COCODONA 250 HISTORY: FIVE YEARS ACROSS ARIZONA'S 253-MILE TEST
The Cocodona 250 started in 2021 as a 250-mile point-to-point race from the desert outside Phoenix to the ponderosa pine forests of Flagstaff. Five editions later, the race holds two course records set in the same 2025 weekend, a sold-out 2026 field of 404 runners, and a place in the modern era of 200-mile racing as one of the format's defining events.
The 2021 Founding
Aravaipa Running, the Arizona-based race organizer led by Jamil Coury, launched Cocodona in May 2021. Coury, a fourth-generation Arizonan, designed the route to traverse the state's geography from the Sonoran Desert near Black Canyon City to the high country around Flagstaff. The course connects Crown King, Prescott, Jerome, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, and Sedona along its 253-mile length. Race Director Steve Arnolt joined Coury in operating the event from its first edition.
The name combines Coconino, the county and national forest where the race finishes, with Sedona, the red-rock town the course traverses. The route is roughly 45 percent single-track, 46 percent double-track, and 9 percent pavement, with a maximum elevation of 9,241 feet at the Mingus Mountain crossing and a minimum of 1,996 feet near the start.
Michael Versteeg of the United States won the inaugural men's race in 72:50:25. Maggie Guterl of the United States won the women's race in 85:30:38, a competitive opening time that reflected the field's smaller size and the challenge of running an unknown course.
The 2022 Speed Era
The second edition produced a step-change in winning times. Joe McConaughy, an American known for record-setting fastest known time runs across long-distance trails, won the men's race in 59:28:54, breaking 60 hours and lowering the men's mark by more than 13 hours. Annie Hughes of the United States won the women's race in 71:10:22, lowering the women's record by 14 hours and setting a benchmark that would stand as the women's course record for three years.
The 2022 edition also began the race's pattern of attracting elite ultra-runners from across the United States and internationally. The combination of race length, terrain variety, and Aravaipa's operational reputation drew attention from the global ultra-trail community in a way that few new races had achieved.
2023: The Slowest Recent Edition
Michael McKnight of the United States won the 2023 men's race in 69:41:31, a slower time than McConaughy's record but still ahead of the inaugural mark. Sarah Ostaszewski of the United States won the women's race in 72:50:27, just 1:40:05 behind Hughes's standing record.
The 2023 winning times reflected weather conditions and field dynamics rather than course changes. The race had not yet developed the deep returning veteran field that would define later editions, and the pacing strategies were still evolving among elite runners learning the course.
2024: Subertas and the Entrekin Debut
Haroldas Subertas, an American also known as Harry Subertas, won the 2024 men's race in 59:50:55, the second-fastest men's time at that point in race history. Rachel Entrekin of the United States won her first Cocodona women's title in 73:31:25.
Entrekin's 2024 win positioned her as a defining figure in the race's modern history. She returned in 2025 to defend the title and shave nearly ten hours off her own winning time.
The 2024 edition recorded notable participation milestones beyond the elite field. Brady Chisholm, a 17-year-old from Salem, New Hampshire, became the youngest finisher in race history. Michael Koppy, a 73-year-old from Duluth, Minnesota, became the oldest. Both records reflected the race's accessibility to non-elite finishers operating at the extreme ends of the age spectrum.
2025: The Record-Breaking Edition
The 2025 edition produced both course records still standing on the books. Dan Green of West Virginia won the men's race in 58:47:18, breaking the men's record by more than forty minutes. Green was 28 at the time of his win, had never raced longer than 100 miles before Cocodona, and had not previously raced the event. Ryan Sandes of South Africa finished second in 61:21:04, with Edher Ramirez of the United States third in 63:10:13.
Rachel Entrekin broke the women's course record by approximately seven hours, finishing in 63:50:55. Her run lowered Hughes's 2022 mark of 71:10:22 by margin few course records of any race endure. Entrekin became the race's first two-time women's champion in the same edition. Lindsey Dwyer finished second in 79:35:28, with Sarah Ostaszewski third in 80:25:31.
The 2025 race ran through hailstorms and severe weather that reshaped pacing strategies for much of the field. The dual record-breaking performances from Green and Entrekin under those conditions raised the standards expected of future winning times and shifted the perceived ceiling of what was possible on the course.
The Course
The Cocodona 250 course covers 253.3 miles in its 2026 configuration, with course distance varying slightly year to year due to permitting. The route gains approximately 38,791 feet of elevation and loses 33,884 feet, with significant climbs through Crown King, the Mingus Mountains, and the approach to Flagstaff.
The race uses 21 aid stations and 4 water drops across the course. The 125-hour cutoff requires runners to complete the distance in approximately five days. The combination of desert heat in the early sections, mountain weather above 7,000 feet, and the cumulative effect of running for multiple days makes pacing strategy dramatically different from shorter ultras.
The finish at Heritage Square in downtown Flagstaff has become a defining moment of the race, with crowds gathering through the night and into the morning to greet finishers across the multi-day window. The contrast between the desert start and the mountain finish gives the race a narrative arc that few other ultras can match geographically.
Place in the Sport
Cocodona 250 occupies a specific position in the global ultra landscape. It is one of a handful of major 200-plus-mile races that emerged in the late 2010s and 2020s alongside the Tahoe 200, Bigfoot 200, and Moab 240. The race has helped drive growth in the 200-mile category, attracting both established 100-mile veterans and athletes specifically targeting the longer distance.
The race has sold out registration in the days after opening for several recent editions. The 2026 edition's 404-runner field is the largest in race history. The combination of competitive field depth, course geography, and Aravaipa's broadcast and operational standards has positioned Cocodona as the most-watched 200-mile race in the United States and a target event for athletes building careers in the multi-day ultra format.
The race's growth from a 2021 launch to a 2026 sold-out edition with course records pushing under 60 hours for men and under 64 hours for women represents one of the fastest competitive maturations of any ultra-trail race in the sport's history.