TUDOR x SHARP
One of the most daring feats in sports history is the story of the four-minute mile. Once considered physiologically impossible, the record stood until May 6, 1954, when British runner Roger Bannister ran a mile in just 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. Bannister’s accomplishment earned him a place in the history books, but more significant is what happened next: once Bannister proved it could be done, other runners quickly followed. In 2023, 38-year-old former middle-school teacher Courtney Dauwalter achieved a similarly daring coup when she won the Western States 100 race, the Hardrock 100 race, and the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc — a total distance of nearly 500 km and 25,500 metres of combined elevation gain within just 70 days. She set course records at both Western States and Hardrock, becoming the first person in history to win all three races in the same calendar year. Dauwalter’s feat also earned her the attention of Swiss watchmaker TUDOR, which recently announced its entry into endurance trail running with the sponsorship of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) World Series.
The new partnership welcomes Dauwalter and fellow runners Miao Yao, Rémi Bonnet, and Baptiste Chassagne to the TUDOR family. Elite trail runners typically don’t wear mechanical watches while competing, and this distinction makes the partnership all the more significant. It’s about celebrating every win, every finish, every achievement and the hardship that these elite athletes endure every step of the journey while embodying TUDOR’s motto, “BORN TO DARE.”
Unlike road or track running, trail running takes place on unpaved, natural terrain — mountains, forests, and rugged backcountry — rather than on flat, controlled surfaces. At the elite level, races often stretch beyond the standard marathon distance of 42 kilometres to 160 kilometres or more, with thousands of metres of elevation gain over varied, technical terrain. Success depends less on raw speed than on pacing, fuelling, and mental resilience, as runners contend with sleep deprivation, physical discomfort, and extreme weather conditions. The UTMB World Series takes place at 60 events around the globe, with the finals taking place in France, Italy, and Switzerland each August.
Miao Yao, from China, has a similarly impressive track record, winning the annual Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc Courmayeur – Champex – Chamonix (UTMB-CCC) — a famed 100 km mountain race — and being named Ultra-Trail World Tour (UTWT) Annual Champion in 2018 at just 21 years old. Rémi Bonnet, from Switzerland, has likewise won multiple overall titles in the Golden Trail World Series and is a multiple-time world champion in vertical kilometre events including the Zegama-Aizkorri race in Spain. Baptiste Chassagne from France, meanwhile, finished 2nd at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc and won the Diagonale des Fous — considered to be one of the most brutal races in the sport — in October 2025.
Founded in 1926 by Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex, TUDOR is known for its vintage-inspired tool watches like the Pelagos and Black Bay, as well as its growing range of METAS-certified in-house movements. Trail running is the latest sport, alongside pro cycling, big wave surfing, off-road rally racing, and rugby, in which TUDOR has established its presence. Each of these endeavours provides a different perspective on the true meaning of “BORN TO DARE,” the unbreakable spirit that sets records and redefines limits, and is imbued in every watch TUDOR makes. Winning an elite trail race requires as much mental fortitude as physical strength, but off the trail, that same spirit can now be found on the wrists of the world’s top trail runners.
Learn more about TUDOR partnerships.
