Exploring the “Pain Cave” with Courtney Dauwalter

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In this episode we speak with ultra runner Courtney Dauwalter -winner of the 2019 Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc -the most prestigious trail ultramarathon in Europe.

She has also finished first at the Tahoe 200, Western States 100, Moab 240 and many other ultras.

And in the quick tip segment you will hear about nutrition strategies for building muscle and promoting recovery.



Interview with Courtney Dauwalter

photo credit: Scott Rokis Photography

We are thrilled to get a chance to speak with Courtney Dauwalter -a runner we have admired for some time. Courtney describes herself as an “ultra runner with a love for sunshine, long inseams, and candy.”

Since 2011 Courtney has won 38 marathons and ultras according to UltraSignup, 13 of these races she was the 1st place overall finisher beating all the men!

Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc

In September she won the famous Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, considered to be the World Cup of ultra running. Over 2,000 of the top trail runners in the world toe the start line.

This 106 miles race starts in Chamonix, France, and runs through the Alps (total elevation gain of 32,940 feet), crosses the boarder into Italy, then Switzerland, and back to Chamonix where thousands of cheering spectators and media welcome the champions.

Courtney was the first place female with a time of 24 hours, 34 minutes and 26 seconds finishing 1 hour ahead of 2nd place.

photo credit: Courtney Dauwalter, Instagram

Tahoe 200

We also talk about the 2018 Tahoe 200 which is a (you guessed it) 200 mile race around Lake Tahoe -the largest alpine lake in California. Runners must cover the distance in 100 hours (4 days). Courtney did it in 49:54:36 and was the 1st place female finisher (and course record holder). She slept a total of only 21 minutes of the nearly 50 hours of running.

To get a sense of the “pain cave” see this video by Salomon Running.


Up Next

Courtney will be competing for team USA in the 24 Hour World Championships in France. This format requires runners to rack up as many miles as possible on a 1 kilometer loop in 24 hours. The highest distance wins. Also competing for team USA will be Camille Herron (current world record holder), Katalin Nagy, Megan Alvarado, Gina Slaby, and Pam Smith.

Follow Courtney on social media here: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Also Mentioned in This Episode

The Revel Kulia Marathon in Hawaii. This will be Angie’s final marathon in her 50 state quest! Still time to sign up for the race and meet us there.

Angelo Poli, metabolism expert and founder of MetPro, joined us to answer the question, “Are there nutrition strategies for building muscle and promoting recovery?”. Since November Angie has lost 31 pounds and got her marathon time back down to Boston Qualifying level using the MetPro system. Visit www.metpro.co/mta for a free consultation call.

Shout Out!

Today I ran the Medieval Marathon in Kilkenny, Ireland. My goal was to just run and enjoy being in another country. To my surprise, I ended up getting a PR by a few minutes. I came through the finish around 4:19:15, and my previous PR was 4:21:45, and this course had 900ft more of elevation gain compared to my other PR! . . . I spent the second half of the race in the pain cave, but I couldn’t help but revel in the fact I was running in a most beautiful country. I have to give thanks once again to MTA and Coach Chris for getting me inspired and all trained up to PR even when I wasn’t having the best day! -Emily

2 Responses to Exploring the “Pain Cave” with Courtney Dauwalter

  1. M.L. Easling September 21, 2019 at 11:49 pm #

    good interview

    question,

    what is the title of the song and who sung it????

    • Trevor Spencer September 22, 2019 at 11:05 am #

      Which song?

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