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Courtney Dauwalter’s Amazing Year: Watch Trail Running’s GOAT Survive the ‘Pain Cave’

Get up close and personal with Dauwalter as she accomplishes an unprecedented feat: three iconic 100-mile race victories in a single summer.
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Courtney Dauwalter is one of those runners whose accomplishments are so incredible even casual observers grasp the insanity.

When the ultrarunner won three 100-mile races during the summer of 2023 — and set new course records on each one — Dauwalter earned the modern moniker for someone at the top of their sport: Greatest Of All Time.

Indeed, “GOAT” seems especially fitting for an athlete who spends most of her time running up and down mountains. And in a new documentary from Salomon, we get a close look at how Dauwalter managed the Triple Crown of trail running. Spoiler alert: It involves a fully committed husband, family, and team of supporters.

Oh, and there’s also her unbreakable mental game.

“The pain cave is the place I go to in my mind when it physically feels like I can’t keep pushing forward,” she says in the documentary. “So I put on my hard hat, and I grab a chisel, and I imagine going back into the corners of that cave and just digging into the work.”

Don’t miss this close look at one of the greatest athletes of our time. Most likely, you’ll finish it wanting more. If so, check out iRunFar’s 2023 interview following Dauwalter’s final win at UTMB.

Runtime: 16 min.

Harvey Lewis and Courtney Dauwalter fistbump at Big's Backyard Ultra 2020; (photo credit/Courtney Dauwalter)

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