Welcome to Episode 24 of the Eat for Endurance Podcast, featuring legendary ultrarunner, Courtney Dauwalter.
Courtney is arguably one of the best ultrarunners competing right now, and it’s no surprise that she was voted UltraRunner of the Year for the second year in a row. She has won a number of big races, including the prestigious Ultra-trail du Mont-Blanc in 2019 and Western States 100 in 2018, and has set numerous course records. She’s not just coming in as first female, but sometimes dominates races outright. So obviously I wanted to get her on the show to dig into how she fuels her training and such incredible race performances.
Courtney is known for her love of beer, nachos, and candy as well as her laid-back and cheerful demeanor, all of which she confirmed during our chat, but there’s far more to her nutrition story. She’s a fierce competitor and she’s also incredibly tuned into her body. As you’ll hear, there’s no one big “secret” to her success - it’s years of experience and trying different foods and products (she has learned the hard way at times, like many of us!), putting in the miles (obviously), remaining very flexible with both food and training, and problem solving while staying calm when things inevitably go wrong. She has her sports nutrition go-to’s (Tailwind, Honey Stinger waffles and chews, and instant potatoes, for example), and has some “safe” meals she chooses prior to a race, but otherwise listens to what her body craves.
Courtney currently resides in Colorado, but grew up in Minnesota. She was a high school science teacher until she decided to focus entirely on her athletic career in 2017, and clearly that has paid off! Tune in for the rest of her story, and of course some of her favorite nacho toppings and candy.
Thanks for your time Courtney - looking forward to seeing what you accomplish next, once racing resumes! And thank you listeners for your support. I hope you are all doing well, staying safe, remaining active, and finding ways to stay sane with everything going on.
PLEASE NOTE - this episode was recorded on March 10th, 2020 so keep that in mind when listening (we touch on Coronavirus briefly at the end, but obviously much has changed since then…).