Out on an ultra marathon we have a lot of time to think. It’s a place I’m excited to find the entrance to.” “I find a lot of comfort in being uncomfortable,” she says. We caught up with Courtney and asked her how she navigates the pain cave. She won the Western States Endurance Run 100 Miler in 2018, and was named Ultra Runner of the Year in 2018 by Ultra Running magazine after winning nine of the 12 races she entered. “Using that strength during a physical activity, tapping into my brain and using it to overcome the physical discomfort, is the main goal of doing an ultra for me.”Ī former high school science teacher, Courtney sees ultra running as a kind of experiment into what her mind and body are capable of. “What I keep discovering during these ultras is how powerful our brains can be,” the 35-year-old says. Not because she gets pleasure from her own suffering, but because the cave is her own private laboratory to explore the power of the mind. The thing the UTMB 2019 champion most relishes is finding the entrance to the “pain cave”. When Courtney Dauwalter is running an ultra marathon the buzz for her isn’t taking in the spectacular vistas, the changing light as the earth turns, or crossing the finishing line under her own steam, though she does love these. Our new Suunto ambassador shares how she does it.

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