You don’t have to be insane to participate in the Cocodona 250.
But it helps.
You can talk about your 5ks, 10ks, half-marathons or even full marathons, but the Cocodona 250 is something different altogether.
“Yeah, you have to be a little crazy, a little off,” laughed Chad Endsley, who competed in the ultramarathon May 5 through May 10. “That’s what I always tell people.”
That’s putting it mildly.
The Cocodona is a footrace that is just over 250 miles – not kilometers – long, which is about the same distance from Cleveland to Cincinnati. Instead of running on nice, flat pavement, the Cocodona 250 racecourse leads runners through the remote, mountainous, and rocky wilds of central Arizona, starting in Black Canyon City north of Phoenix and ending, after a tortuous route that challenges runners to 70,000-feet in elevation changes, in Flagstaff just over 250 miles away.
Just to make things interesting, from the starting point in Black Canyon City, the trail rises 10,000 feet in elevation in the first 35 miles.
These ultra runners come equipped with GPS monitors, special hydration packs and pockets for power bars, totaling about 20 pounds of gear. The trail has aid stations and checkpoints which are anywhere from nine to 20 miles apart.
Runners may also have “crews” who meet them at these checkpoints along the way, arriving at the checkpoints in comfortable RV’s and trucks, while the participants are twisting their way through the outback.
At the checkpoints, the crews replenish the runners with water and snacks (and perhaps a quick nap), before hustling them off again into the wilderness of the Sonora Desert, the runner cutting through lands normally occupied by mountain lions, scorpions, rattlesnakes, tarantulas and even the occasional bear, with the crews driving to the next checkpoint in air-conditioned or heated comfort, as the temperature dictates.
Endsley said that organizers of the Cocodona 250 this year warned runners of 30 degree temperatures, sleet, snow and muddy conditions on the trail, especially in the higher elevations (it’s usually very hot indeed in Arizona in May), and he dressed accordingly.
But when Endsley stopped at one of the first aid stations for a mandatory equipment check, he peeled off the long sleeves and went back to his regular running kit, telling those at the aid station, “Hey, man, I’m from Ohio. This is nothing.”
Endsley’s dad, Lyle, who owns Anytime Fitness in Bellefontaine, was part of Chad’s crew, as were three of his friends, Brian, Dave, and Kevin.
Lyle questioned Chad’s decision (and perhaps his sanity) to take part in the Cocodona 250 – the longest ultramarathons Chad had completed prior to the Cocodona 250 were the Georgia Jewel 100 and the Mohican 100 – suggesting that Chad might consider a 150-mile race first before jumping into the Cocodona, which is two-and-a-half times longer than any ultramarathon he had ever run. But Endsley told his dad that he was keen to try something different.
“I wanted to do something that scared me,” Endsley said. “That resonated with me. I wanted to do something that I knew was a challenge.”
“I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” he continued, “but I kinda like that feeling, not knowing what was going to happen.”
What happened was that Endsley finished the course in 118 hours and six minutes, also most seven full hours under the 125-hour limit that is imposed for those to be considered masters of the course, meaning that Endsley averaged just over two MPH for what turned out to be a 256-mile trail, finishing 145th.
There were 307 runners at the starting line, but many of those were there to run just part of the trail – covering the first 35 miles is quite the achievement in itself – and others finishing well over the 125-hour limit.
Endsley said that he made the entire run in just one pair of shoes, but, having done this kind of thing before, he knew enough to change his socks eight or nine times along the way. He also gave a lot of credit of his crew, who kept him loaded with electrolytes and power bars as he passed each of the checkpoints.
“If I didn’t have my crew and didn’t surround myself with the right people, I would not have finished,” Endsley said.
So what’s next on Endsley list?
“I want to run the Badwater 135,” Endsley said without hesitation.
On its website, the Badwater 135 claims to be the “the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.”
Run annually in July, the Badwater 135 starts at the lowest point in the United States in Death Valley in California and ends near the summit of Mt. Whitney, also in California, which is the highest point in the lower 48 states. The Badwater 135 is also the granddaddy of ultramarathons, approaching its 50th year of existence.
The Badwater 135 is scheduled for July 7-9 this year and July 27-29 in 2026, and like the Masters Tournament golf, is open to only those who are invited. Endsley is angling to get an invitation to the Badwater 135 and is preparing should the invite ever come.
“I’ll be ready,” Endsley said should he receive an invitation. “(The Badwater 135) is something I’ve always wanted to try.”
