The Journey of the Cocodona 250
By Carmen Cramer and Brian Schwartz
On Friday, May 9th, Carmen (she/her) and Brian (he/him) crossed the finish line of Cocodona 250, an ultramarathon from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff, Arizona. This year’s race was actually 256.4 miles and wound through desert towns, ranches and wilderness camps over mostly rocky trails, forest service roads and even some sidewalks. There are four major mountains to climb: Lane Mtn, Mingus Mtn, Sedona, and Mt Elden, totaling 40,000 ft of elevation gain.
We spent 5 days (106 hrs 33 min) making our way toward the finish line, which was met with exhausted relief and a serious sense of accomplishment!
Training
Our training began in January with the intended goal to make our bodies as strong and durable as possible. We achieved this through a variety of methods, including leading PPTC’s Trail Training group workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus a lot of easy miles. Weekly mileage totals grew to 100+ miles/weeks for the month before the race. Because of the 40K+ ft elevation gain during the race, we focused on getting vertical with weekend long runs at Bear Mountain, Beacon Firetower repeats, and Rockefeller State Park. During the week, we’d use the stair stepper at the gym. Our weekly vertical goal was between 10K - 15K feet.
Another training consideration is that there are long stretches between aid stations on the first day of the race while each runner is required to carry at least 4L of water and gear. From race reports, we knew runners often ran out of water in the heat, so we executed our long runs carrying 6L of water (12 - 15 lb packs). It was heavy, but manageable by race day!
A huge unknown was how our bodies would respond to sleep deprivation, so we spent a weekend doing David Goggins’ 4x4x48 Challenge (run 4 miles every 4 hrs for 48 hrs). From this experience, we determined 90 min is a good duration to feel at least somewhat rested.
We also got serious about strength training (and now include the routines as part of the Trail Training group’s plan). We made regular visits to Ascent PT and spent time in the sauna to acclimate to the Arizona heat. Fitting everything into our schedules was always a precarious balance, but we consistently got it done and even enjoyed the process!
Nothing could truly prepare anyone for a race of this magnitude, but we showed up at the start line confident that we’d prepared to the best of our abilities.
Logistics and Race Prep
When we weren’t training physically, we were preparing logistics. Luckily, Cocodona is a very popular race with a lot of content available. We consumed every podcast, YouTube video and race report available. We analyzed each section of the course, understanding what gear would be needed, how much nutrition we’d carry, where we’d see our crew, etc. This was a really fun puzzle and it helped doing it together to stay accountable to the plan.
In the days leading to the race, we met with our crew to discuss logistics and roles during the race. Our crew would manage all details during the race, so we could focus on running. This included refilling our packs with fluids/calories, ensuring we had all mandatory weather gear, charging devices, changing clothes, and ensuring we were eating, sleeping, and managing our blisters. And most importantly, we were moving forward at a fast (but not too fast) pace. Fellow PPTC members Aaron, Holly, Liz, Ian, Kelly (and Brian’s twin, Jeff) executed flawlessly and addressed everything we needed, while keeping us in great spirits.
Our race plan included nap breaks, where we’d sleep in the back of our crew vehicles. This became our own spots for gear changes as well at each crew-accessed aid station.
The Race
While at bib pickup and waiting at the start line before the race the next morning, we were star struck by seeing so many of our heroes in the ultra and trail world. We got to meet Courtney Dauwalter, Jeff Browning, Andy Glaze, Mike McKnight and Jamil Coury, among others. It was a dream come true and so cool to be among the greats.
The weather started unseasonably cool (high of 58), which meant we didn’t need as much water as we’d practiced carrying. We could move well in the cooler temps, but the weather turned to rain and thunderstorms toward the end of day one. The trails deteriorated in muddy clay that stuck to our shoes. That was followed by really hot temps for the rest of the race. The challenge was that the temps would sometimes shift quite dramatically, so a lot of gear changes were needed.
The race’s aid stations were incredible. They catered unique menus at each stop ranging from pulled pork sandos, burritos, lasagna, pizza and pancakes. This was a highlight, and because of the cooler temps and running at an easier effort, we were able to eat real meals without problems. As the race went on, we did get sugar fatigue which is typical of ultras. It hurt to even drink Tailwind at times. We got around this by switching to water and salt tabs until it recovered.
Day 1: The beginning 34 miles of the course are the most challenging. For the first day, we saw our crew only once, but ran with fellow PPTC’er Nick the whole way. We met our time goal by reaching mile 77 aid station in 24 hours, where we’d see crew, take a nap and pick up a pacer for the first time.
Day 2: Holly joined as pacer and navigated us through a confusing section of trail known as the Dells. We hit heavy rains around mile 100 and had to ascend a huge climb up Mt Mingus, where the temperature dropped drastically and we had concerns of hypothermia. The aid station at the top was a war zone of runners trying to get warm. We huddled around a huge fire and ate lasagna. Our crew got us ready for a long, technical descent down the mountain with our pacer, Aaron, which would take most of the night. Neither of us actually slept during a scheduled hour-long nap and Brian woke up with incredibly sore legs. But once he started moving on the descent, his legs felt strong again, making the descent a favorite section, even with the mud!
Day 3: After a 90-minute nap, we started the day in the haunted town of Jerome, Arizona, the halfway point. Kelly paced us through the deceptive gulch and toward Sedona. The red rocks and mesas of Sedona were beautiful, but hot. The sun beat down as we ran/hiked through these segments. We saw fellow PPTC’er Conor Hussey, who was running the Sedona 125, on the trail. He’d just started that morning and looked fresh. For Brian, the heat and blisters, made this section the toughest part of the course. That evening we reset with a 60-minute nap. The night was spent on the Hangover Trail, with pacer Jeff. We wanted to be extra alert for this section because this is a consequential trail with slick rock and exposures.
Day 4: The day started and ended with sections of the trail that didn’t allow pacers because the race had to limit the number of people in the area. We were passing through breeding grounds for the Mexican Spotted Owl, an endangered species. We were on our own to navigate the course. It was a beautiful, buttery section that we were able to run through fairly quickly. In between those segments, the daytime got really hot. Aaron paced us, and lead us through hours of fartleks where we’d run in the sun, walk in the shade to cool off! By this point in the race, Carmen’s feet were so swollen that her trail shoes no longer comfortably fit. The crew found a running store and bought multiple larger sizes of Hoka Speedgoats, which got her through the rest of the race.
We continued to chip away at the mileage, crossing over mile 200.
Day 5: The last day was a big one, climbing up to 9,000 ft elevation atop Mount Elden in Flagstaff. It was a huge climb in the heat with a long technical descent that was a final kick in the teeth. We were so excited knowing that we’d finish the race soon. But the trail gave us many challenges, so there was no early celebrating. We had to maintain focus on the steep rocks and stay on top of hydration until the end. In the last two miles, we met up with the crew and all ran together through the streets of Flagstaff to the finish line at Heritage Square. There was so much joy and disbelief that Cocodona was over. It was simultaneously the hardest thing any of us have done, but also the most magical journey. We received our belt buckles, took finish line photos, and headed to our Airbnb for a shower and sleep.
Conclusion
Cocodona 250 was an incredible experience. While we ran it together, we were each battling our individual struggles throughout the race. We occasionally checked in with each other, but mostly found quiet comfort in having someone by our side that was feeling the mileage on their legs as well.
This 200+ mile effort is an incredible way to test our limits and see what we’re capable of. The pain was severe at times, but fleeting. One week into recovery, we were holding onto the post-race glow as much as possible. But we were already turning our eyes onto new challenges ahead.
We owe this adventure to our crew. They were integral to our success and positive experience of this race. They made our jobs as runners so much easier because all we had to do was move forward. We recognize the huge sacrifice involved to take time away from work to support us, and we are forever grateful.
Carmen and Brian at the finish line with belt buckles in hand
Text by Carmen Cramer and Brian Schwartz
Photos courtesy of Carmen Cramer and Brian Schwartz
Produced by: Linda S. Chan (she/her)
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