The legend of ultrarunning, Courtney Dauwalter, once again reminded us of her dominance at the Mt. Fuji 100 race. She not only secured a resounding victory in the women’s category but also placed third overall, closely trailing the Chinese duo of Guomin Deng and Qin Guidu.
Dauwalter, one of the greatest female ultrarunners of all time, continued her stellar performance streak from last year, where she won the trifecta of Western States, Hardrock, and UTMB.
Her triumphant return at The North Face Transgrancanaria earlier in the year set the stage for her dominance this weekend in Japan, the fourth leg of the 2024 World Trail Majors.
The race began at midnight local time, with Dauwalter taking the early lead in the women’s race and maintaining her position throughout.
As dawn broke, she had a substantial lead over her closest female competitor and began overtaking several leading male contenders.
By the eighth aid station, only Guidu and Deng remained ahead of her.
In a thrilling finale, despite a quickly narrowing gap with just seven miles remaining, Dauwalter and Guidu fell just short of the overall victory, with Guidu securing second place 30 seconds ahead of Dauwalter.
Dauwalter’s return to the Mt. Fuji 100 after a hiatus since her 2018 victory was nothing short of spectacular. Despite challenges along the route, Dauwalter’s finishing time of 19:21:22 mirrored her performance from six years prior.
Her fellow competitor and second-place finisher, Guidu, commended Dauwalter’s exceptional performance, calling her a “world-class superstar” of the ultrarunning community. He expressed admiration for her achievements and was able to learn from her during the race as she shared advice and support with him during the race.
As Dauwalter looks ahead to future challenges, including defending her Hardrock title, she continues to remind the world why she is a legend of the sport.
