On Sunday, October 5, ultrarunning icon Courtney Dauwalter took on a brand-new challenge, the road marathon. Trading in alpine trails for asphalt, the Queen of the Pain Cave made her professional 26.2-mile debut at the Twin Cities Marathon, finishing in 2:49:54 on a hot, windy day in Minnesota.
It wasn’t just any race for Dauwalter. This one was close to home…literally.
A Homecoming in the Heat
Dauwalter grew up in Hopkins, Minnesota, just a short drive from the finish line in St. Paul. Though she’s now based in Leadville, Colorado, her Minnesota roots run deep.
The Twin Cities Marathon was actually the first marathon she ever ran, back in 2009, when she clocked 3:18:14 as a 24-year-old teacher living in Denver. She returned again in 2012, running side-by-side with her two brothers in 3:52:48.
This time, though, was different. She wasn’t out for a fun run or a family jog, this was her professional road debut. And she did it in true Dauwalter fashion, smiling through the pain, wearing her signature long, baggy shorts, and testing the limits of what her body could do.
Conditions were brutal.
The temperature climbed into the upper 70s, and gusting winds reached more than 20 miles per hour. Even the race organizers called it one of the warmest Twin Cities Marathons on record. Still, Dauwalter ran smart, going out at a steady pace, splitting halfway in 1:24:08, and hanging on through the heat to finish seventh woman overall, earning $1,000 in prize money.
Her Race, Mile by Mile
Below are spots to include her official splits once they’re available. These will show how she managed her effort from start to finish, through the neighborhoods of Minneapolis to the Capitol steps in St. Paul:
- 5K – 20:08
- 10K – 40:24
- 15K – 1:00:35
- 20K – 1:20:05
- Half – 1:24:08
- 25K – 1:39:41
- 30K – 1:59:46
- 35K – 2:20:11
- 40K – 2:40:57
- Finish – 2:49:54
Even from early data, it’s clear her pacing was incredibly consistent, especially for someone known more for 100-mile mountain races than steady road rhythm.
From Ultra Legend to Road Rookie
For most runners, a sub-2:50 marathon would be a career highlight. For Courtney Dauwalter, it’s a side quest.
Over the past decade, she’s become the face of ultrarunning, not just because she wins, but because of how she wins. She’s conquered the sport’s holy trinity, Western States, Hardrock, and UTMB, all in the same summer. She’s broken course records once thought unbreakable, and she’s beaten entire men’s fields, including at the Moab 240.
Her approach is famously unorthodox. She doesn’t work with a coach, she doesn’t obsess over splits, and she fuels with candy, nachos, and the occasional beer. What drives her most, though, is curiosity, the urge to see what’s possible.
That’s exactly what brought her back to Minnesota. As she told race organizers beforehand, “Training for a faster, shorter road race than my typical races will definitely add a new challenge into the puzzle for me.”
How She Stacks Up
So how does Dauwalter’s 2:49:54 stack up against other endurance stars who’ve tried their hand at the marathon? Pretty impressively, actually.
- Jim Walmsley, her ultrarunning counterpart on the men’s side, debuted in 2:15:05 at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Walmsley came from a collegiate track background, with years of structured road training.
- Rachel Drake, another elite trail runner, debuted in 2:40:17 at Grandma’s Marathon in 2019 and later ran 2:35 at CIM.
- Jenny Simpson, one of America’s most decorated milers, debuted at the 2024 Olympic Trials Marathon but dropped out at mile 18. She later finished the Boston Marathon in 2:31:39.
Against that backdrop, Dauwalter’s time stands out, not because it’s the fastest, but because she comes from a completely different world.
She’s spent the past decade logging thousands of miles on mountain trails, not hammering tempo runs on pavement. And yet, she still delivered a marathon time that many competitive road runners spend years chasing.
Why It Matters
For Dauwalter, this wasn’t about switching sports. It was about staying curious.
She’s 40 years old and already one of the greatest ultrarunners of all time. But instead of settling into her legacy, she’s still searching for new ways to push herself, even if that means showing up to a marathon and, as she put it, “feeling like a rookie again.”
Her Twin Cities result doesn’t redefine her career, but it does expand it. It’s proof that endurance, mindset, and joy can carry over, even when the terrain changes.
And maybe most of all, it shows that the same woman who’s spent years crushing mountain courses can still find joy and grit on the city streets.
