Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Rachel Entrekin’s time of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds set a new overall course record
What does it take to break the course record in a 250-mile ultramarathon? Mashed potatoes and just 19 minutes of sleep on the ground.
That was the winning formula for Rachel Entrekin at the Cocodona 250 in Arizona, where the American claimed the overall victory — including against male competitors — in a historic time of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds.
“Somewhere around mile 200, I slept for five minutes at an aid station,” the 34-year-old told BBC Sport the morning after her triumph. “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.”
“Mashed potatoes are the best. You get tired of chewing and you don’t want to expend any extra energy doing that.”
Entrekin also fueled with energy gels, sweets, rice, and broth throughout the race, and still had enough energy for a sprint finish. The morning after, after sleeping from 11 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., she spent time refueling and cheering on other runners as they crossed the line.
Supported along the course by a six-person team, including her parents, Entrekin made it three consecutive wins, having already won the women’s races in 2024 and 2025.
“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 said. “Your attitude and your ability to combat stress are so important — they’re 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.”
The Cocodona 250 is considered one of the world’s most demanding ultramarathons, running from the Sonoran Desert through Sedona and up the hills of Flagstaff, with a total climb of about 38,800 feet.
Entrekin is now a professional trail runner but previously worked as a physiotherapist. After her earlier Cocodona races, she returned to work the next day. Her time last year was 63 hours, 50 minutes and 55 seconds, a result driven by dissatisfaction after the 2024 event.
“I actually did not like the person that emerged from that challenge,” Entrekin explained. “I finished, I won the race, but I was really in a negative headspace, and I wasn’t excited. I didn’t see what I had just done.”
“So coming back in 2025, one of my huge goals was to be a person that I could stand behind when I got to the finish line, no matter what place that was in.”
“This race is an excellent opportunity to find out what type of person you are over the course of, you know, breathtaking scenery and lots of rocks and eating a ton of snacks!”
She describes her training as “non-traditional,” saying she does not measure her weekly mileage or follow a coaching plan. An average week consists of roughly 70 to 80 miles around the Arkansas Valley in Colorado, where Entrekin now lives, though she is originally from Birmingham, Alabama.
Although she will take a break after the Cocodona, Entrekin already has her eyes on the next race — the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France. At 108 miles, that one will probably feel like a stroll in comparison.