The Ultra Minute: The Queen of Cocodona
Rachel Entrekin goes back-to-back, Rookie Dan stuns, and 12k of us can't look away, plus more from this week in trail and ultra
Issue 40
Whew, Cocodona week! I’m just catching my breath as I write this on Thursday, having been a bit attached to the livestream. More on that in a minute, but first a quick thanks before we dive in:
Last week I introduced a paid option for The Ultra Minute, and six of you signed on right away. Truly, thank you. Your early support means a lot and is a good first step toward making this a sustainable longterm project.
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Now, back to Cocodona…
Queen Rachel and Rookie Dan Rewrite Cocodona History
As her lead grew, so did the livestream commentary. “Queen of Cocodona,” they called her. And it stuck. A nod, maybe, to "King of Moab," the recent film about Max Joliffe’s win at the Moab 240. Rachel Entrekin fully earned the crown, obliterating the women's course record by over seven hours to finish in 63:50:55, good enough for fourth overall. Rachel’s race wasn’t just fast. It was infectious. She radiated relentless positivity, laughing with her crew, and cracking jokes. With back-to-back Cocodona titles now in hand, I have to imagine she won't remain unsponsored for long. The queen has spoken. Brands: your move.
On the men's side, rookie Dan Green raced like a veteran. While favorites like Courtney Dauwalter and defending champ Haroldas Subertas pushed early paces they ultimately couldn’t sustain, Dan stayed patient, slowly climbing the leaderboard. After swapping the lead with ultra veteran Ryan Sandes, Dan took control decisively and powered through brutal conditions (frigid rain and relentless mud) to set a new course record by more than an hour, finishing in 58:47:18. How chill was Dan? He drank a Coors Light approaching the finish line and promptly shotgunned another right after. "You’ve gotta have good friends," he reflected immediately after finishing, which I think sums up the ultra spirit, and especially Cocodona, quite well.
Edher Ramirez surprised everyone (except maybe himself) with a breakout third-place finish in 63:10:13, crossing the line alongside his wife and kids. Lindsey Dwyer, gritted out some low points to hold on for the second-place women's finish in 79:35:28, and Sarah Ostaszewski finished third in 80:25:31.
Huge props to Mountain Outpost and the rest of the livestream crew, who made the event feel like the ultimate ultra-community gathering. Last year, I believe the peak viewership for the Cocodona stream was around 6,500. This year? I personally saw over 12,000 tuned in live as Dan Green jogged toward history. (Edit: Jamil Coury sent me the hard data: a peak of 13.7k concurrent viewers!) And according to on Instagram, they’ve already had 130k views of stream 1. The sport is growing. And Cocodona is something truly special.
Maybe that's why Rachel resonated so deeply. Her infectious energy and genuine joy, not to mention her historic run, embodied exactly why people were glued to their screens, and everything we love about this community. So, before we move on, one last time: All hail the Queen.
More from Cocodona
Pre-race favorite, Courtney Dauwalter, dropped at mile 108. Prior to that she ran near the front and eventually took the lead from early pace setter, Harry Subertas. On camera she looked strong and relaxed (typical Courtney), so I was quite surprised to see her call it a day at mile 108. And to put that in perspective, in her career with nearly 100 ultra starts, she’s only DNF’d a handful (including this one). We don’t know the exact cause, but the pace through that first 100 miles was extremely quick (~18.5 hours), and the cold, wet weather surely didn’t help. She has since posted on Instagram that she experienced a “full body shutdown.”
In the "Battle of the Podcast Hosts" (ok they weren’t really battling but they are both well known podcast hosts so let’s go with it), Singletrack's Finn Melanson impressed with a 6th-place finish, proving he's more than just a "fast media guy." He's genuinely fast. Meanwhile, podcast celebrity Cameron Hanes delighted his fans by finishing 18th, despite reportedly running with a broken foot and being over 20 years Finn's senior.
Fan favorite Max Joliffe, the "King of Moab," also drew massive support in chat but unfortunately had to DNF around mile 230 due to breathing issues. He vowed to return, posting on Instagram, "I’ll be back next year, the saga continues… Cocodona 250 1 / Max 0."
Defending champ Harry Subertas blazed a scorching early pace but faded after a fall. He told Tara Dower on day two, “I burned myself up a bit” but stayed strong and managed to finish 5th overall.
Jeff Garmire became the race’s first five-time finisher, gutting out 10th place after a tough start. I see now that he’s already posted a recap video to his YouTube channel (that was fast!) and the opening line, “I just ran the Cocodona 250 and that was the biggest gap ever between what I thought was happening in a race and what was actually happening” has me excited for the full watch.
While you’re on YouTube, don’t miss the Cocodona Chronicles: well-produced short films that were captured, edited, and posted during the race. Episode links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
At the finish line Dan was asked if he’d consider doing Western States if he got in, to which he aptly replied, “Yea, why wouldn’t I?” without needing to think about it. He currently sits 4th on the Western States waitlist, having moved up two spots that I know of just this week.
Additional Results
Megan Eckert smashed the women’s 6-day world record at the Six Days of France, covering 603.155 miles, which is nearly 43 miles farther than Camille Herron’s previous mark. The 38-year-old American averaged 4.12 mph over the full 144 hours and came just 3 miles short of Joe Fejes’ U.S. men’s record (606.243 miles). Ivan Zaborsky of Russia also set a new men’s world record with 650.919 miles, narrowly edging Matthieu Bonne’s 2024 performance (649.655 miles).
Jenna Bensko and Amanda Basham went 1–2 overall at the Collegiate Peaks 25 Miler, with Bensko holding off Basham by just 45 seconds for the win in 3:27. Basham called it a “fun training day,” chasing Bensko the entire race.
Kristina Randrup won the Miwok 100K in 10:09:16, finally making good on an invitation from Magda Boulet five years ago. Mario Mendoza, on his farewell tour, rallied from a wrong turn and nearly 1.5 bonus miles to take second in 9:22:00.
Upcoming: Transvulcania
If you’re not tired of livestreams yet, good news: Transvulcania is this weekend, and it’ll be broadcast live from the Canary Islands. The 73k race kicks off Saturday at 6:00 a.m. local / Tonight 11:00 p.m. MDT, and you can follow along via livestream (embedded below) and iRunFar’s live coverage.
Other News & Links
After six weeks acclimating in Nepal, Tyler Andrews is making his speed record attempt on Mt. Everest starting late tonight (U.S. time). According to his Instagram post you can follow along on his website, though I don’t see any obvious way to do so.
François D’Haene shared his 2025 plans on Instagram, notably kicking off his 2025 season tomorrow at Transvulcania. He’s also targeting Nolan’s 14 and a return to UTMB.
Anthony Costales shared a thoughtful recap of his return to racing at Canyons 100K. He made the front pack, felt like his old self again, and then things unraveled with a foot flare-up and mid-race vomiting. A DNF, but an encouraging step back.
recently posted a photo of a newborn to his Instagram story, so I’m assuming that means he and his wife have welcomed their first child. If so, big congrats to them!
I came across this Instagram post recently about Houston quietly building one of the most ambitious urban trail systems in the U.S.: 150 miles of bayou-connected paths linking parks, neighborhoods, and downtown without ever touching a road. Good on you, Houston. The Houston Parks Board website has more info.
broke down the Trump administration’s proposed 2026 budget, which calls for transferring some national parks and forests to state control, a move widely seen as a precursor to land sell-offs. If you care about public lands, this is essential reading.
Podcast & YouTube Highlights
The Cocodona livestream monopolized my usual podcast/YouTube time this week, but here are a few that caught my eye and that I’m looking forward to:
Des Linden and Kara Goucher recorded an episode last week titled, “On Des Going Out on Top,” that is at the very top of my backlog.
Speaking of Des, in last week’s Morning Shakeout, , writing about Des, said, “If you’re wondering when the seeds for an eventual move to ultrarunning were planted, Episode 40 is for you,” referencing an episode of his Morning Shakeout Podcast that he’d recorded with Des back in December of 2018.
In scrolling Mario’s archive to link Episode 40 above, I saw he’s interviewed a number of well known figures from the world of trail and ultrarunning. One that stood out for me is this 2019 episode with Corinne Malcolm, which I added to my bookmarks.
Take Off Your Shoes had on Jess Brazeau, fresh off her Chianti finish and newly signed with HOKA.
The Trail Network Podcast dropped an episode yesterday where Katie Asmuth apparently reflects on her Canyons 100k race while Rachel Drake shares her experience crewing her husband, Tyler Green, at Mt. Fuji 100.
Reads of the Week
shared a raw, honest reflection on his World Champs debut in 2023, a race so rough he nearly quit ultrarunning altogether. He puked more times than he could count, laid on the side of the trail shivering, and finished 89th, but couldn’t bring himself to drop: “I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing my Team USA gear again and feeling like I hadn't earned it.” Since then, Olson has emerged as one of the top long trail talents in the U.S., and was just named to the 2025 team headed to Spain in September, where he’ll have a chance to rewrite the narrative. As if that’s not reason enough to read this, he also shares a gem of a joke from his friend and fellow SLC runner, , that’s worth the read alone.
In their latest Hemming Way post, Stress is Stress, Tabor and Eli Hemming open up about racing Canyons 50K just days after learning that Tabor’s dad had been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. I’m sending love to the Hemmings and keeping them in my thoughts.
, co-owner of Open Fuel, shared a thoughtful update on where the startup is headed, including the care they’ve put into sustainable packaging (and the challenges there), plus a growing athlete team ( and Dan Curts). I always enjoy this kind of transparent, behind-the-scenes perspective from the people building brands.
recaps his recent win at the Lake Sonoma Trail Marathon, which he jumped into on the way home from the adidas TERREX team camp. It’s a fun read and sounds like if the pace goes out too hot at Western next month, he’ll be confident to run his race and not over extend.
Maddy Reynolds explains why she pulled out of this weekend’s Transvulcania, and uses it as a springboard for a super clear overview of what Zone 2 training does (and doesn’t) prepare you for.
That’s it this week, y’all. While I loved the Cocodona livestream, I think I’ve hit my screen time limit for the week. Time to detox this weekend and spend as much time as possible outside. First up, heading to the park with my wife and kids for some much needed playground time.
Lastly, a very special thank you to
, our first Founding Supporter. Jenn is a longtime subscriber, a runner, and writes her own excellent Substack, . She also maintains a very helpful directory of running related Substacks, aptly named . Thank you for your support, Jenn!Ken
Thank you Ken for the shout out and all the work you do here on TUM!
Hi Ken,
In his Instagram post, François says he is targeting Transylvania 100k (in two weeks), not Transvulcania :)