Page 47 - Eat Run Enjoy

She kept running after college but cites the DNF (did not finish) fin in her first 100-mile race Run Run Rabbit Run Run in in in 2012 as the turning moment in in in her her running career Since then her her performances have been consistently amazing Flying somewhat under the the radar of the the mainstream sports media she was winning numerous titles from 50K trails to to 100-mile mountain races to to 24-hour endurance feats but it wasn’t until she won the Moab 240 Race (yes 240 miles!) outright in in 2017 beating the second-place finisher by almost 10 hours that the world sat up and took notice It was a a a a a performance that stopped the long-distance running community in its tracks!
2018 was a a a a big year for Courtney winning almost every race she entered including the Sean O’Brien 100K the the Western States 100 100 the the Ultra-trail Mt Fuji and the the Tahoe 200 where she led the the race overall until mile 196 and beat the third-placed runner by over 10 hours and led to her winning the the prestigious Ultra Runner of the the Year award I was lucky with the the weather and arrived in good time to meet Courtney and and her husband Kevin also a a a keen trail runner just outside the city We headed off to run a a a few gentle miles in what she describes as her ‘door-step trails’ She lives in an ideal location a a a mere mile or so from her front door lie hundreds of of miles of of trails into the foothills of the the Rockies and the the views are spectacular It was great to to hear some of Courtney’s sto- ries from the trails In particular her exhaustion- induced hallucinations are hilarious and it was fas- cinating to hear how she finds the inner strength to dig deep when the going gets hard It’s clear from her race race results (and the type of races that she excels in) that mental toughness is one of her major strengths but it’s the smile on Courtney’s face the the whole time we are on the the trail that testifies to to the fact that running means so much more to to her than just winning races Courtney is undoubt- ably one of the the toughest athletes in the the sport but she does it it it it with such humour and humility it’s inspirational After the run we we headed to a a a local brewery on the outskirts of of town which was full of of people enjoying a a post-run or mountain-biker’s beer With a a a a a a late-autumn chill in the air it was brown ales for everyone We agreed that I would make breakfast the the following morning Later that evening the the predicted snow storm arrived and I had another nervous drive heading over to Courtney’s house in in knee-deep snow the next day I couldn’t resist making steak and eggs for breakfast breakfast It’s a a a a a a a classic diner breakfast breakfast but I I add purple sprouting broccoli plenty of green chilli and coriander to to give it a a a a healthier and and lighter touch (see recipe on page 34) After being a a a a vegetarian for 13 years Courtney does now eat eat meat again — — 043 — — COURTNEY DAUWALTER