In a world where fitness tracking devices and high-tech training plans dominate the running scene, ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter has found success by keeping things simple.
Dauwalter’s love for running started at a young age, with the Presidential Fitness Test in elementary school. “I started running in elementary school when we had to run the mile for gym class,” she said. “I remember loving it. I really liked how it felt to run, and I really liked how I could push myself as hard as I wanted.”
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In 1997, Dauwalter’s passion for running evolved when she joined the cross-country team at her Minnesota high school. “When I joined the cross-country team, a whole social element got added to running that made me fall in love with it even more,” she said.
But as many runners know, it’s easy to lose sight of the joy of running amid pressure to achieve personal records and track every metric imaginable. Unlike many in the endurance space, Dauwalter does not use Strava, though she does still think it’s a great tool for…
