Cocodona 250: You CAN eat an elephant, one bite at a time

This was our mantra. This is how it was done. 

My little rainbow Annie was running Cocodona 250. The course, its first 60 miles, was changed due to fires, and it cut something like 7,000 ft of climb, so the goal was not only to win the female division, not only to break the course record, but break but so much as to not have a question in anyone's mind (especially Annie's) that she could do it on the original course. So I worked on the splits, pushed her boundaries, and we all set out to help this young lady to become the best version of herself.

I'll be brief. The media followed Cocodona, and its leaders, excessively, thank you Aravaipa Youtube and the Live Tracking. Annie had a top notch Team at her disposal: I lead as a Crew Chief (read some Q&A on Sarah's blog), she had her 2 most consistent girlfriends from Leadville - roommate and best friend Marley and running partner Gwen (two gals who were here since the first 100 she had done, Bryce in 2020), her Dad Jim and Stepmom Ana (whom we bonded with like we were meant to be), 2 speedy girlfriends Lindsey H. and Lindsey M., old times friend Jackson, and Tayte. Technically speaking, it was a couple more than I thought we should have had at any one time as crew, but I have to say, all were so eager to help, all knew their tasks and listened to the directions and needs of Annie, that it ended up going very smoothly, if slightly longer transitions than I had imagined. I know, I run my shifts as a military operations - and I do it in the best interests of people I love.

The first 36 miles Annie played with the overall lead, running head to head with Jason Koop and Joe StreanBean. Despite it seemingly being fast, she actually nailed the arrival at her AS's on point. It's after that, for the following 25 miles, she extended the "time in the bank" by close to an hour. I wasn't the happiest about that, but at the same later, it turned out to be a good thing, as we all spend extra time taking care of her needs at the AS's, and that time got eaten into the total.

Annie had pacers at each and every section that was allowed (see it in the profile charts). Gwen was her first, and I picked Annie up after midnight for my 30 mile shift #1. I knew the first night was her nemesis, and I wanted to make sure I am around. Boy, was I glad I did that. We got out of Fain Ranch, on private cow pastures, and there was no trail, just a truck rolled over some tall grass/cacti/brush, and we had to run in those tire tracks, barely marked (turned out later the cows ate the marking!). Near mile 5, give or take, there was supposed to be a turn - and no marks in sight. We both stared at our phones, and did some puppy out-backs, and nothing. What ensured next was about 30 min of bushwhacking in extremely thick and prickly bushes and short trees, with phone in hand, trying to figure out how to get back on course. Annie, in her frazzled state, panicked, I kept calm. We did find the way (and according to later news, over a dozen more runners got lost, plus the official course there had plenty of prickly shit to go through as well), and finally got on a dirt rolling road. The next low came straight on point, at 3am - sleep monster! That is her always-bad-spot, and I helped her fight it, explaining that this is when everyone is going to get down, totally normal, just keep putting one foot in front of another, and don't be pissed off. As the sky got grey, stars disappeared, and the dawn neared, she perked up - and we soon got to our AS at Mingus. That climb, feared by many, was nothing to 2 Coloradans! 

Annie ate lasagna and drank her coffee, and off we went - especially as soon as we heard Jason Koop was taking a nap there! For the next 2 days Jason was our "push the limits" guy, as Larry back home followed his progress and reported non-stop, and I motivated our fierce competitive girl with his whereabouts.

What came next was a section of 2-3 miles on a freshly cut single track. At first it was neat, the views opened up, but soon the ankle-turning weird stuff was no longer pretty. 

I kept saying: according to Jamil we're going to have a neat dirt road downhill into Jerome, I saw his video on this new section "better than last year". Well, let me tell you, if we saw Jamil in the next 10 miles, we could have done some harm. The "dirt road", which was a 2-lane jeep path, had more rocks than anyone wanted, and the "downhill" was at least half the uphill. Somewhere there Annie passed 100 miles (funny I noticed it on time), and with my encouragement she actually ran so much of that crap, it was totally wonderful. It wasn't easy by any means, but she worked and rallied. Towards the end of this section, I managed (as the one running in front) jump over not one, but two rattle snakes! The first one even gave me a dry strike and touched my calf! Annie, behind, was totally freaked out, and so was I, but I couldn't show. 

We finally hit the pavement for the last 2 miles, and were followed/directed by media gal, videoing us (which meant we had to put some 8 min/mile for the show). The sight of the AS and our people was so good to see! While we were both totally dehydrated and Annie needed some cooling off, this was lasting full 20 min (10 would suffice), and I was getting edgy. Finally, Jason walked in, and this spurred Annie into action. She got out with Lindsey M. (Flagstaff and Aravipa local runner and a friend). 

We met the pair mid-way Lindsey's pacing duty, helped Annie with the shoe change (there was a creek crossing), and send them further along.

At the Deer park TH it was my turn, again, to pace Annie for nearly 15 miles into Sedona. There was a lot of neat chats with local volunteers, with whom I happened to go way back in racing memories, and Annie and Lindsey ran in soon after. Another refill and cool-off of our intrepid runner, and the two of us were off. 

 

This was Annie's and my highlight of the race. The sun was slowly rolling down, heat letting off, the cacti were blooming, and we entered amazing views in the horizon. 

The photographer-extraordinaire Howie Stern was on top of the ridge with his dog Mishka to take amazing photos (below) of us on the ridge. 

The next photos I took as we saw the outlines of famous background for Sedona. We crossed a road, donned our headlamps on, and ran last 2 miles down into the city.

There was a mile on the streets, and that went well (we even saw 2 javelinas and a coyote!), until the last mile was taking us through some weirdest single track and creek beds with u-turns barely marked, and in a complete darkness. That put some sour taste into the end of an amazing section, but finally, we got into the AS and saw all our people. At last! Annie was eating and putting clothes on, as her dad whispered: "Jason is taking a nap". Just like that, the girl was up, and off with her next pacer Lindsey H, into the night, long climb, and a very deep creek crossing ahead.

That creek crossing for our two tiny runners turned into almost a river - up to their mid-thighs, and at night with 35F it froze them both. At some point Annie laid down for a quick eye-shut (she hasn't slept yet), and got so cold, it lasted no more than 5 minutes. As the next dawn drew near, Lindsey H. texted us Annie needs dry shoes and a nap. We were ready. I met them coming into an AS, took Annie to the warm car with a sleeping bag, and she finally was down for 20 min.

Once we swapped the shoes and got hot food into her, I was ready for my final 15 mile out-n-back section pacing duty. Yes, this old lady put down 60 miles in a day and half! Annie was chilled off her nap at first, but warmed up quickly and moved very well. The section had first (and last, accordingly) 3 miles of rolling rock-strewn path, then the rest was a smooth dirt road, going mainly) up on the way out, then (something to look forward to) down back. Annie ran!

The one big obstacle that had shaken her mentally was that expected in 7.5 miles turn-around didn't come! They lied! We had to march an extra 0.6 miles (making the section full 16.2) to find the hole puncher, but we did, and tried to cheer on with me donning her famous bucket hat on for a photo-op.

We rolled back, seeing Jason on the way (who, again, took a nap at Munds park), heard from Larry the second female was no longer Sarah, but rather Lauren (who rallied and was about 16 miles back), and I decided we need the quickest transition possible to not see her as she comes for her out-back. The drone above our heads notified we're near an AS, we entered it with me yelling "Chair in the shade, blister pop, all quick work", and she was off with her next pacer Jackson. She knows Jackson (who now lives in Flagstaff) since college days, and he helped her with a lot of 14-ers, so she was in good hands.

I finally showered, and we were back on the course, at Fort Tuthill, waiting for their arrival. The moved extremely well! When I went a tad out to meet them, I saw Annie running up the hills! However, she struggled with nose bleed on this section, due to a lot of dust accumulated and capillaries break. They dealt with this as true troopers, and soon we were inside the building of an AS, feeding our girl and getting her ready for the last night. The finish line is in sight!

As the night dropped its grip on the girls, the sleep monster intensified. Lindsey M. picked Annie up here to take her into Walnut canyon. Thank God for that, as Lindsey was local, and there was quite some navigation. Annie had her second eye-shut on the trail for a few minutes, and kept consistent forward motion. When I saw them just our of Walnut canyon AS, she was relatively chipper, if hungry and sleepy. We're ready for the final section, I said!

That final meandering trail was hard on the girl, now back with her first pacer and home-based training partner Gwen. No better person to bring her in! The walked, they shuffled, they took another quick nap on the dirt. They faced the "evil climb" to Mt Elden, which as crazy as it was that late into the race, was, again, not a bad one for Coloradans. 

They crested the climb with 9 miles to go, we (Gwen, Annie and I) made a decision not to even bother with the AS past the top, and the girls, our Annie, with 246 miles in her body, RAN the whole way to the finish, putting 9 min/mile average, and cranking last 2 miles at sub-8!

The morning came, the clothes flew off, they were followed the whole way by Jamil with his camera capturing the spirit - and the speed, and, at last I, the hard-ass crew chief, the Russian who barked the orders for the last 3 days, broke down. All the emotions poured in, and I began crying as soon as I knew she cleared the last AS. That was it. The anticipation, the hard work, the worries - all was done and gone, and I sobbed uncontrollably. As Ana (Annie's stepmom) and Jim said: we have a crier. Indeed, I am a marshmallow in a coconut shell...I did, in my haze, made sure we had some kind of a tape to break 0 the RD didn't have any plans on it, but I knew just how important it is for Annie to cross the REAL tape, with her signature arms in the air, and he found something to hold for us.

71 hrs 10 minutes....incredible, absolutely stunning feat by this young woman, an athlete, a competitor, an American sweetheart and Ultrarunning darling. What an accomplishment! 3rd OVERALL, 1st female, no Jason Koop, neither female, or even late-charging Matt Smit within hours of her finish. She didn't even used poles once as majority of participants (tactically, it was my strategy for our runner).

We said goodbye to those who had to go, took our girl to bathe the grime off and a nap, and ate a lot of pizza and ice cream. I had an overnight flight back home, and it was time for me to do other tasks - which I will have to write a separate post on, at some point of my life.

The darling Annie was recovering at the speed of light - testimony of her really solid training and the crew's really solid taking care of her - and she was back to running, literally, 4 days after. More amazing feats to come from this wonder-child! As they say, the Leadville phenom continues to amaze!