On November 3, something memorable happened at the TCS New York Marathon 2024. When the distance hit around mile eight, Jenny Simpson took the lead. However, it was there for a brief period. But for the duration she was in the leading position, the track and field sports realm felt nostalgic. Why? It was the legend’s last event in her professional career. Standing at 38, she had already announced her decision to retire after the NYC Marathon 2024. The Saturday contest just witnessed the Olympian go down in the pages of a fairy tale. But in her absence, is there someone to take the reins of the US women’s contingent in the long-distance races? 

Meanwhile, the sky shows a star. Coincidentally, the athlete is just a few months younger than Simpson. Also, she is full of patience and grit—the factors most essential for a marathon runner. And guess what? She has recently torn down a world record. But who is she? 

The American stronghold continues to stand unscratched in ultra-running 

On November 9, Courtney Olsen crafted history in the ultra-running tale. In Vienna, Illinois, she took 5:31:56 to complete her 50-mile run in the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile. And the timing set a provisional world record in the 50-mile segment, uprooting the previous one. Interestingly, the previous record was established by a remarkable American ultra-distance runner, Ann Trason. Back in the days of 1991, her timing of 5:40:18 was registered as the world record. Have you spotted something? Let me break it for you. The feat is extremely tough, as no track and field runner has broken the record in the previous 33 years. How big is that? But what is there in the venue to make the task mountainous?

According to Meghan Hicks on IRUNFAR, dirt has made up the majority of the route, and it is a rails-to-trails trail. However, the USATF has already certified this track and field course. Furthermore, the event has also achieved the Gold Label from the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU). And last year the men’s category in the 50-mile witnessed the world record achieved in the same location. Another coincidence!

However, Olsen’s feat is also no less of a gold-class performance in the track and field world. But the 37-year-old had not been focused on long-distance running. Rather, her interest used to revolve around another stream of track and field sports.

The late emergence in track and field sports witnesses the athlete penning a success story 

Coming from Bellingham, Washington, Courtney Olsen’s love had not been steady in the track and field sports. She used to take it as something alongside her other activities. But in her final years at Western Washington University, she found the spark in the steeplechase and the 1500m run. From then on, she started to make her way into the realm. 

On that note, the runner once said, “Setting the goal to try to make it to that race with them was the thing that helped me help myself.” She has had her lofty goals set throughout these years. But the success came to her late. In 2014, she ran in the Boston Marathon. But success did not touch her feet. She also entered the US Olympic marathon trials for the Tokyo edition. But she finished 54th, failing to cut. But in the meantime, Olsen has already started to run in the ultra distance events, the 50k preferably. A few gems followed her. But the big break came at the Berlin World Championships in 2022.

In the championship, Courtney Olsen participated as a Team USA member in the 100k event. But her experience over the event made her the vital cog of the squad. Ultimately, she tried her best to stand up successfully to the expectations kept on her. Her fourth-place finish among the women runners helped Team USA take the gold medal in the event. Furthermore, her timing of 7:15:29 made her the 49th among the 198 men and women participants. And it also placed her in the record book of US women distance runners. Now her latest record in 50k explains why she is the latest trend in the distance running chapter in the USA.