On November 9, 2024, American ultrarunner Courtney Olsen entered the historical past books by setting a brand new ladies’s 50-mile world file of 5:31:56 on the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile in Vienna, Illinois, breaking the file set by the legendary Ann Trason in 1991.
We caught up together 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 ladies’s 50-mile world file on the 2024 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile. All images: Micki Colson, Colson Pictures
iRunFar: It’s a couple of days after your world file run on the 2024 Tunnel Hill 50 Mile. Congratulations! How do you’re feeling now, each bodily and mentally?
Courtney Olsen: I’m nervous to say that I really feel good, however it’s not with out consciousness {that a} junky fatigue may set in any time this month. I are likely to get well 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, to date, these previous few days — doubtless 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 vital. I’m apprehensively excited that I really feel this fashion, as a result of I need to present up on the IAU 100k World Championships subsequent month as recovered and succesful as attainable in an effort to assist out my staff.
iRunFar: Did you have got your sights on the world file going into this occasion? In that case, when did you set your sights on this objective, and why was Tunnel Hill the race of selection?
Olsen: I’ve had my eye on the American data for the 50k, 50 mile, and 100k for a couple of years. In prioritizing the marathon and the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon qualifying occasions since my late 20s, it was exhausting to slot in ultras the place I may pursue the data for the 50k to 100k, and, there’s restricted alternatives to race them. When Des Linden ran the [mixed gender] 50k world file, I let that dream die. I’ve spent loads of time visualizing Ann Trason’s 7:00:48 American file within the 100k, and her 5:40:18 world file 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 file 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 chance. After Comrades this previous June, it furthered my self-belief, and there’s nothing extra sick than momentum. I considered making an attempt at JFK 50 Mile, however in the end selected Tunnel Hill for its additional restoration between my two races. It additionally helped that the race director, Steve Durbin, was instantly and persistently communicative, useful, and overwhelmingly type. 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 totally 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 fully, however I additionally don’t need to waste these valuable years making an attempt to power 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 might think about the coaching easy, nothing wild.
I’ve spent the previous couple of years making an attempt to get robust 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 means 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 sooner 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 had been solely 20 to 25 miles. I used to be slightly anxious about this, however it labored out. I stored fairly below the radar, which is particularly simple to do when nobody is aware of or cares about you, haha. I wasn’t professing my objective 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 endlessly to seek out my stream, to having one among, if not the perfect, builds of my life resulting in Tunnel Hill.
iRunFar: I noticed you picked up an harm late final yr, operating the IAU 50k World Championships. What was that and had 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 taking part in it protected pacing, as a result of I had the objective 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, surprising ache in my calf.
The U.S. staff 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 type of do in suits and begins. It was an extremely painful 15 miles. I’m certain I furthered the injury 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 staff, 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 had been perplexed by the gastroc, seeing as I used to be removed from being explosive, haha.
This harm cemented the top 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 frequent. But, all of those great coaching months and outcomes occurred inside a yr of that, so I can’t be too upset — simply wanted a timeout, I suppose.
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 considering — 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 value 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 believed I might 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 perspective, this flippancy, like, Certainly this received’t go nicely, let’s take the strain off, be curious, playful, eyes vast open … was what helped me have that type of a day.
Throughout the race, I locked right into a tempo that felt sustainable. I beloved these first few hours of black morning, the solar rising towards a climb. I by no means knew the place I used to be within the discipline of girls till the final 10k. I’d get informed I used to be a large number of various locations, and because the race went on, I stored visualizing and hoping for a high 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. Abruptly I had cyclists and a movie crew, and I stored considering, Don’t step in a crack and fall, and, Do I need this? After I crossed the end line, I needed to inhabit an individual who talks to different folks nicely, solutions questions, be likeable sufficient, you realize? 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 probably the most necessary facets had been the folks. I’d heard unbelievably optimistic issues concerning the folks of South Africa, and I can affirm they’re a surprise that left me with extra religion in humanity than I’ve felt in very long time.
iRunFar: It positively feels like so many extra great tales, thanks for sharing. After which again to Tunnel Hill, did you have got a technique moving into, when it comes to pacing and vitamin? 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. Stepping into I knew that there was one other lady, Andrea Pomaranski, going for the file as nicely. She’s an unimaginable runner, was on the IAU 50k staff 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 think about her. Ultimately I knew there was nothing extra I may have finished, and I attempted to get into a spot of peace with nonetheless it will play out. I knew there was a 10-mile stretch on the second half that had a few 2% grade that would sluggish me down, so I maintained an effort that felt inside myself, with the ever-present data that it will get tougher, particularly there, and that I would 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 assist. My bottles allotted for 80 ounces of liquid.
One way or the other, I used to be ready to soak up about 95% of this. I interchanged between SiS Impartial taste gels and Maurten Gel 160s, with little luggage 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 heading in the right direction for a ladies’s 50-mile world file 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, however it’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 almost 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 robust 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, additional water, maintained vitamin, however knew that if I picked it up like I wished to, I would lose the last word objective.
I ran with this worry 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 might be.
Among the finest 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 while you flip. Each single particular person stated phrases of affirmation to 1 one other in passing. In lengthy stretches the cheers had been infinite, and although it was lonesome to run that effort principally alone, I used to be not alone on the market. I felt very beloved and supported, and I hope I provided the identical feeling to some or all.
In that final lengthy mile, the top in sight to date 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 midst of theirs. It made me snort. 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 excellent execution.
iRunFar: What was it like ending? Do you know right away that you simply’d set a world file, and in that case, how did you’re feeling?
Olsen: I had been below file tempo almost 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 file, 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 file. These final 20 miles had 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 wouldn’t it really feel prefer to cross that end line having achieved a world file 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, however it’s a superb story.
iRunFar: Wow, that could be a good story. After getting had an opportunity to get well, what’s subsequent?
Olsen: I’ve dabbled in lively restoration sooner than I might 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 Workforce Golds there. After that, it’s Comrades downhill, babyyy.
iRunFar: Thanks a lot, congratulations, and good luck in India!