On Saturday, American-ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter won her third UTMB in a time of 23 hours, 29 minutes and 14 seconds, making her the first person to win three iconic 100-mile races in the same season – she's also won Hardrock 100 and Western States in the last few months.
Of course, preparation and comfort are key when it comes to taking on the likes of a 172km loop around the Mont Blanc Massif. So, what does a top ultra-athlete wear to help them run to victory?
First up, short-short fans, look away now. It wouldn’t be a Dauwalter race without a *particularly* long pair. In fact, the 38-year-old's knee-length, loose fitting shorts have become so iconic that Salomon released the ‘Shortney' shorts as part of its spring/summer 2023 collection. Dauwalter wore an unreleased colourway, along with a ‘Shortney' t-shirt and Bonatti jacket.
She also had on an ULTRA 10 running vest from the new Salomon Ultra range, containing two soft flasks, and seemed to be running with a set of Leki Ultratrail FX.One Superlite running poles.
On her feet, she went for a future version of the S/LAB Genesis shoe, designed for high-performance on mixed, rocky terrain.
Salomon S/LAB Genesis
And to complete the winning look, she brought it home in a pair of the SunGod Classics.
Dauwalter led from the early stages on Friday evening and ran alone – though cheered by massive crowds – for much of the race. She even kept pace with her own 2021 course record through checkpoints over the first half of the 172-kilomter circuit into Italy before slowing a little in the second half.