Courtney Dauwalter Wins UTMB® in Chamonix to Complete the “Triple Crown” In 2023

September 5, 2023

Salomon ultra-runner becomes the first person to win Western States 100, Hardrock 100 and UTMB® in the same calendar year

CHAMONIX, FRANCE (September 5, 2023)/OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Salomon ultra-running athlete Courtney Dauwalter has done the unthinkable, winning her third iconic 100-mile ultra-trail of the season at the UTMB® in Chamonix on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, she has become the first person to win the Western States 100, Hardrock 100 and UTMB® in Chamonix in the same calendar year.

Dressed in her colorful Shortney Salomon shorts and a bright yellow “Shortney” jersey, the American completed the loop around the Mont Blanc Massif in 23 hours, 29 minutes and 14 seconds to win the race for the third time in her career.

“I think whenever you are given the opportunity to do something challenging and difficult, you should,” Dauwalter said at the finish line when asked what drove her to toe the starting line in Chamonix just six weeks after winning the Hardrock 100. “Today was very, very difficult, but worth it.”

After breaking the course record at the Western States 100 in late June, and doing the same three weeks later at the Hardrock 100 in Colorado in July, Dauwalter decided to see what was possible at the famed UTMB®. The race features more than 10,000 meters of elevation gain and takes runners from the starting line in Chamonix, France into Italy and Switzerland before returning to the iconic ski village. Simply running “The Triple” of those three ultra-races in one season is considered a monumental physical and mental task. Winning all of them in 70 days as Dauwalter has done is otherworldly.

Using a full kit of Salomon products, including a future version of the S/LAB Genesis shoe, 38-year-old Dauwalter led from the early stages on Friday evening and ran alone for much of the race. She kept pace with her own 2021 course record through checkpoints over the first half of the 172-kilomter circuit into Italy. The final half of the race from Switzerland back into France was a journey through what she calls the “pain cave.”

“The entire second half of the race, my body did not want to run anymore, and my stomach was ver finicky. I almost lost my lunch on the streets of Champex-Lac (Switzerland),” Dauwalter said. “I have to thank my husband, Kevin, and my entire crew of my family and also all the volunteers and the fans. That was one of the most incredible atmospheres I have ever seen. Without all of them I would not have made it back here to Chamonix to celebrate with all of you.”

In addition to her S/LAB Genesis shoes, the rest of Dauwalter’s running kit included a yet-to-be-released ULTRA 10 running vest from the new Salomon ULTRA range, as well as a Bonatti jacket. The Shortney shorts and T-shirt colorway that Dauwalter wore will be part of the Spring 2024 Salomon range.

PHOTO: Credit Alexis Berg

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About Salomon: Born in Annecy, French Alps in 1947, 
Salomon creates premium footwear, apparel, gear and winter sports equipment that is superior in function, radical in design and obsessive in style. At the Annecy Design Center, engineers, designers and athletes collaborate to write the future of sports by creating products that transform outdoor sports experiences and enable a deeper connection with nature, allowing people to unleash the best version of themselves so that they might positively impact the world.