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Anyone who completes a marathon deserves respect, but 34-year-old Rachel Entrekin takes endurance racing to another level. She recently made history by beating every competitor—men included—in the Cocodona 250, known as one of the most demanding ultramarathons in the world.
After setting off early on Monday morning on May 4, Entrekin didn’t cross the finish line until Wednesday afternoon. The multi-day challenge was made even tougher by the race’s high-altitude terrain around Flagstaff, Arizona, where thinner air can make breathing more difficult. Along the way, runners also faced more than 38,000 feet of elevation gain.
Over the course of nearly three days, Entrekin reportedly stopped to sleep only three times. Each nap lasted under 10 minutes, adding up to just 19 minutes of rest in total. Despite that, she maintained an astonishing average pace of 13 minutes and 20 seconds per mile, even with breaks included.
Entrekin finished the race in a record-breaking 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 48 seconds, surpassing Kilian Korth’s men’s course record of 57:28:36. She is now the first woman in history to claim the overall title at the Cocodona 250. It also marked her third consecutive year winning the women’s division. However, this time, she completed the course more than seven hours faster than before.
“Somewhere around mile 200, I slept for five minutes at an aid station,” Entrekin recalled. “Then around 230 miles, I took two seven-minute naps on the floor. And food, it’s impossible to say how much I ate but as far as real food goes, I had a lot of mashed potatoes.” She added, “Mashed potatoes are the best. You get tired of chewing and you don’t want to expend any extra energy doing that.”
Entrekin believes that long-distance running is about far more than physical endurance alone. She credits her positive mindset as a key factor in helping her complete the race in record-breaking time. “Men and women obviously have very different skillsets but in an event like this, it comes down to so much more than just fitness,” she says. “Your attitude and your ability to combat stress is so important, they are at least as important as how physically fit you are, so I think the field is just so much more leveled at something like this.”
Follow Entrekin on Instagram for more updates on her inspiring life as a professional trail runner.
34-year-old Rachel Entrekin recently made history by beating every competitor—men included—in the Cocodona 250 ultramarathon.
View this post on Instagram
Entrekin finished the race in a record-breaking 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 48 seconds, surpassing Kilian Korth’s men’s course record of 57:28:36.
View this post on Instagram
2026 marked her third consecutive year winning the women’s division. However, this time, she completed the course more than seven hours faster than before.
View this post on Instagram
Rachel Entrekin: Instagram
Source: Mashed potato & 19 minutes’ sleep – Entrekin's epic race
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