Ultrarunning legend Courtney Dauwalter takes on ‘26.2-mile sprint’ at California International Marathon

Courtney Dauwalter, the undoubted GOAT (greatest of all time) of women’s ultrarunning will tackle the California International Marathon on December 7th.

The 40-year-old has won every race that matters in ultrarunning, many of them multiple times.

And in 2023 she became the first person to land the ‘triple crown’ of Western States, Hardrock 100 and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in the same year.

As popular as she is successful, Dauwalter has never been afraid to try something new and the last few months have seen a focus on road marathon training – or as she puts it: “Trying hard to coax a litttttle more speed out of these ultra legs for a 26.2 mile sprint.”

Back where it all started

There was a full circle moment in October when she tackled the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota.

That was the scene of her marathon debut back in 2009 when she was a middle school science teacher and ran a 3:18:14.

Writing beforehand on Instagram, she had said: “Running the Twin Cities Marathon in my home state of Minnesota this weekend! This was my very first marathon back in 2009.

“At the start line, it sounded impossible to run 26.2 miles, I didn’t know how people did it. But at the finish line, I instantly wondered what else was out there that sounded equally impossible that I could try.

“The ultra trail world quickly grabbed my heart and curiosity and now here we are, 16 years later, circling back to this race and this place that was so pivotal in my journey into running really, really far.”

The intervening years of course have gone down in ultrarunning folklore as she’s raised the bar globally, especially for women.

Despite it being a hot and windy day in October, she clocked a nicely paced 2:49:54 and was seventh woman overall.

‘I’m loving it’

And next up for the trademark baggy shorts will be what’s dubbed “The Fastest Course in the West!”

The point-to-point, net-downhill CIM course has remained unchanged for 42 years, starting from Folsom’s scenic foothills and ending at the historical California State Capitol.

With a net elevation drop of 366 feet (111.5 meters), it falls well within Boston Marathon Index standards and is not subject to any index penalties or time adjustments.

Certified and sanctioned by USATF, it’s the #1 Boston Marathon qualifier and also the US Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier.

Looking ahead to it, Dauwalter posted: “Trying hard to coax a litttttle more speed out of these ultra legs for a 26.2 mile sprint in two weeks. 😱🥳

“Definitely a rookie in trying to figure out how to train well for a road marathon, and I’m loving it! Plus, I’ve learned a bunch of new ways to make my legs feel like they might fall off. 🥵😅

“Taking this side road to explore marathons has been so cool!”

Sunday December 7 sees two of the world’s fastest marathons take place, with Valencia in southern Spain happening the same day as CIM – will it be a new PB for Dauwalter and others? Watch this space as we’ll be covering both events in detail.