Rachel Entrekin wins 253-mile race

Rachel Entrekin’s win in the Cocodona 250 was not just another women’s title. The 34-year-old ultrarunner finished first overall in the 253-mile Arizona race on May 6, becoming the first woman to win the event outright and setting a new overall course record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds, according to WBUR and race coverage from iRunFar and Outside. WBUR’s “On Point” devoted its May 22 program to Entrekin’s run and the broader question of why women are increasingly winning at extreme distances. The race, organized by Aravaipa Running, crosses Arizona from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff and includes roughly 39,000 feet of climbing. ### Which race did Rachel Entrekin actually win? The Cocodona 250 is a point-to-point ultramarathon across Arizona that started on May 4 and ended with finishers arriving in Flagstaff. iRunFar said nearly 400 runners started the 2026 edition, while ABC News, citing organizer Aravaipa Running, reported more than 1,300 runners across the broader event field. The course passes through places including Prescott, Cottonwood and Sedona before the final climb toward Flagstaff. WBUR described the race as “the ultra of ultramarathons,” citing desert conditions, canyons, mountains, sharp temperature swings and more than 38,000 feet of elevation gain. ABC News reported Aravaipa Running listed 38,791 feet of climbing on the route. ### How fast was her record run? Entrekin finished in 56:09:48, breaking the previous overall course record of 58:47:18 by more than two hours, WBUR reported. iRunFar and Outside gave the same official time and said the mark made her the first woman to win the race outright in its five-year history. (irunfar.com) Outside reported that Entrekin took the overall lead around mile 50, while WBUR said the decisive move came at about mile 60. (wbur.org) Both accounts agree that once she moved in front, she stayed there. iRunFar reported that Kilian Korth finished second overall in 57:28:36 and set a men’s course record, but still trailed Entrekin by more than an hour. ### Was this a surprise result? Entrekin was not an unknown entrant. iRunFar said she was the two-time defending women’s champion and had set course records in each of her previous Cocodona wins. Outside reported she won in 2024 in 73:31:25 and returned in 2025 to lower the women’s course record to 63:50:55. WBUR reported that Entrekin entered the 2026 race with an internal goal of getting under 60 hours. (wbur.org) On the program, she said she used a spreadsheet based on her 2025 splits and still “couldn’t mathematically make it work,” telling her crew they would need “some race day magic.” ### How did she manage the effort over more than two days? (irunfar.com) Outside reported that Entrekin moved quickly through aid stations, often spending only five to 10 minutes there, and took only brief sleep breaks. “I slept five minutes, then seven minutes, then seven minutes,” she said after finishing. ABC News reported that Entrekin used a simple mantra during the race: “Why not you? (wbur.org) Why not now? Why not try?” Outside quoted her saying, “You can choose your attitude, I’ve learned, so I’d rather choose to be positive.” ### Why is WBUR treating this as part of a bigger trend? WBUR framed Entrekin’s victory as part of a broader pattern in ultrarunning, saying that “more and more women are taking the crown” at ultra distances. (run.outsideonline.com) The May 22 segment featured Lily Canter, co-author of “Ultra Women: The Trailblazers Defying Sexism in Sport,” and Sandra Hunter, an exercise physiologist at the University of Michigan, alongside Entrekin. (abcnews.com) ABC News quoted Entrekin saying she did not expect to become “a pinnacle or champion for women’s sports,” but called the moment “pretty incredible.” That comment came after she became the fastest finisher, male or female, in race history. ### What comes next after the record? WBUR’s full “On Point” segment, published May 22, remains available with Entrekin, Canter and Hunter discussing the race and women’s performances in ultramarathons. (wbur.org) The Cocodona 250’s next benchmark will be whether any future field can beat Entrekin’s 56:09:48 overall record, set on the May 4-6, 2026 running of the race across Arizona. (abcnews.com)