Courtney Dauwalter Diet

Last Updated on August 10, 2024 by Amanda Bowden

What Does The Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter Eat On A Normal Day?

Courtney Dauwalter is my favourite ultrarunner. She won the Western States 100 mile ultra in 2018, Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in 2019 and in 2020 she ran 283.3 miles in 56 hours, 52 minutes and 29 seconds – winning Big’s Backyard Ultra. And to top it off, she’s super friendly and funny.

How does she start her day?

What Does Courtney Dauwalter Have For Breakfast?

Coffee, 2 cups, with French vanilla creamer. If she’s running a race this is all she’s likely to have before hand, then she starts snacking as soon as the race starts. If it’s a training day she will normally have Cinnamon Toast Crunch breakfast cereal – straight out of the box, no milk.

Running Fuel

After breakfast she does a 30 to 60 minute bodyweight strength session, before going out for a 2 to 4 hour run.

While running she will often drink naked flavour Tailwind Nutrition from her bottle, and eat chews or Honey Stinger waffles.

Lunch

When Courtney Dauwalter gets back from the trails she will grab something easy from the fridge, like fruit or veggies and hummus. This doesn’t sound like much, but then again, we don’t know how many Honey Stinger Waffles she ate…

When her husband gets home she’ll go for another run with him, before dinner!

Related: What Foods Help You Run Faster? 10 Foods for Better Performance

What Does Courtney Dauwalter Have For Her Dinner?

She is a big fan of nachos, and it sounds like she eats them a lot. Her favourite toppings are cheese, jalapenos, ground beef, guacamole and pico de gallo (salsa). She might do a fridge clear out and chuck on any leftover veggies too.

Pizza is an alternative, and it’s what she has the night before a race, as it’s easy to get hold of anywhere and has predictable ingredients, therefore she finds it easy on the digestion.

Related: The Top 10 Superfoods Every Runner Needs in Their Diet

Courtney Dauwalter loves candy, her favourite being juicy pear flavour jelly beans. She’s a fan of beer too, especially after a race, or with her nachos.

She says her attitude is that she wants to live life to the full, and “that’s eating and drinking things that sound good and taste good, and not really worrying about it.”

If you’ve read this far, you may be interested in reading Scott Jurek’s Diet: What Does The Champion Ultra Runner Eat to Stay Strong?

Read next: Kilian Jornet Diet: What Does The Champion Ultra Runner Eat?

*Featured Image: Heike Maria Seitz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources:

• Hurford, M. (2021, January 15), Mashed Potatoes Fuel Courtney Dauwalter’s Ultramarathon Wins, RUNNER’S WORLD https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a35162602/runner-diet-courtney-dauwalter/ (accessed 16/11/22).
• Very, P. (2018, October 19), Why Candy Is an Essential Part of Ultramarathoner Courtney Dauwalter’s Diet, FN https://footwearnews.com/2018/focus/athletic-outdoor/courtney-dauwalter-ultramarathon-runner-diet-salomon-shoes-1202697319/ (accessed 16/11/22).