For Top Ultrarunner, It's All About the 'Pain Cave'

Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter is on a record-breaking streak, making history this year when she became the first person to take home the top prize at the three biggest competitions in the sport. Meaghen Brown of Outside magazine profiles the 38-year-old, seeking to unravel how she manages to reach extreme physical limits while maintaining the characteristic good cheer that endears her to competitors. Dauwalter grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, where she had an active childhood. It wasn't until junior high that she joined running and ski teams, but she was a quick study, winning championships in high school that paved the way for an athletic scholarship to the University of Denver. Dauwalter credits a cross-country coach for teaching her to think differently about pain—"we can push past those initial signals saying that's all I have"—and her parents for supporting her ambition, but reminding her not to lose perspective.

"You work hard, you give everything you've got, you don't forget to have fun," she recalls them encouraging her. Since going pro in 2017, she's managed to maintain a longer career than many ultrarunners, whose careers tend to fizzle quickly from injury, overtraining, or burnout. Not only does Dauwalter have a dizzying number of records (including winning the Moab 240 in two days and some change, completing all 240 miles 10 hours ahead of the next finisher), she runs more races per year than most. She believes listening to her body and training intuitively helps, but she also says her ability to channel pain is unique. Dauwalter calls it going into her "pain cave," which she describes as "fun" for her. "Exploring that is really cool." Read the full piece here. (Or see more Longform stories).