WV

Courtney Dauwalter is undoubtedly the greatest female ultra runner of all time. When I first heard of her was when she was on Joe Rogan's podcast like many other people. She was one of the early reasons why I chased my first 100 mile finish and has been a source of inspiration for me throughout my trail running endeavors.

This year I've tried about 6 shoes from 5 brands looking to see if there was anything I could find that was better, overall, than the Salomon S/Lab Ultra 3s that I love so much. Courtney even had her own signature version of that shoe complete with croissants, comic book art and cheering hands on the upper. I found something I liked in each of those shoes I tried, but nothing was better, overall, than those trust Ultra 3s.

Then I see an add on IG for "The shoe Courtney won Hardrock in" and I was on high alert. I had an alarm set on my phone for the release. I got one of three remaining pairs in a men's size 9 and they landed at my doorstep in under 48 hours. Now it's time to see how they fair on the trail!

I took them for a 22 mile/6,600ft run right out of the box and, WOW, was I impressed. The fit very much reminded me on the Ultra 3s, but with just a little bit more room where you need it. The sock upper seriously offers the best lockdown of any style upper. The lugs are 4.5mm which is appreciated as I always wished the Ultra 3s had just a little more bite to them. The foam is forgiving and responsive. The stack height is 22mm in the forefoot and 30mm in the heel, 4mm less than the non-Courtney Genesis and this is perfect. I don't love shoes that go over the 30mm range for plenty of reasons and these land right in the sweet spot of comfort and protection without feeling unstable. I cut out the quicklace as always and went with a normal lace from another pair of shoes. The aesthetic details are simple, but strong and bold. I mean, there is LIGHTNING on the heel!

After 8 hours on the trail with these beauties I am in love. I am hoping with all my fingers crossed that they restock these shoes so I can get a few more pairs because these things are a weapon and I'm headed to battle!