The trail running film that inspired US Olympians to gold
The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team drew inspiration from Courtney Dauwalter's triple crown and her 'pain cave' tactic.
As inspirational achievements go, Courtney Dauwalter's hat-trick of wins in three of trail running's toughest tests is right up there.
Now it seems her triple at Western States 100, Hardrock 100 and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc last year transcends her sport.
It's emerged that the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (USWNT) sat down to watch a film about their compatriot's accomplishment on their way to an eventual gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer.
In the film from her sponsors Salomon, Courtney speaks about building "pain caves" in her mind. You can watch A Team Sport, directed by Alexi Berg and Julien Raison, below.
"The pain cave is the place I go to in my mind when it physically feels like I can't keep pushing forward," Courtney says. "So I put on my hard hat, I grab a chisel, and I imagine going into the very back corners of that cave and just digging into the work."
USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, who took charge of the team in May, got her players together to watch the film ahead of their semi-final clash with Germany.
And she referenced it after their 1-0 win set up a final showdown with Brazil, posting on Instagram: "The pain cave in this team is so deep. Guts and heart are never underrated in my world."