Ultra runner Courtney Olsen set a new 50-mile women's world record in Illinois last weekend – then immediately drove over 400 miles for mandatory drug testing.
USA Track & Field shared the news of Olsen's victory at the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile race, which saw the Bellingham, Washington-based athlete run the flat course through wetlands and limestone rock formations in just five hours, 31 minutes and 56 seconds.
If her time is ratified by the International Association of Ultrarunners, it shaves more than eight minutes off the previous record, set by Ann Trason in Houston more than 30 years ago in 1991.
According to the Bellingham Herald, Olsen announced her intention to break the record several months ago and was aware that another runner had the same goal for the race.
"I knew she was wanting it and trying to go for it too. So there was a lot of pressure, because we were going to have to battle each other for it. But also in that competition we can bring out the best in each other.”
Though the article doesn't name the runner in question, writing on Instagram, Olsen reveals it was her 50k World Championship teammate Andrea Pomaranski, and for the first half of the race, it looked like the Indianapolis-based runner might beat her to the punchline.
"I ran with Andrea for 2 miles before she dusted me like a slap. Then, with the men’s 100 mile leaders," says Olsen.
"It was 18 joyful male company miles before I’d go on for 32 alone."
After those 32 miles, Olsen took the lead and tells the BH it was "all about hitting the right paces" to get the win in her Hoka Rocket X 2 racing shoes, while Pomaranski ultimately took a very respectable third place after Melissa Tanner.
For most us, 50 miles of running at 10 miles per hour would be more than enough adventure for the day, but immediately following the race, Olsen had to get drug tested by a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Doping Control Officer for her record to count. Unfortunately, the closest testing center was around 170 miles miles away near Nashville, according to a report in Run magazine.
That article goes on to explain that following her drug test – which Olsen says she fully expects to pass – the runner then had to drive back to St Louis to catch a flight home, adding another 300 miles to an already-long day. According to Ultra Signup, the prize for establishing a new course record at the race is $4,000, but Olsen says her drug test will cost her roughly that same amount, so she'll walk away with a record, but no richer.
Olsen joins Camille Herron (100 mile in 2017) and Charlie Lawrence (50 mile in 2023), as a holder of World Records at Tunnel Hill. She intends to compete again in December at the IAU 100K World Championship.
