Rachel Entrekin wins Cocodona 250

Rachel Entrekin did more than defend her women’s title at the Cocodona 250 this month. The 34-year-old won the entire race outright on May 6, becoming the first woman to finish first overall in the Arizona ultramarathon’s five-year history. Official results show Entrekin covered the course in 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds, breaking the previous overall course record and securing her third straight Cocodona women’s title. ### How unusual was this result? Cocodona’s results list Rachel Entrekin first overall and first woman, with Kilian Korth second overall and first man in 57:28:36. That made Entrekin the outright winner of a field that included both men and women, not simply the women’s champion. Outside and iRunFar both reported that Entrekin was the first woman ever to win the race outright. (run.outsideonline.com) Outside said she took command around the early middle of the race and “never looked back,” while iRunFar said the performance came in the event’s fifth year. ### What is the Cocodona 250 course she ran? The 2026 race began at 5 a.m. local time on Monday, May 4, in Black Canyon City, Arizona, and finished in Flagstaff. iRunFar described the route as roughly 253 miles point-to-point, with nearly 39,000 feet of climbing and almost 34,000 feet of descent, passing through Prescott, Cottonwood and Sedona before the final climb near Flagstaff. (ultrarunning.com) (run.outsideonline.com) Outside said Entrekin crossed the finish on a Wednesday afternoon in Flagstaff after running through two nights. UltraRunning’s results page lists 268 total finishers in the 250-mile event. ### What separated Entrekin from the rest of the field? Outside reported that Rachel Entrekin moved into the overall lead around mile 50 to 60 and maintained it for the rest of the race. (irunfar.com) The outlet said she spent much of the middle stages running ahead of Korth before extending the gap in the final 50 miles. (run.outsideonline.com) The 56:09:48 finishing time also mattered on its own. UltraRunning’s posted results show Korth finished 1 hour, 18 minutes and 48 seconds later, while Cody Poskin was third in 58:13:44 and Courtney Dauwalter was sixth overall and second woman in 61:58:35. ### What did she say about food and sleep? Rachel Entrekin told BBC Sport that mashed potatoes were a key part of her race fueling. “Mashed potatoes are the best,” she said, adding that they helped because runners can get tired of chewing late in a race of that length. (run.outsideonline.com) BBC also reported that she used energy gels, sweets, rice and broth during the run. (ultrarunning.com) BBC said Entrekin slept only 19 minutes during the race. She said she took one five-minute sleep break at about mile 200 and two seven-minute naps around mile 230. Outside separately quoted her saying, “My goal was to only have dirt naps.” ### Where does this fit in her recent record at Cocodona? Outside reported that Rachel Entrekin won the women’s race in 2024 in 73:31:25 and then lowered the women’s course record to 63:50:55 in 2025. (sports.yahoo.com) Her 2026 run cut that mark again while also moving her from women’s champion to overall winner. BBC said Entrekin’s support crew included six people, including her parents. (sports.yahoo.com) The outlet also reported that she told reporters attitude and stress management matter as much as fitness in a race of this distance. ### What comes next for the race? UltraRunning’s event page lists the next Cocodona 250 for May 3, 2027, in Black Canyon City, Arizona. (run.outsideonline.com) The 2026 results page remains available with full overall, men’s and women’s standings, including Entrekin, Korth and Dauwalter among the top finishers. (ultrarunning.com) (sports.yahoo.com)