My Cocodona 250M Race Recap 2025
- kaoconnor14
- Jun 11
- 37 min read
Updated: Jun 16
A race of this magnitude is broken down into a series of moments, moments that define your experience. There are highs and lows and all in-between. And through it all, you just have to keep the focus on the goal: one foot in front of the other, no matter what, until the Finish, soaking it all in and trying to be present in the moments.
🏃♀️🌵😍
From the race website:
The Cocodona Trail is a curated route through central Arizona linking historic towns and trails off the beaten path. The rich history of the towns linked up through little traveled ranges makes this a one-of-a-kind tour of Arizona. This point to point 250ish foot race will link together the towns of Black Canyon City, Crown King, Prescott, Jerome, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Sedona and Flagstaff in what can only be described as a life changing test of endurance. From the beauty of the Sonoran desert, through canyons and pine forests this is a magical route. The accomplishment of traveling the Cocodona Trail on foot will be one of the most life changing and epic journeys of an endurance athlete's career.
THE COURSE
In my prerace notes from Coach Sarah:
“I know you have it in you to make it to that finish line. The question is how challenging will it be? How much will it ask of you? What will you learn about yourself along the way? What are you willing to let go of to get there? What will you gain from it all? What is it exactly you're searching for out there? Will you find it?"
Just how true her words would be…
Cocodona is known to be hot and exposed by day, and with extreme temperature swings by night, all that add to the challenge of this race.
And this year we were all thrown a curveball.
How it all started:
The night before the race, the Crew is all enjoying family dinner, and I get a text from Cocodona Race Command:
“250Runners - Forecast for Mon night in the Bradshaws & Tue night up-n-over Mingus calls for near freezing temps & rain/snow. Required gear now includes WATERPROOF JACKET W/ HOOD. You must checkout of gear check aid stations & will not be allowed to continue w/out required gear.”
Ha ha ha, um ok…don’t panic. Being from Chicago it’s not like I DON’T know how to handle this weather, it’s just different from what we all prepared for and expected, and definitely nothing I’ve experienced in a multi-day race. But it’s ok, it’s all gonna be ok…right?!
Race morning kicked off EARLY…the 2:30am wake-up came fast, I hope I slept at all!!!
After a ton of coffee and force feeding myself breakfast we were at the Start, and I was in line to get my SPOT tracker (the little GPS device that allows people to follow my dot along course all week)!!
You could feel the excitement and nerves in the air.
Pre-race pics and hugs and goodbyes and I lined up with all the other runners (including Courtney Dauwalter – OMG), it felt like the 1st day of school. I even got a fist bump from Jeff Browning!
5am…It was go time…the 1st 77.3 miles of the course I was solo, but I couldn’t let myself think of allll those miles…one step at a time, one mile at a time.
Day 1 is known as “the hardest part of the course,” with a little over a 50k in mileage and over 11,000 ft of climbing up what seems like a steep staircase that has been littered with all different size gravel, rocks, and boulders (ya fun). I had previewed this section during the training run a month prior, and wasn’t necessarily looking forward to re-doing this section. But I had to go in with a clear mind. Move efficient, be patient, take care of myself, there is a LOT of race left!
Once we all got going and chatting about “where are you from?”, “is this your 1st Cocodona?”, I was reminded how much I love starts, meeting other runners, and getting swept up in the Day 1 energy. Everyone was positive and full of hope (for now lol)!!!
I felt like I was moving well, I loaded up my pack with my 6L of water at the Cottonwood Creek Aid Station (AS) and onward I climbed. Sometimes solo, sometimes with other runners, it was great to meet so many people (Tracy, Ben, Anthony, and more) (and be reunited with some runners I met at the training camp weekend a month earlier (Andy, Erin, Krista) that I would leap frog with for the next few days.
We were either sharing stories, or quieting grinding on the climbs, but it nice to be surrounded by so many people sharing the same dream…Flagstaff or bust!
For hours I would climb and daydream about the days ahead of me, and then snap back into focus, don’t let yourself think too far ahead.
We hit a critical turn around mile 28 and that started the official climb up to Lane Mountain. The sky got grew more and more grey, the wind shifted and it got colder, and it started to rain. In my head I debated over and over, do I put on my rain jacket. Finally the rain was coming down hard, and I knew I needed to be smart, duck under a tree, and get on my gear, to avoid getting cold and soaked.
After hours and hours of climbing, I recognized I was close to the Lane Mountain AS, YESSSSS, it was literally all downhill to the Crew from here, the rain had even let up, and sun was even popping out!
I sent a text out “leaving Lane, running to y’all, whew cold rain”. I think I smiled the whole 4ish miles down to Crown King (mile ~36.6) where I would get to see everyone for the 1st time since the Start. I was really proud of myself for how I tackled this first huge section. I stayed in a positive headspace, kept on my fueling, and was racing smart and was making great time (a huge bonus).
I could hear Julie’s whistle! I had MADE IT! I was ALL SMILES. This was a huge milestone and Crown King was as magical as I had remembered from following the live stream. Laughs with the crew, some great food, a full clothing swap, and got into my rain gear. The livestream camera even got the Crew working their magic on camera! Including me popping a caffeine pill and brushing my teeth lol. Hugs all around, I checked out of the aid station after my mandatory race gear check, and I was back out, now into my 1st night and my next 41 solo miles.
I started to hike with a few other runners (Tanessa, Jack, Greg) which was great to chat and pass time. We climbed up and over Towers Mountain.
We were all struggling with the decision to keep our rain gear on or swap out, we were getting warm hiking, but knew the heavy rain was coming. This was the 1st gear change I made during this stretch, and there would be many MANY more.
Before long the rain hit and BACK into my full rain gear I went.
Then sunset, and it was time to get the lights on.
This section was long (16 miles til the next aid) but I still in good spirits and moving well. The trail was a nice double track, it was softer on the feet and it was easy to navigate.
Just before midnight on Night 1, I hit Arrastra Creek AS and it was glorious!
A tent to shelter from the rain, hot broth (who knew Naak made a nutritional broth – so good), and got some noodles. Got in some good laughs with the volunteers, they couldn’t tell which State I was from (all the bibs had name, bib number and state flag on them, IL’s is kinda random) so I told them I was from Chicago, and they asked, like REALLY Chicago? And I’m like yup, not like Naperville ha ha, the real city!
And while I wanted to stay there longer I knew I had to go, I shouted thank you’s and I was back off onto the trails.
I was doing ok, but I knew tiredness was going to set in the further into the night I went. My “company” was my 80’s movie soundtrack playlist, and I had the Goonies theme song “Good Enough” by Cyndi Lauper stuck in my head on repeat (it became MY theme song too haha).
Next we had two shorter stretches to Kamp Kipa, then Camp W, both were the 1st sleep stations, and depending how I felt, I was going to try and nap at Kamp Kipa.
I had been solo for a bit, the rain was on and off, sometimes a sprinkle, sometimes pouring, and it even snowed a little. It was a constant climb from the last aid station, heading toward Mount Union, with three miles being particularly rocky, muddy, and slick. I was happy to hit Kamp Kipa to get out of the rain, have a REAL bathroom, and maybe nap.
It was now pretty cold and once I stopped moving at the AS, I was starting to shiver. I knew I had to get in some warm food, and get moving. I was definitely getting tired, but I could hear chatter from other runners and it seemed the cabins were cold with the unseasonably cold temperatures, so I knew sleeping here wasn’t an option.
Time to press on.
It was now Day 2 around 3:30am, I couldn’t wait for the sun to come up!
Still lucky to have nice trails, some double track, some single track, and my brain was still firing to keep on good navigation.
I got to Camp W as the sun was rising. It had been a good night, but also a LONG rough night and you could see it on everyone’s faces. I was at a table with some other runners I had spent some of the Day 1 climb with, we all joked how we were tired of the rain, needed to nap, and couldn’t wait to get to Whiskey Row and our crews for the 2nd time in the race.
I even ran into a few runners who did Bigfoot in 2023 when we did it, and we joked that we got Arizona weather for Bigfoot (it was abnormally hot that year, with temperatures getting over 100) and we got Pacific Northwest weather for Cocodona!
Leaving Camp W I was T I R E D. But it was only 8 or so miles until Whiskey Row, keep moving I told myself!
I passed a sign that read “7 Marathons To Go… WTF?!?!” and I laughed and took a picture.
Some nice single track “trotting” and then the course spits you out onto the residential streets of Prescott! It was such a cute town, and neighbors had come out to say hi, cheer us on, offer up water, snacks, and bathrooms! It was so nice to see civilization again!
I was running with another girl (Renata) and we chatted all the way into Whiskey Row, I learned this was her 1st200, and she was SOLO, I told her she was badass, and our conversation made the miles into town go by fast!
A few turns and then I could see the crew from across the road!!! Smiles and yells and jumping all around.
I had made it to Whiskey Row!!! Another milestone checked off! AND I now got to run with a Pacer for the rest of the race!!! (with the exception of 2 sections later).
Seeing the Crew is like an energy rush! Immediately anything that was hard or went wrong melted away!
I briefly told them all about the overnight, the cute camps we had gone through, but also how it just rained ALL NIGHT LONG, and how my feet were definitely hurting from the rocky climbs, and then the mud from the rain.
They told me I was going to do a FULL reset, a SHOWER and sleep in a BED (what??), and get in some hot food. (During Cocodona because you go in and out of towns, some aid stations allow for runners to utilize hotels – it was surreal but also amazing).
As soon as I got up into the room I got cold from stopping, a nice hot shower, fresh clothes and a quick nap with my feet up was what the doctor ordered.
Woke up happy I had slept for a short bit, and took care of my feet, popped a couple blisters, re-taped my big toes, got in fresh shoes, and got ready for the next section.
Jaime and I blew kisses to the Crew and we were off, back on the streets of Prescott!
It was so amazing to be running with her, the sun was out and we were all smiles running out of Whiskey Row. She told me all about THEIR Day 1 and the fun they had at Bumble Bee Ranch (the Crew holding spot before your runner’s number got called releasing you to head to Crown King). And told her alllll about my 1st Day/Night.
I was telling some story and referenced a Ghostbusters movie quote, and she was like huh? And I’m like it’s from GHOSTBUSTERS, how do you NOT know, and she’s like I don’t know? And just laughed out loud for a while.
We were moving well and entering the Granite Dells, these incredible bubbly rock formations that we rock hopped, scrambled, and navigated around. It was beautiful but also the slickrock was TOUGH on my already painful feet. Jaime reminded me to take it all in, to be present. She was like this is the fun stuff, and I’m like this would be fun on a casual hike, not during a 200 lol.
Then back into neighborhoods and on our way to the Iron King AS, trotting what we could. We knew we were going to be quick here, it was in and out and back on our way now to Fain Ranch. On paper this section looks “flat” but you are crossing a cattle ranch with uneven footing, hidden cacti, and fun rocks to accidentally kick with your feet, and climb up and over the occasional a-frame ladder to get you through barbed wire fencing.
This is when I started to get REALLY worried about my feet. Jaime could tell I was being quiet, and asked if anything was wrong. I told her my feet were like an 11/10 pain, and how worried I was knowing I had a LOT of race still ahead of me. My feet didn’t hurt this bad this soon at Bigfoot or in any of my 100s, so I was concerned. She told me to not hold it in and I just started to cry. I knew there were a lot of runnable sections that I HOPED and PLANNED to RUN, but how could I with my feet in this much pain. (And trust me I know I signed up for pain, but this intense (and on Day 2) caught me off guard).
She reassured me I was strong, I would get through this.
As we made our way thru the ranch field you could see the sky darkening next to us, and hear thunder in the distance. Ugh oh.
We both looked at each other, and I was like whoa you look superimposed, I need to take a picture! The stark difference between the golden field and the dark storm rolling in was crazy.
We got to Fain Ranch JUST IN TIME, got in the van and the sky opened up and it was a complete downpour. We felt so bad for everyone caught out in that, but felt very lucky we didn’t get completely soaked (I learned later there was actually a funnel cloud spotted South of us). I was relieved but also wondered what the weather forecast was for Night 2, as we were climbing Mingus Mountain. Bill and Gwen went to the aid station to ask about the weather, and it seemed we had a little window of no rain, but then more storms were expected that night.
We all had a nice Crew moment in the van while we waited out the storm before getting ready to head back out.
Becca was now jumping in and we got suited up in our mandatory rain gear to try and catch the dry window over the next hour to start the next section.
We waved to the Crew and off we went back into the cattle field. This section is known for kinda being soul sucking. Per the race section description: “Pick your way through grass, sage, catclaw, open plain, and sandy draws, and eventually you’ll come to the last a-frame ladder over a barbed wire fence and leave Fain land.”
The field was now a mud pit from the rain. Every step was slippery, deep mud.
Becca was sharing all about her recent European vacation which was our entertainment.
We were trying to make the best of it, but this already slow moving section was even SLOWER. We were barely averaging 20min/miles on flat (yet crappy footing) land. And of course the soaking rain was back.
I could tell my spirits were dampening. I didn’t want to feel down, but knowing this was a slogfest and we still had the big Mingus climb ahead of us, plus an impending storm, it was hard to see the positive.
But we managed some laughs because otherwise you’d cry. And the Crew drove by and gave us a honk, a woot woot, and a wave, which made us smile. And we spotted a rainbow in the distance!!
We were literally hiking feet from a fence that separated the field from the road, like WHY couldn’t we just be on the road, versus barely moving through this field. It was torture to be so close to something we could run on but have to trudge through the thick mud.
Finally through this stretch, we hit the Mile 100 sign (which also said "How long is this race?!) lol! and onto more normal single track, and it was time to turn our lights on. You could see Mingus in the distance and the sky was looking more and more threatening.
We made our way onto a forest road and actually tried to trot a little (at least I think we did) which even though it hurt, felt amazing and was a huge spirit boost. We were finally climbing and seemed to be making decent time. I was just happy to be out of the mud. You could tell we were getting higher in elevation because our surroundings felt less desert and more evergreen lined and it got colder as we climbed.
Getting into Mingus Mountain was a relief, we had planned a much needed rest here. The volunteers cheered as we got into the station, it was such a warm welcome, and it was busy in there, everyone trying to get dry and warm and reset after the hours of being in the dark cold rain.
Becca and I settled in by the fireplace and regrouped. She noticed they had massage therapists on hand (omg what!) so I got a quick 10 minute back and lower leg massage which was magic, I almost passed out on the table.
We ate some hot food and laughed about just how muddy I had gotten. The Crew got us both bundled up to sleep, it was a damp, chilly night.
This was the wildest mid-race sleep I had ever gotten, vivid dreams, some panic jump wake-ups, and even woke up once not knowing where I was, what I was doing, why I was sleeping in a car lol.
Now Day 3, we woke up and got ready to set out for another notoriously challenging section, the rocky descent down into Jerome.
We bundled up and headed back into the aid station. It was quiet in there now and I got a nervous pit in my stomach. I knew I had been moving slower due to my feet and the mud. I asked the crew point blank if I needed to be worried. They quickly reassured me I was making good time, I was actually still tracking close to my spreadsheet, and had moved my way up. They were like see all the drop bags still left, you are ok, you are doing great.
Quick hugs and we were off. While this section was supposed to be challenging, it also was supposed to have a beautiful sunrise if you got here at the right time, so I was hopeful.
We started out in a gorgeous pine forest, weaving our way through the single track and on and off rain. And about two hours in, we did get treated to an incredible sunrise. We had a brief break in the clouds and it was so epic. You could see all the way down to Jerome.
Before long the fog rolled back in and the sky was back to being moody.
This descent was no joke. There was SO. MUCH. MUD. And Arizona mud is just special. We had already been through so much mud leaving Fain Ranch, but this was different, it was like another pacer put it…peanut butter.
Literally you would step, sink, and then PULL your foot out, hoping your shoe came with you. Over…and over…and over.
Becca and I slogged our way down, slowly but surely, somehow keeping the spirits high.
My feet still hurt but were sorta numbing out, it was crazy my muscles FELT GREAT, it was just my feet talking to me. But I was thankful for alllll the heavy lifting sessions I did because my body while in pain still felt strong.
Once again we laughed at just how much mud/clay was on our shoes and up our calves. We each had to be carrying a few pounds more on our shoes. I somehow had managed to fling mud all over myself.
We hiked back and forth with another girl (Stephanie) who was sharing with us her epic stories of running UTMB.
Once we hit the road section down to Jerome, we just RAN. And haha, OF COURSE, it started to rain on us as we descended, and then just down poured, but it didn’t even matter, we were RUNNING.
Becca let the Crew know we were close and I had her ask them if the aid station knew if the course was muddy past this point (I just had to know to mentally prepare hahah)(and supposedly the worst was behind us).
It was also Julie’s BIRTHDAY! (yes omg my Crew Chief celebrated her freaking birthday while crewing Cocodona, I mean wow, just wow).
I had birthday hats and noise makers in my drop bag, we got her birthday crown hat ready, noise makers handed out and all sang to her Happy Birthday, all while it just poured behind us.
It was such a nice reset and just felt like a real moment outside of race mode to have at this stretch of the race.
And it was a great aid station. We enjoyed the most delicious tacos I’ve ever eaten. Like THE BEST. And just smiled, laughed, and celebrated.
We decided not to swap out my shoes or socks (which were soaked) because the next section I was heading out on had the Verde River crossing in it (yay fun water, jk).
Jaime and I checked out of the aid station and grabbed some cinnamon roll waffles (again just amazing).
Shortly after leaving the aid station we ran into the “Half-ish Way Sign” (which also said halfway gone? to hell? meet me?) which made us laugh and we snapped a picture.
This section to Dead Horse wasn’t too technical, besides the river crossing, so we enjoyed time chatting and ended up leap frogging with another girl (Mila) who ran Bigfoot the same year I did. It was nice to chat with her and make our way down to the river in what seemed like good time!
Jaime talked me down from being nervous about crossing the river. I laughed with her on my river crossing experiences at Bigfoot, and reminded her I’m a land animal lol.
The river was maybe knee deep and was moving pretty quickly (at least for me). We walked side by side and Jaime talked me through the whole crossing. (I probably held her arm for dear life lol).
Once we got safely to the other side I was like, oh wow, ok that was refreshing, the ice cold water on the sore feet, plus the river cleaned away so much of the mud and clay.
She was like, SEEEE, you did it!!
It was a great wake-up too, the day was starting to get hot, so the cold water was a gentle slap on the face lol.
And we were back with the Crew again before we knew it! Dead Horse was a nice aid station in a state park. We got set up at a picnic table and I did a full reset on my feet (after a genius foot bath from Julie in an extra large Ziploc bag – again I got a foot bath from the birthday girl – how lucky am I).
Jaime and I refueled and set back out on the trails heading to Deer Pass. You could tell we were getting closer to Sedona as the red rocks were coming into sight. It was beautiful. We were power hiking mixed with some trotting, and this section had tons of gates to open and close and relock.
She would create a bit of a gap and I trotted along trying to keep the gap tight. I know this game from other races, and I was trying to keep up, but could feel myself slipping a bit slower. I wanted to go but it felt like I was in slow motion.
Again snapping myself back into the present, don’t think about all you have left to go, just worry about right here and now.
Give what you have to stay with Jaime.
The sky was beautiful and we hit Deer Pass just before sunset.
After a relatively quick aid station, Becca and I set out for Sedona.
I let her know I was feeling tired, I was trying to push but my body and mind were telling me otherwise. I said we’d probably power hike a lot of this section knowing we’d be doing it in the dark.
Night 3 was upon us as we made our way through the red slick rock. Sedona is an official “dark sky” territory, so once it was dark, the sky lit up with the moon and stars , it was beautiful. We couldn’t see the formations but the sky was putting on a show. There were so many HUGE prickly pear bushes, they seemed to line the trail.
We ended up working with a couple of guys and our conversation was a welcome distraction for us all. One of the guys had run Cocodona before so he was trying to let us know when we were close to the water drop and then close to being in town.
All of us were talking about how much our feet just HURT…was it leftover from the rocky climb on Day 1, the mud that seemed to be never-ending, the hard terrain, or just the point we were in the race.
The trail eventually spit us out on the streets of Sedona and I remembered the area from when Jaime and I had come for a training weekend a month prior.
We seemed to be hiking along this one road with our eyes set on the street light ahead forever, it just never got closer lol.
Finally hit the next turn and we all spotted javelinas in the bushes by a Domino’s. That got us all laughing.
We were still with the guys we had been jumping back and forth with. While these roads were all runnable you could tell all we had was the energy to hike it into the aid station.
Becca and I got to the Sedona AS a little past midnight, a quick bite to eat and time to hit another planned rest.
Jaime and I woke up on Day 4 and the sun was starting to rise, our timing had worked out perfectly. We would be set up to climb Hangover in the daylight! I got to enjoy coffee out of a mug…which I joked with Jaime made me feel so normal and human again, just the simple act of drinking coffee out of a mug, like I would every morning at home, felt so comforting. It was such a uplifting way to start this section, which we knew was going to be one of the toughest.
This segment started out on the road. Jaime and I were in good spirits, chatting, laughing, and moving well!!! Heading up a road to the trailhead we spotted wild javelinas crossing the road! (too funny too as the Crew saw some back on the 1st day by the AIRBNB, and thought they were warthogs, because never have we ever seen javelinas). They were awkward little guys, and looked like a mix of a pig and a corgi dog with mohawk back fur lol.
We then hit the 1st trailhead we remembered it from the training weekend! Ok a few miles on this single track and then we would hit it…the Hangover Trail…
Per the race section description: “Hangover is the crown jewel of Sedona single-track. The trail snakes through the Painted Dome, Teapot, and Merry Go-Round red rock spires and will probably make you cry for the beauty. You’ll see. If you have a fear of heights and are not used to traversing slickrock, this section may be scary for you.” MAY be a scary section – lol yup it’s scary, it IS stunningly beautiful but it’s also extremely exposed, requires rock scrambles, and is highly (thank you to Kevin from Distance to Empty podcast for this terminology) “consequential” (meaning you misstep or fall, and welp… you can guess the outcome).
Hitting this section at sunrise, was breathtakingly stunning. But we also knew in the back of our minds what was ahead of us.
As we approached this section, Jaime and I asked the universe to have our backs, and I spoke up into the sky to my Dad and said, please keep us safe!!
We were laser focused and followed the white painted dots on the red slick rock. The section starts on a narrow ledge of sorts and then you turn and you have three major climbs to scramble up and over. We found the best footing, and with 100% trust in ourselves got up and over, one after the other.
We were confident and calm. We moved with precision and before we knew had hit the top of the climbs and the trail evened out.
Jaime and I let out a huge sigh of relief, high fives, a huge hug, and sent a pic to the Crew “we made it thru safely.” AHH thank you universe and thank you Dad!
Again another major milestone hit! We were on cloud nine and thought let’s use this momentum to make good progress to the next aid station! There were still some technical sections left, but we were through the worst of it.
It was now getting hot, which was quite the contrast after days of cooler than usual temperatures and cold rain. We made our way through the slickrock and could hear the live stream drones overhead, so we HAD to run hahaha.
We were thru the red rocks and now onto a steep forest road that seemed to climb on forever. We knew there was a water stop up ahead but it seemed to always be a mile away. Trying to stay in the little slivers of shade we could find, we finally hit the water stop and had a few miles to the next aid station.
We were spit out onto some nice fairly flat single track and then you could see Foxboro Ranch in distance! It was the most beautiful ranch I had ever seen, it was a glorious oasis.
We trotted into the Crew and they told me I had a massage set up – OMG what!!
Another huge perk of Cocodona, they truly have incredible aid stations, some that had medics and massage therapists on hand to help! I got 15 minutes of body TLC on my quads to help with my knees, and my shins/calves to help with my achilles, ankles, and feet. Followed by a delicious cold brew from Freeform (our new fav coffee spot in Sedona) and some buttered noodles…this was PURE heaven!
I was a new person! Still on a high from the challenging Sedona section that Jaime and I conquered and ready to tackle my 1st of 2 mandatory solo sections (which was due the endangered Mexican Spotted Owl nesting nearby the trail, the forest service limited the runners allowed to pass through to just Cocodona runners, no pacers). (I sadly didn’t see any owls.)
I love yous, byes, and waves to the crew and I was off, my tunes would be my company for the next few hours.
Foxburo Ranch to Munds Park was a 16 mile section, which was known to be monotonous, but honestly I was ok with that. A chance to just grind and not worry about navigation or technical terrain was welcome by mile 177 or so.
The course made it’s way near I-17 and I saw a sign pointing to Phoenix to the Left, and Flagstaff to the Right. It was so perfect in that moment to reflect on where I had been and where I was going.
This section was wide double track through pines. The sun continued to beat down. I would run for a bit, maybe a ¼ mile, and then my knee would intensify with pain, and then I would power hike. I thought to myself if I can keep this under 17min/mile pace, I’d be excited! I even saw a few 15min/miles and that kept me pushing. I could see someone up in the distance and started to play the let’s go catch them game. Music blaring in my ears, I just continued to grind away, and passed, 1, 2, then 5, 6, 7 people. This was giving me life! I was in a groove and making great time. Once I got into cell service I let the crew know I was in town and maybe a few miles from the aid station. I told them it would be great if I could get my knees taped up, because as the section went on, I pressed on, but my right knee was becoming more and more painful.
I got into the aid station and the Crew got me right into the Medic Tent and an incredible medic did the best tape job I’ve ever seen on my knees.
Jaime was getting ready to hop into these next two sections while I housed some food and got in a nice reset.
Energy and spirits were high. We set out on a double section that had a non-crewable aid station midway through. Heading to Kelly Canyon was good single track, some plush pine needle lined trails and some filled with decent sized rocks that weren’t as easy on the feet. This section also had a lot of race intersections (where the 250 went one way and the 125 went another).
Jaime would trot ahead of me and I’d try, but my knee just continued to worry me. I said I’m trying to keep up, but I also worry about how my knee will feel with all the race we have left to run. But we tried and trotted where we could. I wished I could have run more, but knew I was doing the best I could with how my body felt at this point in the race.
Jaime even mentioned her feet starting to hurt – and I was like please tell me, it helps me know that it’s not just MY FEET lol.
We caught up to a runner and his pacer, and they were looking at something in the distance. We were like do you see, an animal? No, they said, that’s Elden there in the distance (the FINAL climb of the race). The mountain seemed larger than life, and had snow on the top. OMG ok don’t think about it, don’t worry about it. (we learned later it was Humphreys Peak (over 12,000’ high) and NOT Mount Elden THANK GOODNESS).
The single track opened up to nice wide double track and we were able to run side by side.
In this section we hit the “Two Marathons To Go, no joke!” sign. (I flipped it off lol).
And then somehow the last 26 miles came up, and I said something like ohhhh you are running the last 26 with me for sure? Julie mentioned something about maybe me doing the 1st 6ish solo. And Jaime goes, OH that’s an option?
And then she’s like oh ya you can do that part solo!!
I stopped and stomped down my poles and was like OMG WHY DID I OPEN MY MOUTH, ARE YOU CRAZY, NO-NO I CAN’T DO THAT SECTION SOLO!!
We got a GOOOD laugh out of that. (and don’t worry she reassured me she’d be with me the whole 26 miles ).
Nightfall was coming and we got our lighting out, but decided to layer up once we hit the aid station.
At Kelly Canyon, you could see the race had taken it’s toll, people were zombies, some napping at tables, others trying to sleep on cots, it was rough. We knew we had to make quick time here to not get sucked into the energy. We had some broth, got on our cold weather gear and got going.
We had a short section of single track and then onto a dirt road. Since we were in our cold gear, somehow I brought up that she should just keep the gear I lent her for the race, knowing there would be more of these crazy adventures in the future (wink wink).
And I was like ahhhhahah, it’s like from Goonies, the gear is like that moment between Sloth and Chunk, “you live with me now, I’m gonna take care of ya.”
We died laughing, like crying tears laughing. Was it that funny? I don’t know, but maybe in our tired stooper it was that hysterical.
We were moving along and the dirt road dead ended into a paved road we were on for a few miles. At this point, we were getting closer and closer to Fort Tuthill, and my 2nd mandatory solo section, and I couldn’t help but think about it.
It was also getting cold. We debated and debated if we should stop to put on our puffer jackets or keep pushing forward. Finally deciding we just needed to be smart and not get too cold and got them on.
Jaime could tell I was quiet and asked if I was ok.
I just said I was thinking about the next section, and how I really didn’t want to do it alone. That 16 miles felt SO LONG. That it could take me 8hrs to finish…
She was like you can’t think about it like that, you have to break it down into manageable chunks. She reassured me how strong I was mentally and physically and that I could do this.
We hiked along a little while longer and I was just spiraling internally. All the apprehension, fear, nerves, was just building and building, my anxiety was through the roof.
I broke down and ugly cried to Jaime, I just didn’t want to do this next section. It was notorious for being confusing with lots of trail intersections, lots of turns and winding trails, and miles of trail that all look similar. GREAT I get to do this alone…in the dark…tired…hurting…at mile 210. I kept telling her it’s 16 miles… 1-6… that is going to take me FOREVER. I said I just need a hug.
After a hug and many reassurances from Jaime we continued to move on.
She would remind me you are strong, you can do this.
She messaged the Crew my “mental state” and said they had 2 options for me: 1) sleep now (it was 11:18pm) and then head out on the solo section, OR 2) knock the section out and sleep after. I KNEW I had to just do this section, if I TRIED to sleep, I was just going to spiral more…and sitting in my anxiety was not where I wanted be.
I told Jaime, I just have to go, I just have to get this section done. She told me that was the right decision and reassured me I was strong and she knew I could do it.
And it wasn’t like quitting was on the table, it NEVER was, I just DIDN’T want to do this section with all my being. It was all the things that make me uncomfortable and all my anxieties wrapped into one 16 mile section.
We got into Fort Tuthill and I put on a smile. Happy to see the Crew but also dreading that I would have to leave and head out on my own.
We headed inside, and you could see the livestream camera and I waved and said hi. The Crew quickly got me set up with coffee and a hot meal. I got a little teary eyed and they just all kept reminding me you got this and then you have Jaime for the last 26, the LAST DAY was after this section!
I ran into Andrew from Happy Cast and he came over to say hi, and was like whoa look at you smiling, and said I’m trying haha, but the elevation profile for this section looked daunting, especially on tired eyes and legs. He reassured me the profile was way blown out of proportion, not to worry, it’s not that bad.
I did my required “mental assessment” (too funny, to mentally assess anyone at this point of a 200+ race)…they ask your name, where you are from, and then one that almost got me, “how did you get here?”, I was like “on foot?”, (or did they mean a plane lol) but I passed!! (good I guess?) and passed the mandatory gear check.
I said tearful goodbyes to the crew and I was off into the darkness, it was around midnight.
A quick sign fix (the course marker had been messed with so I fixed before heading out lol) and a couple turns on sidewalks and roads and then I was into the trails and the turns and the confusing intersections started. Ugh, ok don’t get scared, don’t get frustrated. Just keep GAIA open and go slow, slow and moving forward is better than getting lost.
Every so often I would look far in the distance, trying to spot a headlamp...no one.
Then I would look back, hoping to see SOMEONE coming from the aid station, I would just wait for them…no one.
Eventually I had to give up on the idea that ANYONE else was going to be out there, I had to come to terms with that. I was doing this section all alone, and I’d be ok.
I put back on my 80’s movie soundtrack playlist and after a few songs (yup started with the Goonies again) the song “Stand By Me” came on. And wow the lyrics hit and I could feel the emotion welling up inside me…
“When the night has come,
And the land is dark,
And the moon is the only light we'll see.
No, I won't be afraid,
Oh, I won't be afraid,
Just as long as you stand,
Stand by me.”
Stay strong I told myself. Stay strong.
Finally then I saw a sign that I was entering the Arizona Trail! OK now I just need to stick on this for a while.
The section seemed to be lasting forever.
Climbing was going well, but descending was making my already painful knee(s) hurt even more. But I pressed on.
I told myself I wouldn’t check my watch until I could see that dawn was coming.
I waited and waited. Finally you could see the sky lightening, and I checked, ok 5ish miles to go. But then I was checking my watch like every few minutes, I knew I had to stop checking and just keep pressing forward.
Once I had 3ish miles left, I texted the crew. I would swear I had gone a half mile, would check and I was at like 2.95, OMG. Ok once again, stop checking, just press on.
This last stretch had a decent uphill that I was power hiking as fast as I could.
When I heard Julie’s whistle, it was magic to my ears….I HAD MADE IT!!
I could have cried – tears of joy and also tears of being so damn proud of myself.
Around 7:30am, on FRIDAY, DAY 5, a little tap tap on the shoulder and Jaime was waking me up with a smile for the LAST DAY, THE LAST PUSH!
We had made it… to the last day, I KNEW I was going to finish TODAY, there was still work to be done, but I was going to ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF TODAY, no matter what, TODAY was a celebration.
Some coffee and chatting with the Crew, a little rest, some food, and fresh clothes, and I felt more alive!
Jaime and I said our goodbyes to the Crew and with some LFG’s we were off. Sure things hurt but it was the last day, so pain was irrelevant. We got turned around in a few confusing spots, but again, nothing was going to get me down, just regroup and back on course we went.
This section wasn’t hard, it was just hard to navigate…maybe it was the course markings, maybe it was our brains, but forward progress was progress.
We power hiked and trotted a little and stayed light and chatted and joked, it was the last day!
We made it into the Wildcat Hill aid station and wanted to be efficient and were excited to start the Elden climb. The Crew had our mandatory gear all set up for us and filled our packs.
[Several parts of this race had extra mandatory gear we were required to carry for safety or due to weather, leaving Wildcat heading to Elden was one where cold weather gear was required since we were going to be summiting a mountain (getting up to 9,000’) (even though it was daytime) anything can happen.]
Wildcat had great energy – anyone coming through knew the Finish was in sight, just a massive climb up and down Elden stood in our way.
We fueled up, got our packs on (which were loaded) and we were in and out in fifteen minutes!!!
They had a fun bell to ring on your way out…we hiked side by side, to the sound of cowbells, I rang the bell, the Crew hooted and whistled. The next time we’d see them was at Heritage Square, the Finish!
Shortly after we left, Jaime mentioned she got a text from Gwen.
It was about our placement in the race.
Jaime was like normally, you know I take this Crew information and share it how it makes sense, not telling you everything, but I’m going to share it all this time.
We had the discussion that original goals were out of sight. (which I knew and was ok with, these races force you to adapt, on top of the crazy weather we endured, and I knew I had given it my all so far). BUT we still had things to chase!
Gwen let her know that I had moved up significantly overnight, I was now the 104th runner, and 23rd female.
OK, LFG, we both got super excited, motivated, and in full “cookin pushin” mode, determined to get in under 100, and stay under top 25 female.
We knew when we were in the last aid station, there were two other female runners and their pacers close to us.
We just need to maintain our intensity and try and pick off a few more people.
This is where we shine…moving strong at the end of a race when others fade.
We had a couple miles of twists and turns after leaving the aid station.
Then it was upon us…the Elden Climb. The trail was perfect single track, beautiful and buttery.
Hiking up Elden, we knew… respect the mountain, keep doing like we do… staying focused, pushing at a consistent pace.
We chatted and climbed and snacked, weaving our way up switchbacks. We hit the “1/2 Marathon To Go” sign, which was wild.
We stopped to snack and Jaime had me get out her bag of potato chips. (note: this was a huge bag of chips). We both snagged some and the salt hit. It was getting warm and the chips were just what we needed. When I went to put them back in her pack, I proceeded to absolutely annihilate them trying to squeeze them back in her pack. I immediately started to bust out cry laughing and she’s like did you crush ALL the chips. We literally were doubled over laughing. After we both caught our breath from laughing so hard we continued to climb.
The views were spectacular, a full 360 degree panoramic. You wanted to be constantly looking around but needed to be focused on your footing as the trail narrowed as we climbed higher.
At times the wind howled at us, and sounded like a train coming in from the distance, reminding us how high up we were.
We hit what we thought (or I thought) had to be the summit, we snapped a picture and Jaime sent it off to the Crew…and then I realized, after looking around and at the course on Gaia, we had more to climb. There are these communication towers at the top, and we still had a ways to go to reach them (I knew this was the actual summit from watching years of the livestream).
We were now off the single track and on a forest road up to the top.
The climb up to Elden was epic, it had taken us several hours, we climbed so strong, with several of the miles gaining 400-500 ft per mile, and we kept our pace at or sub 20min/mile. We had made it to THE TOP! I told Jaime we have to find the “Elden sign” and take a picture, or I’d forever regret it lol.
(IYKYK, I am obsessed with trail signs).
Wearing a huge smile on my face, I got my picture (thank you Jaime) and she texted the Crew that we were actually at the summit and now going to make our way down.
We were so excited, another huge milestone, the final climb! We knew the descent was supposed to be gnarly though, so we still had to remain focused.
Now down off the summit, and we hit the rocky descent. Per the race section description, “if we haven’t painted the experience appropriately yet; you’ll drop 2,000’ in 2 miles, covering 40 steep and technical switchbacks with big steps down. Sorry! When you finally come to rest at the bottom, wipe your tears.”
This trail was a thing out of my nightmares…steep descents, filled with large boulders to navigate on a body that was shot. We cautiously started making our way down. We were trying to keep our spirits high, but it was slow going, we hit a 45min/mile or so, which was deflating.
But we kept pushing forward. And then, Jaime went down, hard, and from my vantage point it seemed like she hit her leg into a rock, I was worried it was serious. I’m like are you ok? She said yeah, but I twisted my ankle bad. She was so strong and shook it off and was like, ok we gotta keep moving so I can keep this ankle from getting stiff.
You could see Flagstaff below, we just had to get there.
Finally we were out of the hellish boulder field and on a normal trail, BUT it was a navigating nightmare with tons of trail intersections which didn’t seem to be marked, so with the help of my watch and Gaia we made our way forward.
Finally we hit Trinity Heights, THE LAST AID STATION, and another victory. We had planned to run right through but the long ascent and slow, steep descent we had been rationing water for a while.
The volunteers were amazing and came running up to us asking how they could help, and took our bottles to refill with water to save us time.
We were in and out quick, and asked as we ran out…
It’s all road from here right?...No some trail with a few rollers, THEN the road…
I was like UGH ARE YOU KIDDING!!
At this point I was over trails lol and just wanted the flat road to RUN!!! I had been dreaming of these last 4 miles.
They def changed that or don’t show it all on the livestream lol. It seemed like you finish the descent off Elden and then boom you are in Buffalo Park and then on the streets of Flagstaff. And it looks FLAT. Wtf
Hey that’s ok, remember we are going to enjoy every last minute of this day and our final miles!!
A mile or so through some winding trails and then we were IN Buffalo Park (which too wasn’t as flat as it appears on TV lol). We were chatting, laughing, and RUNNING. I even asked her, is it stupid that we are running? My knee is killing me. And she was like stupid left DAYS ago when you started this thing, hahahah, I’m running on a sprained ankle, and I can only imagine how your body feels. And we laughed. Ok we keep running!
It was surreal to be IN Flagstaff, people going about their typical Fridays, and we are just running through it. I think my brain was flooded with everything that had happened in the days leading up to being here now.
People cheered us on as we made our way through the park and now FINALLY onto the roads of Flagstaff.
I had wanted this moment so bad, dreaming about it for a year, but it was also bittersweet to be nearing the Finish. In minutes this would all be over. It’s like the whole race up to this point, all my training for the past year, flashed before my eyes.
The Crew let us know we had an opportunity to pass a couple runners and help our placement even further, and we pushed. I was breathing heavy, Jaime kept reminding me to relax, in through my noise and out through my mouth. I could tell we were pushing hard, and I could also feel the flood of emotion.
Jaime and I powered through the streets, and before we knew it, a livestream cameraman was running next to us! We were running so strong, and my breathing had relaxed, it was like my body knew this is what we do, we finish strong.
We chatted with the cameraman, and I mentioned I don’t want to wear shoes for a year.
It was like living in a dream.
The volunteer reminded us that we have the famous left turn on Birch coming up, and then a right turn right after the Janji column.
I’ve watched this livestream for years, and now I was on it, running side by side, smiling alongside Jaime.
And then we were there, turning right into Heritage Square.
I could hear the Crew whistling and yelling, Jaime and I hugged, and then THE FINISH.
It all happened so fast I don’t think it hit me…it…was…DONE.
All the emotions flooded me.
WE FINISHED….
17th Female, 87th Overall
109 hours and 20 minutes and 23 seconds
261.1 Miles
41,463 ft climbed
21 aid stations
7.75 hours of sleep
2 pairs of shoes
7ish socks
5 mountain summits (Lane, Towers, Union, Mingus, Elden)
1 water crossing
And a couple of rock scrambles (what!?!?!)
I can say this was one of the most impactful experiences of my life. You learn a lot about yourself during 109 hours on foot. Never have I had to dig deeper, believe more, and trust I was going to make it. Because I wanted to keep pushing, testing myself, can I endure more.
You just have to believe, lows won’t remain lows forever, pain numbs away, the beauty of the experience will always shine through. I’m beyond grateful to get to have these experiences made special by sharing them with the best of the best.
Life, like Ultras, is meant to be shared…together. The Crew: you all were my lifeline, the countless miles shared, sleepless hours, laughs (and tears), rocks, rain, mud, hugs and LFGs, these “epics” are about the people, the relationship bonds, and the memories. I LOVE YOU ALL and THANK YOU. 💚💚💚
I cannot wait to do it all again - next one Crew choice?!
During those five days on trails…traveling on foot from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff…
Ran the most miles solo I’ve ever run…
Traveled the farthest I’ve ever gone…
Faced fears, extreme weather, and summited mountains…
And made myself so damn proud.
