Courtney Dauwalter is headed back to Chamonix.
On Tuesday, the three-time UTMB champion announced via Instagram that she’ll be returning to the start line of the world’s most prestigious trail ultramarathon on August 29. “Next up: UTMB! Can’t wait to try to bring my best to this 100-mile loop around Mont Blanc,” she wrote.
The post was short, but it didn’t need to say much. Dauwalter’s presence at UTMB is always newsworthy, and her return this year sets the stage for what could be one of the biggest matchups in modern ultrarunning history.
That is, if Katie Schide shows up too.
Dauwalter, 39, skipped the race in 2024 after a career-defining 2023 season that saw her become the first person ever to win the Western States 100, Hardrock 100, and UTMB in the same year.
She still made the trip to Chamonix last summer, decked out in a duck costume to cheer runners on, but chose to focus that season on races like Transgrancanaria and Mt. Fuji 100, both of which she won.
Now, she’s back for what would be a record-extending fourth win at UTMB, the 171-kilometer circuit through France, Italy, and Switzerland with more than 10,000 meters of climbing.
And while Dauwalter’s announcement immediately electrified fans, it also raised one major question, will Schide return to defend her crown?
Schide, 33, not only won last year’s UTMB, she broke Dauwalter’s course record in the process, clocking 22:09:31, a full 21 minutes faster than Dauwalter’s best time set in 2021.
The win was seen as a possible shift in the sport’s hierarchy, especially after Schide went on to take Dauwalter’s Hardrock 100 course record just weeks ago in Colorado.
As of now, Schide hasn’t confirmed whether she’ll line up in Chamonix next month. If she does, it would set up a rare head-to-head between two of the most dominant American women in ultrarunning history.
Dauwalter, for her part, has had an up-and-down 2025 season so far. In May, she dropped out of the Cocodona 250 at mile 108 due to stomach issues, a rare DNF in an otherwise remarkably consistent career.
But in June, she bounced back with a strong win at the 120K Lavaredo Ultra Trail in Italy’s Dolomites. “A big, tough night & day on the trails followed by a high-energy, delicious finish line,” she posted after that race.
Her return to Chamonix has been met with predictable buzz from fans and media alike. There’s a reason for that, UTMB is not just a race, it’s the focal point of the global trail running calendar.
More than 2,000 runners tackle the full loop each year, while tens of thousands pack the streets of Chamonix to cheer them on. For elite athletes, it’s both a test of endurance and a performance on the sport’s biggest stage.
Dauwalter’s last appearance there in 2023 ended with tears, triumph, and history. After finishing the brutal loop to complete her triple crown, she called it “the most insane thing I have ever experienced.” By the final miles, her legs were barely responding.
“Ultrarunning is hugely mental,” she said afterward. “If you can get that boost of joy, then it translates to energy, which can help your legs keep going.”
There’s no doubt she’ll have that same boost when she returns in August.
But whether she’ll get to test herself against the runner who beat her course records at both UTMB and Hardrock remains uncertain, for now. And that uncertainty may be part of what makes this year’s race so captivating.
