A participant in the Cocodona 250 ultramarathon in northern Arizona died Tuesday after experiencing a medical emergency on the race course, race organizers and local law enforcement said. The woman, in her 40s, collapsed at a trailhead in the Groom Creek community south of Prescott during the 250-mile (402-kilometer) event, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Paul Wick said first responders attended to the runner after the collapse, and the incident occurred during the multi-day race, which runs across trails in northern Arizona. On Wednesday, Cocodona 250 codirector Erika Snyder confirmed the death and declined to provide further details at the request of the runner’s relatives.
Organizers described the ultramarathon as one of the toughest in the United States, citing a route that rises more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) in elevation—twice—while passing through Sedona from its start in Black Canyon City. This year’s race started Monday before dawn, and the overall winner, Rachel Entrekin, finished Wednesday afternoon in Flagstaff while setting a course record, organizers said.
The race uses aid stations designed to let runners eat, hydrate and adjust equipment, and it places a team of medical professionals across the course, Snyder said. Organizers also said runners often nap on the ground along the way, as the event can last about five days.
Ultramarathons often test the limits of endurance, but organizers said deaths are very rare compared with the total number of participants worldwide. The AP report also pointed to past tragedies in the sport, including a 2021 ultramarathon in northwestern China in which freezing rain and high winds were linked to the deaths of 21 runners.
In light of the race’s growing appeal, organizers said they plan to move to a lottery registration system next year. They said the shift is intended to manage demand as participation in ultramarathons continues to increase.