Courtney Dauwalter’s UTMB win elevates her from one of the greats to the greatest ultra trail runner on earth

The American proves she can mix it on any course, at any distance, winning the most competitive race of the year without having set foot on the course beforehand

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Courtney Dauwalter wins the UTMB 2019, elevating her status from one of the best to the best trail runner on the planet. Photos: UTMB/Christophe Pallot

Published: 11:54am, 3 Sep 2019Updated: 5:27pm, 3 Sep 2019

Ultra trail running is a wide and varied sport. The skill set needed to excel at 50km is no indication of your ability over 100km, 171km or 300km. What’s more, the courses are contrasted in their elevation and terrain.

The best runners in the world tend to carve out dominance in particular disciplines and events – Ruth Croft is fast becoming one of the leaders around 50km, and is getting to know the 55km OCC course so well it might be hard to topple her for years. Jim Walmsley has his 161km Western States dialled in, and seems set to dominate any runnable course with his quick, long stride. Kilian Jornet and Xavier Thevenard have proved themselves kings of the mountains, with multiple victories at the steep 171km Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) and top finishes in the equally arduous HardRock (although, Thevenard was disqualified after winning HardRock for taking water outside a checkpoint).

But there are few, if any, who can apply their trade so effectively to any race they enter, no matter the course or distance, as Courtney Dauwalter. Since the start of 2017, the American has won 14 out of 20 races she entered in the US. Six of those were outright victories, beating all the men. The shortest outright victory was the Continental Divide Trail Run in 2018, which was 50km, while the longest was the MOAB 383km behemoth.

Courtney Dauwalter is the perfect person to be trail running’s poster child, with her friendly persona.

Dauwalter might just be the greatest ultra trail runner on earth.

Jornet has worn the crown for years. After all, he has won the UTMB three times and HardRock four times, along with a host of shorter races that prove his versatility, such as the 31km Sierre-Zinal.

Courtney Dauwalter’s UTMB win elevates her from one of the greats to the greatest ultra trail runner on earth

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The American proves she can mix it on any course, at any distance, winning the most competitive race of the year without having set foot on the course beforehand

The American proves she can mix it on any course, at any distance, winning the most competitive race of the year without having set foot on the course beforehand