26:03:10.

Where she is right now

Her 2025 was mixed by her standards: tenth at UTMB after leading through a night of rain and snow, and a rare DNF at the 250-mile Cocodona. In 2026 she finished the Cocodona 250 sixth overall and second woman in 61:58:35 despite a wrong turn that cost around 50 minutes, then won Hardrock in a record. She returned to Chamonix for the 2026 UTMB, led the women's race over the Col de Voza in the opening hours, then dropped out overnight at Lac Combal, around 68km in, without saying why.

How Courtney runs

Dauwalter races by feel to an unusual degree. She has no coach and no written training plan, races without music and pays minimal attention to data, making decisions on the day according to how her body feels. In races, that translates into a steady output she can hold for 24 hours and more while the field decays around her.

Her signature is durability, both physical and mental. She describes the hardest part of a long race as the pain cave, and treats getting into it as something to work through rather than avoid. Her ability to keep making rational decisions, to keep eating and to keep moving at a steady effort deep into a race is what separates her from athletes who may be faster on fresh legs.

She is also pragmatic about fuelling and comfort. Her race fuel mixes sports products with real food: mashed potatoes with butter and salt are a staple, and in races beyond 100 miles she has added quesadillas, pancakes, noodle soup and even fast-food cheeseburgers. Her husband Kevin crews her races, and their aid-station stops are run like pit stops.

Where Courtney is strongest

The longest and highest races. Hardrock, with its altitude and relentless climbing, and multi-day formats such as the 250-mile Cocodona suit her better than anything short and fast. Her 2023 summer, when she won Western States, Hardrock and UTMB in about ten weeks with course records at the first two, is the clearest demonstration.

She is less dominant in shorter, faster races where the decisive factor is speed rather than durability, and her recent UTMB results, tenth in 2025 and a DNF in 2026, show that even she has hard days in Chamonix. But over 100 miles and beyond, at altitude, she remains the reference point.

The edge. Durability across a whole season. Winning three of the sport's hardest 100-milers in one summer is still the benchmark performance in ultrarunning.

What you can learn from Courtney

1. Learn to run by feel, in training first

Racing on perceived effort only works if you have practised it. On easy runs and long runs, check how your effort feels before you look at your watch, and learn what a sustainable pace for 4, 8 or 12 hours feels like. Over time, your own sense of effort becomes more reliable than any number, especially when terrain and weather change.

2. Plan for the pain cave

Every long race has a low point. Dauwalter treats it as a place to work through rather than a sign to stop. Before your race, decide what you will do when it comes: slow down, eat something, focus on getting to the next aid station. Expecting it makes it far easier to get through.

3. Eat what you will actually eat

She is famously flexible about fuel. The best race nutrition is food you can keep eating after 12 hours of effort. Experiment with real food, savoury options and sweets on your long runs, find what your stomach tolerates, and bring a variety so you have choices when gels stop appealing.

4. Keep it fun

Her enjoyment of the sport is part of her durability. Runners who stay curious and positive tend to train more consistently and handle setbacks better. Choose races and routes that excite you, and do not let the numbers take over the reason you run.

Selected results

Year Race Result
2026 UTMB DNF (withdrew at Lac Combal, ~68km, after leading the early stages)
2026 Hardrock 100 1st (26:03:10, her own clockwise course record broken by 8+ minutes; fourth title)
2023 Western States 100 1st (15:29:33 course record, unbeaten until 2026)
2023 UTMB 1st (third title, after 2019 and 2021)
2023 Hardrock 100 1st (course record; completed the Western States–Hardrock–UTMB triple)
2026 Cocodona 250 2nd woman, 6th overall (61:58:35)
2025 UTMB 10th

A selection, not a complete race history.

Official profiles

Compare yourself with Courtney

  • ITRA index calculator: estimate the km-effort and an indicative performance band for your own race result (not an official ITRA Performance Index).
  • Trail pace calculator: turn your road pace into a trail pace and finish time for a given elevation profile.

Frequently asked questions

What is Courtney Dauwalter's greatest achievement?

Winning the Western States 100, the Hardrock 100 and UTMB in the same year in 2023, the first person ever to do it, with course records at the first two.

How many times has Courtney Dauwalter won UTMB?

Three times: 2019, 2021 and 2023. Only Lizzy Hawker has more women's UTMB titles.

Is Courtney Dauwalter racing in 2026?

Yes. She won the 2026 Hardrock 100 in a course record 26:03:10, finished the Cocodona 250 as second woman, and led the early stages of the 2026 UTMB before dropping out at Lac Combal, around 68km in.

Does Courtney Dauwalter still hold the Western States record?

No. Her 2023 record of 15:29:33 was broken by Jenn Lichter's 15:28:05 in June 2026.

Runners with a similar profile

  • Jasmin Paris (United Kingdom): The first woman to finish the Barkley Marathons, with 99 seconds to spare.
  • Franco Collé (Italy): Four-time Tor des Géants winner who added the 450km Tor des Glaciers at 48, on his first attempt.
  • Ludovic Pommeret (France): Won UTMB at 41 after being 50th at halfway, and at 50 broke the Hardrock course record on his way to a third straight win.
  • Katharina Hartmuth (Germany): The first woman to finish on the overall podium at the Tor des Géants, and a UTMB podium finisher at both ends of her career so far.

Sources and verification

Checked against the following sources on 2026-08-29:

Canonical page: https://trailia.run/best-trail-runners/courtney-dauwalter

Published by Trailia (https://trailia.run), a personalised trail running coaching platform. This profile is a factual reference, not a ranking.