Rachel Entrekin (born June 17, 1991) is an American elite ultramarathon runner and physical therapist, best known for her performances in long-distance trail and mountain racing.

She is the only three-time winner of the Cocodona 250, one of North America's most demanding ultramarathons, and has been nicknamed the "Queen of Cocodona" after consecutive victories in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

In 2026, Entrekin became the first woman to win the Cocodona 250 outright, setting an overall course record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds.

In a May 2026 interview on Welcome To The Party with Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy, Entrekin discussed her Cocodona win, her approach to competition, and referred to herself as a "vibes-based" runner.

At the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc 2026, part of the UTMB World Series Finals held in Chamonix, in August, she finished second behind Blandine L'Hirondel on her debut at the event, completing the course in 22:15:54.

Early life and career

Entrekin was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and began running in college while pursuing a degree in exercise science. She completed her undergraduate degree in 2012 and her doctorate in physical therapy, in 2016, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

After running her first half marathon in 2010 and her first marathon in 2011, she continued increasing her race distances. Reflecting on her early move into trail running, Entrekin said that she "just kind of said yes to everything," including "every type of run that every type of person at every type of speed asked me to do."

Running career

Entrekin began running ultramarathons in 2013, initially focusing on the 50K distance.

She moved to Washington State in 2016, and began setting Fastest Known Times (FKTs) on routes including Mount Rainier's Wonderland Trail, Mount Hood's Timberline Trail, and Section J of the Washington Pacific Crest Trail. She holds 15 records for established routes in the Sierra Nevada, the Cascades, the Transverse Ranges, and Catalina Island.

After her first Cocodona 250 victory in 2024, Entrekin won the High Lonesome 100, the Aspen Backcountry Marathon, the Mammoth 200, and the Pass Mountain 50, before winning the Coldwater Hundred outright in January 2026.

Entrekin finished third female and 14th overall at the 2026 Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB.

In December 2025, Entrekin signed with Norda. She is also sponsored by Precision Fuel and Hydration.

In 2026, she placed second in her debut at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.

2026 Cocodona 250 "Queen of Cocodona" nickname Entrekin has become closely associated with the Cocodona 250, with race media and sponsor coverage to frame her as the "Queen of Cocodona", because she won the women's race in 2024 and 2025, and in 2026 won the race outright.

The phrase "Queen of Cocodona" appeared in Cocodona race media, a COROS athlete feature titled "Rachel Entrekin: Long Live the Queen", and a podcast episode titled "Rachel Entrekin, Queen of Cocodona 250".

During the 2026 race, Entrekin said that she questioned herself after taking the lead earlier than expected, before reframing the moment with the question, "Why not you?" The phrase became associated with her race strategy and public image after the win, capturing the confidence required to contest the overall race rather than only the women's field. At the finish line, when asked how she felt after more than 56 hours of racing, she replied, "I feel fine." The remark drew attention for its understatement, given the length, sleep deprivation and difficulty of the race, and became part of the media framing around Entrekin's unusually calm racing style.

2026 press coverage The 2026 victory drew unusually broad mainstream coverage for an ultramarathon.

The Guardian reported that Entrekin became the first woman to win Cocodona outright and highlighted that she stopped to pet dogs during the race. BBC Sport reported that she won while sleeping for only 19 minutes and eating foods such as mashed potato. Bloomberg covered the race as a course-record performance. Good Morning America and ABC News described the win as a landmark moment in ultrarunning, emphasizing that she beat the entire men's field. Reuters distributed race images and described her as the first woman to win Cocodona 250 outright.

Coverage also appeared in major newspapers outside the United States.

El País reported that Entrekin won the 253-mile race outright, beat the first man by over an hour and helped place three women in the overall top eight. Spain's AS framed the win as a historic ultratrail result and connected the Cocodona organization's "queen" language to the scale of her achievement. Germany's Bild also reported on her overall win, emphasizing that she defeated all male competitors and ran on minimal sleep.

Specialist running outlets treated the win as one of the major ultrarunning performances of the year.

Runner's World reported that Entrekin's 2026 victory completed three major race goals for women at Cocodona: a woman winning overall, a woman placing in the overall top three and three women finishing in the overall top 10. Outside described the win as a performance defined by joy, relentlessness and Entrekin's return to the finish line to support other runners after completing her own race. Trail Runner published a feature arguing that Entrekin's performance reflected her long preparation, positive approach and increasing use of speedwork. Marathon Handbook published multiple stories on her attempt, victory and race strategy, including articles on her 19 minutes of sleep and her status as the first woman to win the race outright.

Awards and recognition

Entrekin was named fourth in the 2025 UltraRunning Magazine Ultrarunner of the Year vote.

Selected wins

Year Race Location Distance Time Overall place Notes Ref. 2017 Perpetua Coast Yachats, Oregon, United States 50 km 4:58:15 — Women's winner 2019 Ultra Fest Easton, Washington, United States 50 mi 7:18:04 — Women's winner 2019 IMTUF 100 Idaho, United States 100 mi 24:04:05 — Women's winner; course record 2019 Lookout Mountain Georgia, United States 50 mi 9:41:26 — Women's winner 2020 Jackpot Ultra Running Festival Henderson, Nevada, United States 24 hours 111 mi 2nd Women's winner 2020 Pinhoti Sylacauga, Alabama, United States 100 mi 22:57:58 12th Women's winner 2021 Badger Mountain Challenge Richland, Washington, United States 100 mi 19:54:44 5th Women's winner 2021 Plain 100M/100K Endurance Runs Plain, Washington, United States 100 mi 27:46:00 1st Outright winner 2021 Jackpot Ultra Running Festival Henderson, Nevada, United States 48 hours 154 mi 2nd Women's winner 2022 Jackpot Ultra Running Festival Henderson, Nevada, United States 24 hours 117 mi 1st Outright winner 2022 Antelope Island Buffalo Run Syracuse, Utah, United States 100 mi 19:58:24 3rd Women's winner 2022 Across the Years Peoria, Arizona, United States 48 hours 188.596 mi 1st Outright winner 2023 Jackpot Ultra Running Festival Henderson, Nevada, United States 48 hours 190.618 mi 2nd Women's winner 2023 UTE 100 Mile & 50 Mile La Sal, Utah, United States 100 mi 25:56:37 3rd Women's winner 2023 Plain 100M/100K Endurance Runs Plain, Washington, United States 100 km 13:42:00 1st Outright winner 2023 Rio Del Lago Granite Bay, California, United States 100 mi 19:16:06 3rd Women's winner 2023 Across the Years Peoria, Arizona, United States 48 hours 212.706 mi 1st Outright winner 2024 Cocodona 250 Arizona, United States 250 mi 73:31:25 — Women's winner 2024 Crazy Mountain 100 Montana, United States 100 mi 25:06:10 — Winner 2024 Across the Years Arizona, United States 48 hours 212.706 mi — Winner 2025 Badger Mountain Challenge Washington, United States 100 mi 19:03:42 — Winner 2025 Whiskey Basin Trail Runs Arizona, United States 91 km 9:07:16 — Winner 2025 Cocodona 250 Arizona, United States 250 mi 63:50:55 4th Women's course record; first two-time winner 2025 High Lonesome 100 Colorado, United States 100 mi 21:56:16 — Course record 2025 Aspen Backcountry Marathon Aspen, Colorado, United States Marathon — — Winner 2025 Mammoth 200 California, United States 200 mi 46:50:45 2nd Winner; second overall 2025 Pass Mountain Arizona, United States 50 mi 8:23:30 — Winner 2026 Coldwater Hundred Goodyear, Arizona, United States 100 mi 16:19:17 1st Outright winner 2026 Whiskey Basin Trail Runs Arizona, United States 60 km 5:17:51 2nd Women's winner 2026 Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB Chianti, Tuscany, Italy 120 km 11:38:13 14th Third female 2026 Cocodona 250 Arizona, United States 250 mi 56:09:48 1st Overall course record; first woman to win outright; third consecutive win

References

External links Another dumb running blog, personal blog Rachel Entrekin at UTMB World Rachel Entrekin at Fastest Known Time