Actually Running The Cocodona 250
A 250 mile race is long, a 250 mile race report is also going to be long. Just a warning.
Pre-Race
I arrived in Phoenix on Friday morning and had a lot to do before the race. Most importantly, was hanging out with my cousin Kyle and his lovely wife Victoria for a day. They graciously hosted me for the night, shared a meal with me at their favorite pasta/pizza place, took me on a wonderful hike on the trails in their backyard, and set me up with some essential gear I would borrow for the race.
On Saturday, after picking up my crew mate Michael and going to the Aravaipa headquarters for packet pick-up, we had one last wonderful meal with Kyle before heading into the Bradshaw mountains to chill out and camp before the race. This was my pre-race practice with the sleep situation in the back of the rented Suburban. Worked like a charm.
On Sunday, we picked up Phill from the airport and decided to hang out & camp at the race start line in Black Canyon City. It was a good call. We met another racer Kelly and her husband John when they pulled up beside us in the parking lot. We would see each other quite a bit over the next few days and the bourbon John shared with my crew helped make them fast friends. I also had something in common with Kelly; we both shared the same coach for this training block. It was good to make an early connection before the journey north commenced.
Race Start (5:00am Monday May 1st)
Sleep the night before a race is almost always a waste, but I think I actually got some solid hours in between four or five portapotty visits. I guess that meant I was staying well hydrated in the desert so far. That was certainly something that I was concerned about going into this race. After the Mogollon 100 miler, I let myself get way behind and had some dangerously dark colored urine. Throughout this race, I kept myself on the good side of urine color. Sorry if this is TMI. Ultra-runners will understand.
Having never run a race of this length I would say I did not have the same normal pre-race jitters. It felt noticeably different. We all looked like we were about to head out for a long day hike with very full packs/vests. So many wide brim hats. Nervous laughter. That's what I remember. That and the fact that 5 am snuck up on me so fast and before I knew it we were off running/moving and making our way into the Bradshaw mountains for what everyone described as the "hardest" section of the race. The first 33 miles to Lane Mountain.
Don't get me wrong, this was definitely hard, and if I'm honest in my reflection, it was the "hardest" section, but I was so happy to be on the course heading toward the goal I set for myself three+ years earlier. I was also loving the beauty of a Sonoran desert landscape that felt familiar. This is similar to what Tucson looks like especially in the foothills of the Catalina mountains I've spent plenty of time in. I felt at home.
Another race connection was made before I had even left Cincinnati when I received a random friend request on Facebook. After putting two and two together, I found out that a friend of mine who had recently won the inaugural Canebrake 200 had met a couple where the wife Trish completed the Canebrake 200 after a DNF at Cocodona last year, and her husband Jason was in Cocodona this year.
Jason and I both stopped for a water filter fill up at this creek. We hadn't yet introduced ourselves to each other, but later shared some miles and good stories. Jason was fascinating to have out on the trail as his knowledge of the area was extensive. His career in bat conservation and those stories was a great distraction when fatigue and pain were starting to ramp up. We leap frogged each other throughout most of the race and he too was a Cocodona finisher!
The first section was everything it promised to be; hot, rocky, exposed and steep. It was brutal and beautiful. I think I managed it pretty well. My wife had surprised me with a new cooling towel right before I left and it really helped me keep my core temperature down. I also tried hard to be conservative with my pace. This wasn't the section to blow up on. Everyone was warned.
I do distinctly remember someone asking me how much we had climbed so far and when I answered "about 4800'" they got really pissed. They started stammering about how we weren't even half-way through the climb and that's when I noticed that they did seem a bit flush and "salty". I don't know if they made it, because I kept smiling and plodded upward.
Eventually the views opened up to the north and we climbed a ridge line towards Lane Mountain. I remembered that at the race briefing the day before it was mentioned cell service might be possible along that ridge so I took my phone off airplane mode and read dozens of good luck messages and personal notes that came bounding in during that short stretch. It was a nice pick-me-up and one of several times throughout the race when I sneaked a look at social media or my messages app.
Day One – Mile 37 – Crown King
After the Lane Mountain aid station, it was a short four mile downhill to Crown King, the first place to see my crew and find out how well everyone was getting along. I admit to being a little nervous as I had brought together three perfect strangers to be my crew for this event.
Charles is a long time friend from Tucson that I first met almost 20 years ago. We worked together in Tucson for many years and have enjoyed several adventures over the years. He also crewed for me at the Mogollon race last September. Phill is my half-brother and a big reason I'm running ultras in the first place. We connected just a few short years ago, but have made a habit of supporting each other with these crazy adventures. And lastly, my newest trail friend Michael is a local University of Cincinnati student who I just met a few months ago at our local Thursday night trail group. He's new to everything ultra, and running for that matter, and just happened to have a perfect opening in his schedule to jump in for the full Cocodona Crew Experience! These three guys, each about 12-15 years apart in age, were simply awesome together. I had it so good. Pampered isn't even a joke. (see the photo below)
As much as I'd like to say everything was going smoothly so far, my crew later told me that coming into Crown King was the worst that they saw me entering an aid station over the entire course. My legs were starting to cramp badly and I was definitely feeling the 10,000+ feet of climbing in the heat.
At that point, I was right on time between my "A" and "B" goal and didn't worry at all about how long I took at this aid station. I had a full meal of ramen, chicken and cashews, a mediocre banana/mango "smoothie" from the aid station and a few other snacks before I mentioned that maybe I should try some pickle juice to see if it could help my cramping legs. Before I knew it, Phill had a small dixie cup in front of me and I felt like a guy hanging out with friends being urged into doing a shot of some hard liquor that I wasn't sure I really wanted. I took a big gulp, and then a second to finish it off. I've never had a pickle in my entire life and I never will go near it or it's juice ever again. Nasty. Nasty stuff.
I left the aid station burping the after taste of pickles and hoped and prayed that my full stomach would stay calm enough to make use of all those calories. I walked a little slower than I probably would have out into the fading sun of day one. The next crewed aid station was going to be a long 34-ish miles and the race was really just getting started.
Day One – Overnight to Friendly Pines - Mile 71
At some point, and I admit it starts to get a little fuzzy for me, I met up with Kelly and shared many of these night time miles with her. I know we hit Kamp Kipa AS together and possibly even Arrastra Creek AS before that. It's definitely good to have a partner through the night. I know I was still excited and happy to be on the course, but I was definitely feeling tired and I wanted to get to my first planned sleep at Friendly Pines as soon as possible.
Many of the miles between Crown King and Friendly Pines were service road miles. Not quite like a hard surface mile, but not as soft as the trails I'm used to. I think my feet were starting to object to what I was making them do. I had changed shoes in Crown King because my Hoka Tecton Xs had a blow out on the side of the upper. Nike Trail Zegamas would take me to the finish of the race for better or worse.
After arriving at Friendly Pines right on schedule with my crew, I quickly washed my feet, jumped into the Suburban and set a timer for 90 minutes. 85 minutes later I woke up feeling refreshed and could see the early morning light hinting that a new day had begun!
I ate some breakfast, downed a Yerba Mate and took my first pacer, Michael on a little downhill jog to Whiskey Row!
Day Two – To Fain Ranch – Mile 98
After a pretty quick stop in downtown Prescott, it was Phill's turn to pace me across the Granite Dells and Watson Lake, then past a boring section in the Prescott Valley and into the most insane aid station I think I've ever experienced in an ultra.
The dells were awesome. Following the white rabbit up, over, and around these beautiful formations; always with precious water teasing on the horizon. When we hopped down a few rocks and found ourselves at the base of the dam with a creek flowing by it was the perfect spot to cool off my feet and take some relief in the shade.
Fain Ranch is privately owned and the section of miles across fields of wind blown grass with hidden cacti and very hard to see trail markers was interesting to say the least. I honestly didn't mind it. It was different. We also had to climb over several barbed wire fences with the help of some shaky a-frame ladders that were not exactly easy to cross on tired legs. It added to the whole experience.
When we finally reached the Fain Ranch aid station sponsored by Satisfy Running, it was an oasis in the desert and really wild to see. They had "FLODA"! They had fancy rugs and fancy seating. Some really choice food options if you're into that kinda thing, and generally a vibe that was completely unique.
Day Two – Over Mingus to Jerome – Mile 127
Michael hopped back in for his second pacing duty of the day with a huge 29-ish mile run. It included the climb up Mingus Mountain! We had such a good time on this section, until we didn't.
From Fain Ranch to the Mingus Mountain aid station was mostly uneventful. Crossing some more barbed wire fences. Following some high tension power lines. Making the climb (I didn't think it was that bad) up to the aid station. Michael was good company and the time went by quickly. We made it to Mingus AS before dark and Michael had a solid looking plate of lasagna and a salad! I ate something. I can't really remember. Probably ramen and chicken.
We geared up for a cold night and took off.
By this point, I was in a new world of distance PRs and time on feet PRs. Every step closer to Flagstaff was the farthest I'd ever run. I made it through the second day pretty well. I didn't even feel tired at that point. 85 minutes was plenty!
Then things went downhill, literally and literally. After hitting the high point on Mingus shortly after the aid station, we had some enjoyable single track running for a short while as the light faded to darkness. The single track turned to steeper double track and loose rocks started to roll under my feet. I was getting tired and the promise of seeing our destination of Jerome seemed further and further away instead of closer and closer.
I complained a lot. I wasn't loving it anymore. The terrain was unrelenting and I didn't understand the way the tracks went to and fro. It seemed like some weird mega switchbacks. Occasionally we passed other runners or they passed us. We saw a scattering of headlamps across the darkness but the end goal (Jerome) remained out of sight.
This downhill to Jerome was my least favorite section of the entire course. Hands down. It could have been because I was 40+ hours into the race with only 85 minutes of sleep. It could have been because the rocky terrain meat tenderizing my feet was finally taking a real toll. It could have been the expectation that this would be easier than it actually was for all the reasons above. I hadn't really heard or remembered hearing anything particularly negative about this section. I was originally looking forward to Jerome. I'd been to that town on at least two occasions before and was excited to share it's quirkiness with my friends.
Jerome is still pretty cool and worth a visit, just don't take the trail from Mingus down to it. Find a better path.
Day Three – Dead Horse & Deer Park – Mile 148
Phill and I left out of Jerome in the early dawn hours before the Sedona Canyons 125 race started. We hooked up with some other runners from Florida while running through the streets of Clarksdale. I remember a friendly neighbor watering some plants wished us good luck. They had heard about the race. As we entered into Dead Horse Ranch SP three older ladies (birders I think) stepped aside and asked how far we were. It seems like word about the race had gotten around in this area. That was pretty cool.
From Dead Horse to Deer Park aid stations I decided I needed to put in some miles alone. My pacers would not be able to cover the entire pace-able portion of the race and I didn't expect them to. This was on me to make it to the finish and it seemed like some flatter daytime miles would be a decent chance for me to give Michael and Phill a little more rest so they could help me when I would really need them.
I loaded up my Audible book and took off. The section was actually quite nice and runnable. Single track and gorgeous desert running. Unfortunately, it got hot and I started to move slower.
I must have suffered through a low spot alone for a while. The heat was getting to me. Lack of sleep was getting to me. I noticed my right hand breaking out in a bright red rash (sun poisoning?). When I finally made it into Deer Park AS I asked my crew for two things: some gloves or something for my hand and a nap. I crawled into the Suburban and took the nap.
The Breakdown – And Rebuilding
I think I slept for 45-50 minutes. While I did so, text messages went out to everyone now helping me in Arizona. This included my main crew but also my wife and mother-in-law who were on their way up from the airport in Phoenix as well as another friend, Sam from Tucson, who agreed to pace me on a later section of the course.
When I woke up I was handed a pair of sun gloves Charles had and told my wife Jenny would be there in another 10 minutes. Everyone seemed somber and knew I was hurting. They waited patiently while I remained in the back of the Suburban.
As I got my wits about me from the nap, emotion started to swell and before I knew what was happening, I was a blubbering sobbing mess. I cried unlike anything I have experienced in a long time. I can't even totally understand why a full two weeks later. I sobbed until I heard Jenny's voice outside the vehicle. I weakly called for her and when she opened the door, I cried some more.
This race was hard.
While driving north and having spotty cell reception Jen and her mom received some of the texts and had stopped at a store where they found a pair of white Nike batting gloves and a huge bottle of aloe vera sunburn ointment. After arriving, Jen quickly went to work fixing up my hand and told me I was going to be ok. Before I knew it I was all packed up and ready to run again. A quick picture with Jen, then Michael and I were heading toward the next aid station in stunning Sedona, Arizona.
Day Three – Sedona and Into The Night
A good cry and/or a short nap can really change your mindset. I'm not sure which is more powerful. I just know that I left out of Deer Park with renewed power and determination. No further doubt entered my mind for the rest of the event. I knew then that I would finish.
Michael and I started the trek towards Sedona and marveled at the views and the abundance of perfectly placed wildflowers along the side of the trail. My mood was 100x better and the miles ticked off easily.
Coming into Sedona as the sun was setting was inspiring. After a water fill up, a downhill section of beautiful flowing single track made me feel like I was flying. I thought it was the fastest I had moved in days, but looking at my data afterwards, it actually wasn't that fast, just a 13 min. per mile pace. It still felt good!
After a stop at the very nice Posse Grounds aid station seeing my full crew and wife, Phill and I started the section that would have us cross Oak Creek and climb up Casner Canyon. In the dark.
As luck would have it, shortly after starting we bumped into a friend and former Summit Hut coworker, Richard, who was running the Sedona Canyons 125! We joined up as I was excited to share some time on the trail with him. We had leap frogged each other a few times, but I wasn't sure if our paths would ever align so that we could really talk. The dark trail was rocky and steep so talking wasn't as easy as hoped. It was still great to catch up a little.
After finishing the climb and taking a break at the water station before moving on to Schnebly AS, I lost Richard and didn't see him again the entire race. He finished an hour or more before me and got his first Buckle! I was very excited for him and glad we had some time together.
Before I made it to Schnebly, I got very tired several times and needed breaks including a funny trail nap incident. As we walked a forest road in the early dawn hours, myself a few steps behind Phill, I saw a lovely looking pine needle bed calling my name. I called out to Phill with just a single word as I veered off trail and laid down: "Nap!".
Unfortunately, I hadn't taken off my waist light and within a few seconds of laying prone on the ground I started moaning and squirming. My bladder was being squeezed by that darn waist light. I eventually pushed myself to my knees and scooted over a few feet to relieve myself before tossing the waist lamp aside and getting a proper ten minute nap.
Day Four – No Sleep Till Tuthill – Mile 211
I slept more at the Schnebly aid station and then had a great time walking to Munds Park with Sam, an old friend from Tucson. We talked non-stop and the miles seem to fly by though I was relegated to only walking at this point. I suppose it was possible for me to run a little bit, but I did not have any sense of urgency or fear of not finishing. I decided that the safest thing to do without blowing up, falling or otherwise ending my race pre-maturely was to keep it safe and steady, so that's what I did.
The scenery on this section was definitely different. We were in the forest on roads, signs of the desert mostly behind us now. The fields, pines, streams, lakes and blue skies were beautiful, but it was the conversations with Sam that kept my attention and my motivation moving forward. We talked tech, family life, parenting and more. I truly enjoyed the slight shake up in what was now a simple routine. Eat, sleep, move forward on tired sore feet, then do it again and do it some more.
At Munds Park it was sweet to see the entire crew again and hang out. As much as I wanted to relax and enjoy the time with friends I had to keep moving. Now it was Michael's turn to take me all the way to Fort Tuthill.
Before I left my crew had a surprise suggestion: based on my current pace I could probably make it to Tuthill before midnight and Jen agreed that if I got there and went to her hotel, a seven minute drive away, I could shower and sleep for five or six hours. Not only that – she would pace me for the section from Tuthill to Walnut Canyon; a full 17 mile trek! I was immediately sold on the idea.
We took off and strolled along the roads and trails. I was really enjoying Michael's stories of raising 4-H chickens and he and his sister's seemingly idyllic childhoods. Eventually the sun set, the temperature dropped and I began to feel really tired once again.
The moon was rising full and we slowed our story telling until finally I decided I needed to pull out my "Feeling Low" playlist. I told Michael I was going to have headphones on for a while and he moved ahead of me by a dozen or more feet. I dropped back further noticing that my legs just didn't want to move very swiftly.
The random shuffle quickly surfaced just the song I needed. Beastie Boys, No Sleep Till Brooklyn came on and I started singing along louder and louder while moving faster and faster. No Sleep Till Tuthill became my mantra for the next few miles. That got me to my next rest. At 211 miles in you could almost smell the finish line.
Day 5 – One More Bump in the Road – Elden Mile 242
After the aforementioned hotel shower and sleep, plus some wonderful foot care by my amazing wife, we returned to the Tuthill aid station and checked back into the race. I was a new man! Jenny and I ate some breakfast (three cups of oatmeal for me) and made sure we were ready to go.
A little less than a half mile down the trail Jenny got a call from Phill. "Did you get medically cleared before you went out?" was his question. I looked at Jenny confused. I guess we walk back and make sure we do this correctly. I wasn't about to get DQ'd this far into the race. Plus, what was an extra mile at this point. My watch was already several miles off sync with the supposed course mileage.
Eventually we found a good pace (about 17min/mile) and talked about everything! Early on we did pass Kelly and I got to introduce them to each other. We shared the trail for a while with a fascinating man named Peter who had done the Marathon Des Sables the year before. It was great to hear about something that arguably could be harder than Cocodona.
But the best part was just being with Jenny; pushing ourselves farther and faster than we've ever done together. I couldn't believe what was happening.
And I knew I was going to be finished before sunset.
At the Walnut Canyon aid station I took a small breather, restocked everything, and got some lunch from my dwindling supplies plus some pre-made PB&Js from the aid station. It was Cinco de Mayo, so Phill had a shot of tequila and just like that we were on our way to the finish.
I was getting very excited! Only one thing stood in my way – Mt. Elden!
When Phill and I took off, I walked and ate, but shortly after finishing decided we could run for a bit. The last 22 miles were among the quickest I had on the entire course and included my fastest mile split: 10:14 @ mile 243.
One downside of the faster running was that I had to pull off the trail twice for major bathroom breaks. Running hard tends to pound the crap out of you 😅. Luckily I was in areas where digging a proper hole was possible. In the lower desert that can be much more difficult, if impossible.
Eventually we made it to the base of Elden. I found a nice spot to clean out my shoes and change socks. My feet were burning up and I didn't want to make the blisters I had worse on the climb so I spent a fair amount of time getting myself ready. We were right on time for a sunset finish if everything went well.
I took a small breather part way up the mountain and checked messages. Friends following along back home knew I was finishing. It was fun to be able to message them.
The top of the climb had some snow to navigate, but it wasn't bad. Phill postholed on his very last step and narrowly escaped hitting his leg on a boulder. That could have been bad, but since it wasn't, we moved on. There was a drone right above us, but I haven't tried to find out if that incident was caught on the LIVE stream footage.
We made a short stop at the aid station which was a bit further down the back side of Elden than I thought it would have been. My visit to this part of the course after the Mogollon 100 last September was time well spent. I knew completely what to expect and didn't stress at all. Actually, I kept teasing Phill that I might drop him as we climbed. I was feeling great. We had some great laughs and just maybe a tear or two as we made our way down from the top of the mountain.
Before I knew it we were through Buffalo Park and on the city streets of Flagstaff.
The finish was a blur. I got to a corner with a stop light; it turned green and I took off. I was ready to be done.
I rounded the corner into the Heritage Square finish and Jenny was beside me. Her smile was so big! I'm sure mine was as well. We navigated around another finisher and crossed the line. 250 miles! Done!
What's next?!
Photos are mostly by myself, Jenny, Phill, Michael and Charles – I'm grateful to all of them for the digital memories. I also purchased a few race photos from the official course photographers: Scott/Howie/Anastasia – I'm grateful for those as well.
The commentators on the LIVE stream for my finish compared my stride to Jim Walmsley. That's hilarious. For your viewing pleasure you can checkout what the LIVE stream caught as I made my way to the finish line in Heritage Square.
And lastly, one more detail mainly so I can remember years later. I finished in 108:46:32, 75th out of 137 finishers. My "A" goal was an ambitious sub-96 hours, "B" goal was sub-106 and the completed "C" goal was to simply finish feeling good. Mission accomplished.
