Coree Woltering

Coree Woltering is as much known for his Speedo and positive attitude as he is for his stand-out running ability. The 29-year-old Midwesterner races all distances and all surfaces, but always while rocking his signature Speedo and a friendly smile. His coach told Trail Runner Magazine he’s never heard Coree make an excuse, and if he could bottle up Coree’s work ethic and perseverance and sell it, he’d be a billionaire.

Coree began his running career with the 400m and 800m distances, which he ran from middle school through college. He was en route to becoming a professional triathlete, when he discovered ultrarunning. When he paced a friend at the 2014 Leadville 100, Coree was immediately hooked on the atmosphere of the race, the scenery, the community, and the idea of running 100 miles in the mountains.

Coree had never run longer than 16 miles when he signed up for the Quad Cities Marathon in 2014, and ran 2:37. Within a year, he entered the Silver Rush 50 in Leadville and placed 4th, then won every trail ultra he signed up for in 2015, including Tunnel Hill, the Malibu Canyon 50K and the Herb Parsons Trail Half Marathon. In 2016, at age 26, he averaged a 6.6-minute pace to won the Tunnel Hill 50 in his home state of Illinois. He placed 25th at the most prestigious ultra in the country—Western States—in 2018, and in 2019 he’s already won five races.

Coree and his husband, a professional skydiver, live in Ottowa, Illinois (#CornfieldCowboys). Coree champions diversity in the outdoor world so that everyone can find a role model who looks like them.