Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter just can’t stop breaking the tape. On Saturday, she took first place at Transgrancanaria’s 128K event in 14:40:39, her 15th win in a row. She also set the course record and completed the effort almost 2 full hours before Canadian competitor Jazmine Lowther.
Dauwalter has been undefeated since March 2021, racking up wins with the gritty resolve required of trail running athletes. Last year, among many other races, she weathered the Hardrock 100 in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, one of the most taxing endurance challenges in the world. In January, she also became the first woman to complete the Bandera 100K in Bandera, Texas, in under 9 hours,
On Saturday, Dauwalter continued to best the world’s rugged landscapes with her win in Transgrancanaria, which takes place on Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands. The race features over 7,000 meters of elevation gain, but Dauwalter stole an early lead from Spanish runner Claudia Temps about a quarter of the way through the almost 80-mile race and kept it until the very end. She maintained a 6:53 per kilometer pace, or about 11 minutes per mile.
More From Runner's World
Judging by the ultrarunner’s beaming smile on Instagram, she also had a great time giving the course her all. “Start on a beach … climb through the mountains … sweet, sweet finish line feels,” Dauwalter captioned an Instagram post after her win.
Meanwhile, with Dauwalter 90 minutes ahead, Temps and Lowther went stride for stride to earn second place. Eventually, the Canadian outran her opponent with a finishing time of 16:26:41. Temps finished seven minutes later, earning a time of 16:33:34.
Given that Dauwalter has already started 2023 on a high (and not just because of all that elevation gain), we’re sure to see her beast other races before the year is over. After all, Transgrancanaria marks the first of the 2023 Spartan Trail World Championships series, a global championship featuring some of the world’s most challenging, breathtaking trails. Who knows where Dauwalter will set a course record next.
Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.
