It’s the final countdown! Today we talk all about the athletes who found themselves second on our Trail Runner of The Year ballots. When you see either of these athletes’ names on a start list it’s nearly sacrilege if you pass them over for your Freetrail Fantasy podium, they are that consistent. One flexed some absolutely insane range (oh they’re a speed demon) while the other became our official queen of the 100-mile distance. We’ll say it – 2024 was great, 2025 is only going to get better! If you’ve missed any of the countdown thus far, you can find them here: third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth.
In second position this year we have Salomon’s Courtney Dauwalter and HOKA’s Hayden Hawks.
After two years in our top spot in 2022 and 2023, Courtney Dauwalter’s 2024 was not less impressive, this wild sport just keeps on elevating – and well, you all won’t allow us to have two athletes hold hands across the finish line 😉. For the athlete who has already won almost every major 100-mile race globally and holds most of the course records for women, Courtney keeps finding ways to keep her seasons interesting. She’s rewarded, and we’re entertained, what’s not to love? Most recently, it was announced that the queen of the pain cave re-signed with her title sponsor, Salomon, a nearly unheard of in ultra running five-year contract with the place for her to do product development and marketing after 2029. We anticipate that Courtney will continue to set records on and off the trail as we head into 2025 as well.
Reflecting on Courtney’s 2024, not only did she win all five races that she competed in, but she also set two course records and rarely finished off the overall podium in the process. It was a little harder to comprehend the magnitude of some of these performances because they weren’t the straightforward golden ticket earning/WSER/UTMB wins that we have become accustomed to – but let’s just say they were really really impressive. Courtney started her season in February of 2024, winning the Transgrancanaria Classic 127km race, and while it wasn’t her fasted time on the course she still won the event this year by over an hour. In April, she went to Japan to race the historic MT Fuji 100-mile (formerly UTMF), running away with the win, finishing third overall and setting a new course record in a time of 19:21:22. In July, Courtney raced close to home, taking part in the Hardrock 100 Endurance Run, winning the race for the third time and setting both the clockwise and overall course record in a time of 26:11:49. This fall Courtney closed out her season with wins and second place overall finishes at the SwissPeaks Trail 70km and the Nice Côte d’Azur by UTMB 100-mile, winning them in 8:24:57 and 21:35:57 respectively while securing her spot on the start line for UTMB Finals in 2025. I suppose we should start organizing our cheering sections now!
We asked Courtney about her highlight of 2024 and the theme of community continues, “My highlight from 2024 was definitely (and I guess, luckily, this is the answer every year) the people we shared it with. We were fortunate enough to have some really amazing people join us at races and on training days this past year that helped make the memories what they were. From crewing and pacing, to saying an immediate YES to adventure runs, or joining us to capture any of these moments behind a camera lens, we got to spend time with really special folks. Thankful for that.”
After a new injury ended Hayden Hawk’s season early in 2023 we weren’t sure what we were going to get from him when he stepped to the start line of Black Canyon a little less than a year ago. I distinctly remember working on the preview show, thinking it was bold to go straight to a golden ticket race, I openly talked about that doubt… less than 48 hours later I was proven very, very wrong. When you talk to Hayden, he exudes a not so quiet confidence that I have come to love and respect – it’s exactly what you want in a competitor. You know at every start line you’re going to get the very best out of him and yourself in the process, and it makes this sport incredibly exciting to watch. So while we might have had some doubt watching Hayden toe the first start line of 2024, he quickly made it very clear 2024 was going to be one for the record books.
Hayden raced five races in 2024, winning three of them while setting one course record and never finishing off the podium. We mentioned that Hayden kicked off his season at the Black Canyon 100km in February of last year. After dropping from WSER the year before with injury he needed a golden ticket to get back to the big dance, not only did he win and grab the golden ticket but he set a course record in the process, running 7:30:18 on a snowy, muddy day. From there, all eyes turned towards WSER and the literal track race it became when Hayden nearly overtook second-place finisher Rod Farvard in the final 300 meters. Ultimately, Hayden finished third, running 14:24:31 – a place worse than his 2022 WSER but over an hour faster than he’s ever run before. Hayden spent the rest of his summer racing and training in Europe, family in tow, where he went on to win the KAT by UTMB Marathon, secured his second win at CCC by UTMB, running an impressive 10:20:11, and finally finished second at the Julian Alps Trail Run by UTMB 50km securing his stone to return to UTMB Finals in 2025.
We asked Hayden what his highlight of 2024 was and it’s all about the people who made it possible,“I feel very grateful about my 2024 season. It was a lot of fun! I focused on what I could control and had a lot of help from those in my corner. It was a team effort for sure! It really was more than I could have asked for coming off of my injury in 2023. I did learn so much from 2023 and worked so hard to get back making this all possible, and I never gave up. I couldn’t have done it without the love and support from my family, friends, coach, mentors, sponsors, doctors, and so many others. Thank you to those people that have always been there for me, and thank you for this honor Freetrail! Let’s keep this ball rolling and make 2025 and beyond even more fun!”
Big things are around the corner for both Courtney and Hayden in 2025. We are waiting with bated breath to see Courtney take on the Cocodona 250-mile event and will be cheering on Hayden at Western States where he looks to move up the podium a spot or two come race day. Here’s to both of you, congratulations on your phenomenal seasons! Make sure you come back tomorrow to find out which two runners found their way to the top of the TROY 2024 podium.