‘A Team Sport’: A Short Film on Courtney Dauwalter’s Historic 2023 Season

A 15-minute video looking into Courtney Dauwalter’s historic 2023 season in which she won the Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and UTMB.

By on July 10, 2024 | Comments

During the summer of 2023, Courtney Dauwalter achieved the unthinkable: winning the Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and UTMB all in the same season. What’s more, she set course records during both Western States and Hardrock. That said, she didn’t do it alone.

In “A Team Sport,” Courtney talks about her 2023 season, why racing isn’t necessarily about winning, why she visits her mental pain cave, and when she decided to add UTMB to her 2023 summer plans. But more importantly, Courtney shares how important her team is to her accomplishments, including her husband and crew lead Kevin Schmidt, as well as friend and pacer Mike Ambrose. All the while, the film offers behind-the-scenes moments and incredible vistas captured during Courtney’s historic season.

Premiering just two days before Courtney lines up to defend her Hardrock 100 title, it’s a fitting look back on a season that will not be soon forgotten in the ultrarunning world. Here’s our video interview with Courtney ahead of the 2024 Hardrock 100.

2023 Hardrock 100 - Courtney Dauwalter - film

Husband Kevin Schmidt assisting Courtney Dauwalter during the 2023 Hardrock 100. Screenshot from film.

Call for Comments

  • Which of Courtney’s three races did you enjoy following the most?
  • Do you think anyone will ever put a season like this one together again?
Bryon Powell

Bryon Powell is the Founding Editor of iRunFar. He’s been writing about trail running, ultrarunning, and running gear for more than 15 years. Aside from iRunFar, he’s authored the books Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and Where the Road Ends: A Guide to Trail Running, been a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, written for publications including Outside, Sierra, and Running Times, and coached ultrarunners of all abilities. Based in Silverton, Colorado, Bryon is an avid trail runner and ultrarunner who competes in events from the Hardrock 100 Mile just out his front door to races long and short around the world, that is, when he’s not fly fishing or tending to his garden.