On November 9, 2024, American ultrarunner Courtney Olsen entered the historical past books by setting a brand new girls’s 50-mile world report of 5:31:56 on the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile in Vienna, Illinois, breaking the report set by the legendary Ann Trason in 1991.
We caught up along with her a couple of days later to see how she’s recovering, hear about her run, and the coaching and sequence of occasions that led as much as it.
Courtney Olsen crossing the road to set a brand new girls’s 50-mile world report on the 2024 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile. All photographs: Micki Colson, Colson Images
iRunFar: It’s a couple of days after your world report run on the 2024 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile. Congratulations! How do you are feeling now, each bodily and mentally?
Courtney Olsen: I’m nervous to say that I really feel good, but it surely’s not with out consciousness {that a} junky fatigue may set in any time this month. I are inclined to get better fairly shortly after a race, and particularly this yr — a testomony to the super-shoe foam, consuming nicely, and being correctly ready for the hassle, maybe. Mentally is at all times a problem. I obtained fairly low post-Comrades [Marathon]. But, thus far, these previous few days — seemingly as a result of I’m so busy — I haven’t waded within the post-race blues.
It helps that I obtained thrown proper again into work, that my husband and I are prepping for Vegas this weekend to have a good time his birthday, and that I’m finalizing logistics towards the IAU 100k World Championships subsequent month. Distraction is essential. I’m apprehensively excited that I really feel this fashion, as a result of I wish to present up on the IAU 100k World Championships subsequent month as recovered and succesful as attainable in an effort to assist out my group.
iRunFar: Did you’ve your sights on the world report going into this occasion? In that case, when did you set your sights on this purpose, and why was Tunnel Hill the race of alternative?
Olsen: I’ve had my eye on the American information for the 50k, 50 mile, and 100k for a couple of years. In prioritizing the marathon and the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifying instances since my late 20s, it was onerous to slot in ultras the place I may pursue the information for the 50k to 100k, and, there’s restricted alternatives to race them. When Des Linden ran the [mixed gender] 50k world report, I let that dream die. I’ve spent lots of time visualizing Ann Trason’s 7:00:48 American report within the 100k, and her 5:40:18 world report within the 50 mile.
However once more, the alternatives to run on savvy programs, at a preferable time of yr, for these distances are uncommon. I’d had the 50-mile world report particularly in thoughts since I did the 2021 IAU 6-Hour Solidarity Run for the U.S. and ran 53 miles round Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington. That effort made me really feel prefer it was attainable. It’s taken the three years since to arrange it as an actual risk. After Comrades this previous June, it furthered my self-belief, and there’s nothing extra sick than momentum. I thought of attempting at JFK 50 Mile, however in the end selected Tunnel Hill for its further restoration between my two races. It additionally helped that the race director, Steve Durbin, was instantly and constantly communicative, useful, and overwhelmingly variety. I felt a pull towards Tunnel Hill.
Courtney Olsen with Tunnel Hill 50 Mile race director, Steve Durbin.
iRunFar: I’d like to listen to about your coaching. You’re a quick marathon runner, with a P.B. of two:36. Was your coaching for this 50 miler a lot completely different to marathon coaching? What did your build-up appear to be?
Olsen: It feels as if 2:36 isn’t quick anymore. I had goals of being a 2:30 marathoner, and I haven’t let it go utterly, however I additionally don’t wish to waste these valuable years attempting to drive match a outcome simply because I just like the quantity. For the final 4 years I’ve been coached by Jay Sloane, right here in Bellingham. I’d take into account the coaching easy, nothing wild.
I’ve spent the previous few years attempting to get sturdy sufficient to deal with constant greater quantity weeks, which was not working nicely to start with due to recurring debilitating plantar fasciitis and lengthy haul COVID-19 signs. It’s solely this yr that I’ve damaged by way of in well being and resiliency to have the ability to deal with the coaching that I feel serves me finest, which is greater quantity. My coaching for this 50 miler was largely marathon-esque, i.e. observe work, hill strides, conventional exercises like 6 x 1 mile, 10 x 1k, 3 x 3 miles, and tempos round race tempo or quicker inside lengthy runs.
The longest future I obtained in was racing my native Bellingham Bay Marathon in late September, at a sustained effort, with a warm-up and cool-down to equate 50k for the day. The remainder of my lengthy runs have been solely 20 to 25 miles. I used to be just a little anxious about this, but it surely labored out. I stored fairly below the radar, which is very straightforward to do when nobody is aware of or cares about you, haha. I wasn’t professing my purpose or how coaching was going outright, as a result of it was going nicely, and I used to be afraid to jinx it.
I went from feeling fairly flat after Comrades, as if it was taking ceaselessly to search out my move, to having considered one of, if not the very best, builds of my life resulting in Tunnel Hill.
iRunFar: I noticed you picked up an harm late final yr, working the IAU 50k World Championships. What was that and have been you out for lengthy recovering?
Olsen: I’m nonetheless shellshocked from that; angsty with a facet of PTSD. On the IAU 50k World Championships one yr in the past, in Hyderabad, India, I used to be enjoying it secure pacing, as a result of I had the purpose to go for the Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier at California Worldwide Marathon a month later. The primary half felt inside my means, after which I observed the hole between myself and the lead pack was beginning to shrink. It emboldened me to re-sync. That was at midway. Then I stepped on a most-bulbous speedbump and felt a sudden, stunning ache in my calf.
The U.S. group leads/medical thought it was a knot and tried to therapeutic massage it out. I took like 10 salt tabs and bloated wildly. I discovered a tempo I may sort of do in suits and begins. It was an extremely painful 15 miles. I’m certain I furthered the harm by persevering with, however I used to be idiotically working below the notion that I used to be nursing a knot/cramp. One way or the other, I ended up scoring for the group, as third U.S. lady. There was bruising after, and the ache didn’t subside usually, so, as soon as residence I obtained an MRI. The outcome was a grade two tear of each my soleus and gastroc. They have been perplexed by the gastroc, seeing as I used to be removed from being explosive, haha.
This harm cemented the tip to my Olympic Trials Marathon dream, and took me out for a couple of months. It took a toll on my psychological well being, battling emotions of value and identification, as is widespread. But, all of those fantastic coaching months and outcomes occurred inside a yr of that, so I can’t be too upset — simply wanted a timeout, I assume.
iRunFar: You ran near a 10k private finest earlier this yr too, at 34:46. How did that match into your coaching or plan for the yr?
Olsen: My 10k PB is 34:40, however that point on the Vancouver Solar Run 10k this yr was my finest exhibiting there, by the use of time/place. I adopted that up with my finest time/place on the Bloomsday Run, and the 2 collectively main into Comrades left me pondering — I’m both coaching to ace these quick distances, or these are good indicators for Comrades. I need coaching and racing to be enjoyable, and I join issues that curiosity me solely. The Vancouver Solar Run and Bloomsday are beloved and historied occasions close to to me; I felt like including them in stored my velocity alive, helped me observe with competitors, but additionally didn’t break my financial institution by price or journey time.
iRunFar: You went on to take third on the 2024 Comrades Marathon. Are you able to inform me a bit about how that went, out of your perspective?
Olsen: Comrades was unreal. I didn’t need my first Comrades to be on the uphill route, however that’s how the timing landed. As a result of I hadn’t made the Olympic Trials this yr, I had June free, and since I wasn’t excited to run the uphill model, I assumed I’d use it as a studying alternative solely, in order that I may soak in as a lot of its nuance as attainable and apply it the next yr, to the model I used to be enthusiastic about — the downhill course.
I feel that this angle, this flippancy, like, Certainly this gained’t go nicely, let’s take the strain off, be curious, playful, eyes vast open … was what helped me have that sort of a day.
Through the race, I locked right into a tempo that felt sustainable. I liked these first few hours of black morning, the solar rising in opposition to a climb. I by no means knew the place I used to be within the discipline of ladies till the final 10k. I’d get advised I used to be a large number of various locations, and because the race went on, I stored visualizing and hoping for a prime 10.
Close to the highest of the ultimate climb on Polly [Shortts hill], I noticed a blonde bobbing ponytail and panicked. It was my beloved Carla Molinaro, and one other, and in passing them on the tip of that hill I got here into third. Out of the blue I had cyclists and a movie crew, and I stored pondering, Don’t step in a crack and fall, and, Do I need this? Once I crossed the end line, I needed to inhabit an individual who talks to different individuals nicely, solutions questions, be likeable sufficient, you already know? Haha. Carla crossed shortly thereafter, dropping to the bottom. Tears and fatigue abounded. We popped Gerda [Steyn, the women’s champion and new course record holder]’s gargantuan champagne bottle and handed it round.
There’s a lot extra to this I’d like to speak about, however some of the vital features have been the individuals. I’d heard unbelievably optimistic issues in regards to the individuals of South Africa, and I can verify they’re a surprise that left me with extra religion in humanity than I’ve felt in very long time.
iRunFar: It undoubtedly appears like so many extra fantastic tales, thanks for sharing. After which again to Tunnel Hill, did you’ve a method moving into, by way of pacing and diet? Did you handle to stay to it?
Olsen: I deliberate to remain inside a tempo vary of 6:30 to six:45 minutes per mile, no matter felt proper with out overreaching. Getting into I knew that there was one other lady, Andrea Pomaranski, going for the report as nicely. She’s an unbelievable runner, was on the IAU 50k group with me final yr, and took second there. This added fairly a bit of hysteria for me … It will have been simpler to go in specializing in myself alone, however I had to consider her. Ultimately I knew there was nothing extra I may have executed, and I attempted to get into a spot of peace with nonetheless it could play out. I knew there was a 10-mile stretch on the second half that had a few 2% grade that might sluggish me down, so I maintained an effort that felt inside myself, with the ever-present information that it could get more durable, particularly there, and that I’d sluggish.
Vitamin-wise, I set myself up for a most of 1,945 energy (478 grams carbs) throughout 5.5 hours, which broke down into 353 energy per hour and 86.9 grams of carbs per hour. This didn’t embrace pre-race, or on-course help. My bottles allotted for 80 ounces of liquid.
One way or the other, I used to be ready to absorb about 95% of this. I interchanged between SiS Impartial taste gels and Maurten Gel 160s, with little baggage of gummy bears and some bottles of Tailwind Dauwaltermelon. I additionally took in two bottles of Ketone IQ. My husband, Matthew, acted as race sherpa. I often go to races alone, however I let him come this time, and I’ve to say he completely nailed it.
Courtney Olsen on the right track for a girls’s 50-mile world report on the 2024 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile.
iRunFar: How did the race play out out of your perspective? Any main highs or lows?
Olsen: I typically, if not at all times, discover myself alone in races. Maybe it’s the size of my stride, or the restricted numbers up entrance, but it surely’s lonesome. So, I used to be thrilled to have Andrea for the primary two miles earlier than she shot off like a demon and gained minutes on me shortly. Thereafter, I shared 18 miles with the 2 lead 100-mile males. The time with them was stuffed with get-to-know-yous, heckling, and laughter. We performed at a pee fartlek, the place every would pull off to pee after which surge (slowly, neatly) to catch again up.
Then, round mile 18, with out telling me, they each peeled off to do 100 miler prep issues and I by no means obtained to run with them once more. There adopted 32 miles alone. The optimistic concerning their absence was that I may then pee myself as an alternative of taking a extra demure relieving.
It took me practically 30 miles to reel Andrea again in. This was across the begin of the climbing. From there on, I performed with pushing and preservation. I felt sturdy sufficient to chop it down, however my calf (maybe a delicate hang-out from its Indian demise) seized for a step, and I needed to make the choice to remain extra reserved than I’d have favored to. I took in some salt tabs, further water, maintained diet, however knew that if I picked it up like I needed to, I’d lose the final word purpose.
I ran with this concern and concentrated preservation for 10 miles. At mile 49 on the dot, my toe exploded, inflicting me to land awkwardly within the footfall. It’s maddening how dramatic a toe may be.
Probably the greatest issues about Tunnel Hill is that due to its [double-out-and-back]r nature, you get to work together with everybody within the race if you flip. Each single particular person stated phrases of affirmation to 1 one other in passing. In lengthy stretches the cheers have been countless, and although it was lonesome to run that effort principally alone, I used to be not alone on the market. I felt very liked and supported, and I hope I provided the identical feeling to some or all.
In that final lengthy mile, the tip in sight thus far down, racers yelled, “You’re going to do it!” They’d cease and watch. Take their cameras out of their packs to movie me end my race in the course of theirs. It made me giggle. The assist of all of it!
Ultimately, all I suffered was a slight haunting of the calf, a toe explosion, and peeing myself. I’d say that’s a rattling close to good execution.
iRunFar: What was it like ending? Do you know right away that you just’d set a world report, and in that case, how did you are feeling?
Olsen: I had been below report tempo practically each mile of the race, however had Andrea forward of me for 30 miles. For these 30 miles, I used to be coming to phrases with what second place would really feel like, that even when I used to be below the report, I won’t be below it sufficient.
It wasn’t till passing her and gaining floor that I felt like I may chill out into the tangibility of the report. These final 20 miles have been a dance of numbing out and tuning in. It’s such a very long time to be on the market, in your head, particularly as a depressive, however I had this one scrumptious thought circling – What would it not really feel wish to cross that end line having achieved a world report after I’d simply misplaced my contract? It was good outdated blue collar, full-time working, little fanfare, needing nobody or nothing angst. And it’s complicated, but it surely’s story.
iRunFar: Wow, that could be a good story. After getting had an opportunity to get better, what’s subsequent?
Olsen: I’ve dabbled in lively restoration quicker than I’d usually, as a result of I’ve obtained the IAU 100k World Championships on December 7, in Bangalore, India. I’d like a pair of Crew Golds there. After that, it’s Comrades downhill, babyyy.
iRunFar: Thanks a lot, congratulations, and good luck in India!
