The 2026 edition of the Cocodona ultramarathon will be remembered as the moment a woman won outright. On Wednesday, May 6, Rachel Entrekin crossed the finish line in Flagstaff after 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds, smashing the overall course record by more than two hours and becoming the first woman to top the combined field in the five-year history of the Cocodona 250.
A brutal 253 miles across Arizona
Nearly 400 runners left Black Canyon City at 5 a.m. on Monday, May 4, for a 253-mile point-to-point that climbs 38,791 feet through the Bradshaw Mountains, Mount Union, Mingus Mountain and Mount Elden before dropping into downtown Flagstaff. The route strings together the towns of Crown King, Prescott, Jerome, Clarkdale and Sedona, with a final cutoff of 125 hours.
The opening two days were cool and cloudy with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. A cold rain then swept across the high country on the second night, scrambling pacing strategies and aid station routines for the entire field.
Rachel Entrekin rewrites the record book
Entrekin, already the women's champion in 2024 and 2025, opened her third campaign at a measured pace and never looked back. By Fort Tuthill, around mile 212, she had built a commanding lead on the entire field. Her final time of 56:09:48 erased the previous overall mark of 58:47:18 set by Dan Green and improved her own women's course record (63:50:55, set in 2025) by nearly eight hours.
She is now the first three-time women's champion in race history and the first woman to win a major North American 250-mile ultra outright in a stacked combined field.
Women's top 5
- Rachel Entrekin (USA), 56:09:48, overall winner and course record
- Courtney Dauwalter (USA), 61:58:35
- Megan Eckert (USA), 63:09:07
- Heather Jackson (USA), 69:36:34
- Lindsey Dwyer (USA), 72:48:49
Behind Entrekin, the women's race delivered its own drama. Heather Jackson built a two-hour lead on Courtney Dauwalter and Megan Eckert through Sedona, but faded over the final 30 miles as both runners surged past her. Dauwalter, who had to abandon the 2025 edition, secured second place in 61:58:35 after losing roughly 50 minutes to a wrong turn earlier in the race.
Kilian Korth claims the men's record on his fourth try
The men's race produced its own historic mark. Germany's Kilian Korth, on his fourth Cocodona start, posted 57:28:36 to set a new men's course record and the second-fastest time ever recorded over the 253-mile route. He battled deep muscle pain across the final climb of Mount Elden but never relinquished the lead in the men's field.
American Cody Poskin took second man in 58:13:44, slicing nearly 13 hours off his prior Cocodona finish. DJ Fox followed in 59:29:03, also improving his previous time by 10 hours, with thru-hiking veteran Joe McConaughy completing the men's top four in 61:35:21.
Men's top 5
- Kilian Korth (Germany), 57:28:36, men's course record
- Cody Poskin (USA), 58:13:44
- DJ Fox (USA), 59:29:03
- Joe McConaughy (USA), 61:35:21
- Jakob Åberg (Sweden), 62:11:56
Reactions from the elites
Entrekin admitted that the scale of her performance only hit her in the final miles.
"I definitely didn't anticipate winning. That's pretty sick though." (Rachel Entrekin, post-race interview)
Asked about her sleep strategy on the 253-mile course, she described a routine of "dirt naps" and a steady diet of soft food.
"I slept five minutes, then seven minutes, then seven minutes. My goal was to only have dirt naps." (Rachel Entrekin)
"I had a lot of mashed potatoes. You get tired of chewing and you don't want to expend any extra energy doing that." (Rachel Entrekin)
Korth, who watched the result unfold from second place, framed Entrekin's victory in historic terms.
"It's less about what she has done for women's sports and more about what she's done for humanity and pushing the boundaries of the sport further in that way." (Kilian Korth, on Rachel Entrekin)
A race marked by tragedy
The 2026 edition was also overshadowed by the death of a participant who suffered a medical emergency during the event. Organizers paused racing operations to honor the runner before allowing the field to continue. The trail running community has gathered across social channels in mourning and in gratitude for the runner's commitment to the sport.
Beyond the 250: a full Cocodona race week
The Cocodona brand is more than a single race. The 2026 calendar gathered five point-to-point events sharing the same trails, aid stations and finish line in Flagstaff.
Sedona Canyons 125
The 201-kilometre sister race set off from the Gold King Mine Ghost Town near Jerome on Wednesday, May 6, and delivered the second course record of the week. American Trueheart Brown ran 25:14:07 to slice 15 minutes off Jeff Browning's 2023 men's record and claim the title.
Bradshaw Brute 100
The 161-kilometre Bradshaw Brute follows the rugged opening stretch of the Cocodona course, with 6,350 metres of climbing through the Bradshaw Mountains. Forty-six runners left Deep Canyon Ranch alongside the 250 field at dawn on Monday, May 4.
Mingus Traverse
Set off from Watson Lake Park in Prescott on Tuesday, May 5, the 129-kilometre Mingus Traverse climbs over Mingus Mountain into Jerome, Clarkdale and Sedona. The 2026 edition put 187 runners on the course under a roughly 44-hour cutoff.
Flagstaff Crest 40
The shortest Cocodona-week distance, the 63-kilometre Flagstaff Crest 40, drew the largest field of the weekend with 332 entrants. The course follows the Flagstaff Urban Trail System and sections of the Arizona Trail, lining the streets of downtown Flagstaff with finishers all day on Friday, May 8.
Back of the pack: the DFL spirit tunnel
The Cocodona 250 finish line in Heritage Square stays open until the very last runner. Aravaipa Running closes the event with a spirit tunnel for the DFL, the so-called dead-last finisher, who rolls in just under the 125-hour cap and is greeted with the same celebration as the winner.
The defining back-of-pack story of 2026 came from Troy Croxdale, the inaugural Burrito League champion. Croxdale was DFL on day one after fighting stomach issues from the early Bradshaw climbs. Over the next three days he passed more than 300 runners on his way to 48th overall and 37th in the men's race, the longest mid-pack rally of the week.
Looking ahead
With Entrekin now a three-time champion, an overall course record holder and the first woman to win the race outright, the 2027 edition of the Cocodona already carries a heavy storyline. Korth has signalled an intent to chase a sub 57-hour men's mark, and the depth of the 2026 fields suggests the bar will only rise from here.