Cementing her dominance within the Arizona desert, Rachel Entrekin received the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile in an general course report time of 56:09:48, turning into the primary lady to win the race outright in its five-year existence and claiming her third win in a row. Kilian Korth was second general and the primary man to complete, crossing the road in 57:28:36, the second quickest time ever and a brand new males’s course report.
The beginning of the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile on Monday, Could 4. Photograph: Photograph: Anastasia Wilde Images/@_anastasiawilde
Beginning at 5 a.m. native time on Monday, Could 4, almost 400 runners got down to run the 253-mile point-to-point course from Black Canyon Metropolis to Flagstaff, with a cutoff time of 125 hours, or 10 a.m. native time on Saturday, Could 9. The course, which options almost 39,000 toes of elevation achieve and nearly 34,000 toes of descent, travels via a number of path programs and cities, together with Prescott, Cottonwood, and Sedona. Earlier than the ultimate climb up Mount Elden and descent to Flagstaff on the end, runners encountered many varieties of terrain and elevations, from the Sonoran Desert to the punishing Mingus Mountain to Sedona’s well-known crimson rocks. Along with its competitors, the race has change into recognized for its mixture of pure landscapes and run-through-the-main-street camaraderie.
After final yr’s unseasonably chilly, moist, and muddy occasion, this yr’s race began in excellent circumstances with ample cloud cowl and temperatures hovering within the 50s Fahrenheit, setting the stage for quick occasions. On the second night time, although, the skies opened, and runners had been handled to a chilly rain at midnight.
It was acquainted territory for Entrekin, who final yr lowered her personal course report by over seven hours earlier than her much more epic efficiency this yr. This yr, she broke Dan Inexperienced’s general course report by greater than two hours. It was probably the most dominant shows of ultrarunning the game has but seen in 200-plus-mile racing.
Rachel Entrekin has some emotions after profitable outright and setting an general course report on the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile. Photograph: Scott Rokis Productions/@scottrokisphoto
Sadly, the occasion was additionally marred by a tragedy, as a runner died from a medical emergency through the race.
Learn on for the total race particulars.
2026 Cocodona 250 Mile Girls’s Race
Coming into the race, it was arduous to wager towards Rachel Entrekin, at the same time as she confronted stout competitors.
Entrekin, who positioned third on the Chianti Extremely Path 120k lower than two months in the past, was the two-time defending Cocodona 250 Mile champion and set course information in each of her wins. However on the beginning line together with her was none apart from Courtney Dauwalter, one of many biggest ultrarunners in historical past and one of many ladies who beat her at Chianti in March. Dauwalter led final yr’s race for miles earlier than a full-body shutdown pressured her to drop at mile 108. After which there was Heather Jackson, a former skilled triathlete making her 200-plus-mile debut, whose spectacular vary features a win on the 2023 Javelina 100 Mile and 2023 Canyons 50k, in addition to a top-10 end on the 2024 Western States 100. It was additionally not sensible to miss Megan Eckert, the present ladies’s six-day world report holder. It was, briefly, a stacked area.
Courtney Dauwalter crosses the end line to take second on the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile. Photograph: Scott Rokis Productions/@scottrokisphoto
Entrekin, although, ran as if it had been her race to win. After a small pack together with Dauwalter, Jackson, and Entrekin had been comparatively shut for the opening miles via the saguaro-filled Sonoran Desert, Entrekin already opened a 22-minute lead on the ladies’s area by the Crown King help station at mile 37. Remarkably, she held her lead for the subsequent 200-plus miles.
In truth, by the point the primary day was winding down, Entrekin was battling for the general lead. By the point she reached the Whiskey Row help station in Prescott at mile 76, one of many liveliest elements of the race when it comes to crowds and outdoors vitality, Entrekin was 22 minutes up on Kilian Korth, who was main the boys’s race. Jackson and Dauwalter each took unsuitable turns heading into Prescott, with Jackson logging about an additional mile and Dauwalter off-course for about 50 minutes.
In the course of the first night time, when runners climbed and descended the notorious Mingus Mountain, positioned at mile 107 and at an altitude of almost 8,000 toes, Entrekin didn’t relent. Her lead was almost 90 minutes over on the high of Mingus, with Jackson and Dauwalter working inside about quarter-hour of one another in second and third. Because the solar rose on day two and Entrekin reached the Useless Horse help station in Cottonwood at mile 134, she held a commanding two-plus-hour lead over Jackson and Dauwalter, who had been nonetheless shut to one another in second and third.
Entrekin continued to push, spending minimal time at help stations as she continued her quest for the win and course report. As a chilly rain greeted her on the second night time, Entrekin was working away with it. By Munds Park at mile 194 with about 40 hours on the clock, she was greater than 5 hours forward of Jackson, who had opened up her personal small lead over Dauwalter. Entrekin nonetheless held the general lead, too, coming via Munds Park greater than an hour forward of males’s chief Korth. And although the course this yr was about three miles shorter than final yr’s, her splits put her firmly on general course report watch.
Megan Eckert celebrates her third-place end on the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile. Photograph: Scott Rokis Productions/@scottrokisphoto
For the final 50-plus miles, she raced solely the clock. On a sunny third day, she summited Mount Elden, the best level within the race at 9,000 toes, and descended into Flagstaff, the place a boisterous crowd greeted her earlier than she formally claimed her victory and course report. Rachel Entrekin crossed the end line in 56:09:48, profitable her third Cocodona 250 Mile in a row to cap a historic efficiency.
Behind her, the race for the rostrum was on. Jackson and Dauwalter had been neck and neck for almost all of the race, however by Fort Tuthill at mile 212, Jackson had constructed greater than a two-hour lead. Behind them, Eckert, who was battling 2025 runner-up Lindsey Dwyer for the center portion of the race, made a transfer to get into the highest three. She pulled away from Dwyer because the course mileage ticked towards 200 and arrived at Fort Tuthill simply over an hour behind Dauwalter. With about 40 miles to go, there was a three-woman race for the ultimate two podium spots.
Dauwalter and Eckert ran shut collectively for the subsequent a number of miles in third and fourth, with Jackson nonetheless out in entrance. However by Walnut Canyon at mile 227, Dauwalter was closing in on Jackson, who was fading arduous. Within the closing 30 miles, each Dauwalter and Eckert overtook a struggling Jackson, who finally crossed the road in fourth place.
Ultimately, Courtney Dauwalter rebounded from her DNF final yr to complete second in 61:58:35, below Entrekin’s earlier ladies’s course report. Megan Eckert, who moved into the highest three within the closing stretches of the race, completed third in 63:09:07. Heather Jackson would finally end in fourth in 69:36:34, and Lindsey Dwyer was fifth in 72:48:49.
2026 Cocodona 250 Mile Girls’s Outcomes
Rachel Entrekin – 56:09:48
Courtney Dauwalter – 61:58:35
Megan Eckert – 63:09:07
Heather Jackson – 69:36:34
Lindsey Dwyer – 72:48:49
Monitoring and full outcomes.
[Editor’s Note: As of publishing time, runners are still out on course, and we will update these results as they finish.]
Rachel Entrekin wins the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile outright and units an general course report. Photograph: Scott Rokis Productions/@scottrokisphoto
2026 Cocodona 250 Mile Males’s Race
With out returning champion and course report holder Dan Inexperienced, whose 2025 race largely ignited his profession, the boys’s race felt extensive open coming into the Monday morning race begin. Kilian Korth — the 2025 triple crown of 200s winner and report holder, which means he received the Bigfoot 200 Mile, Tahoe 200 Mile, and Moab 240 Mile in a single yr — was amongst these anticipated to be within the combine for the win. Joe McConaughy, who received the 2022 version of this race and completed 14th on the Western States 100 final summer season, was again. Fan favourite Max Jolliffe, the previous Moab 240 Mile winner who dropped from final yr’s race with rhabdomyolysis, was additionally attempting once more. So was Edher Ramirez, who completed third final yr. And you would by no means depend out Jeff Browning, who has been competing on the highest ranges of the game for greater than twenty years.
Firstly, although, there was a shock chief. Because the runners made their means via the primary portion of the race within the Sonoran Desert, the place they endured almost 1 / 4 of the race’s elevation achieve within the first 40 miles, Kevin Taddonio was at or close to the entrance of the race for all the first seven hours. Whereas finally Taddonio pale and later dropped by Fain Ranch at mile 95, he was nonetheless 9 minutes forward of Korth at Crown King at mile 37. McConaughy was solely one other 9 minutes again with a strong chase pack behind him, together with Jolliffe, Ramirez, and Cody Poskin. Jolliffe, sadly, dropped once more this yr, not lengthy after the 100-mile mark.
Kilian Korth is the boys’s winner of the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile. Photograph: Scott Rokis Productions/@scottrokisphoto
Korth and McConaughy had been shut for the subsequent a number of miles, arriving on the Whiskey Row help station at mile 76 inside three minutes of one another and starting the primary night time almost along with McConaughy having only a two-minute lead. By Mingus Mountain at mile 107, although, Korth started to tug away from the remainder of the boys’s area, and after the descent into Jerome round mile 125, he led by almost two hours. Poskin, who positioned seventh final yr and posted a top-15 end at this yr’s Black Canyon 100k, was trailing at Whiskey Row however used a robust first night time to catch again as much as McConaughy by Jerome.
Over the subsequent 100-plus miles, Korth hit the gasoline as a lot as one can in a 250-mile race. Regardless of battling intense muscle ache all through, he by no means trailed once more, and by Fort Tuthill at mile 212, his lead was almost two hours over Poskin, who was charging arduous and steadily separating himself from McConaughy.
Between Fort Tuthill and Walnut Canyon at mile 227, Poskin went from two hours behind Korth to about 45 minutes within the span of 16 miles. With lower than 27 miles to go, it was going to come back all the way down to who had the legs to carry on.
Cody Poskin celebrates taking second on the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile on the Flagstaff, Arizona, end line on Wednesday, Could 6. Photograph: Scott Rokis Productions/@scottrokisphoto
Ultimately, Korth discovered one other gear and held on, hobbling his means into Flagstaff. Kilian Korth received this yr’s race in 57:28:36, below the earlier males’s course report.
For his borderline heroic effort over the again half of the race, Cody Poskin earned an in depth second-place end in 58:13:44, additionally below the earlier males’s course report and remarkably nearly 13 hours sooner than his time final yr.
Then there was the matter of the ultimate podium spot. It got here all the way down to a battle between McConaughy, Zach Hauer, who positioned sixth on the Javelina 100 Mile final yr, and DJ Fox, who was within the combine for the rostrum final yr earlier than fading badly close to the tip.
This yr, Fox wasn’t going to be denied. Hauer had about an hour lead on the race for the ultimate podium spot at Schnebly Hill at mile 176, however started to fade arduous quickly after to finally end in eighth place. After working close to McConaughy for dozens of miles, Fox took management of third place by Walnut Canyon at mile 227 and commenced to tug away. DJ Fox finally completed third in 59:29:03, shaving 10 hours off his time from final yr, with Joe McConaughy fourth in 61:35:21. Jakob Åberg of Sweden completed in fifth in 62:11:56.
DJ Fox is the third man to complete the 2026 Cocodona 250 Mile. Photograph: Scott Rokis Productions/@scottrokisphoto
2026 Cocodona 250 Mile Males’s Outcomes
Kilian Korth – 57:28:36
Cody Poskin – 58:13:44
DJ Fox – 59:29:03
Joe McConaughy – 61:35:21
Jakob Åberg (Sweden) – 62:11:56
Monitoring and full outcomes.
