First female to win the Cocodona 250 Ultramarathon: Rachel Entrekin

Post race she admitted she suffered from imposter syndrome at the beginning of the race. 

Ah, the imposter syndrome… something us designers are of course very familiar with.

The Cocodona 250 ultramarathon is extreme. It is a brutal running race across Arizona, finishing in Flagstaff at an altitude of over 9k feet (~2700 meters) and has a total length of 253-miles (407 km). 

Some stats about Rachel and the race:

🏃‍♀️ She was the first female to win the race in 2024 and 2025
⏱️ Her third and overall win set a new course record: 56:09:48
😴 Over those 56 hours, she only slept 19 minutes. 

It is an inspiring story that reminds me that even extremely successful people can suffer from imposter syndrome. She calls out that especially women can hold back trying things. 

Her strategy to battle those insecurities? Asking herself: ‘Why not me?’ She also reminded herself of her past successes and to trust in her capabilities. 

Seeing her “coping mechanism” is a big help and something I will try to do when my imposter syndrome inevitably comes knocking on my door again. 

So if you are in that position that you are holding yourself back with negative self talk, let Rachel be an inspiration to you too. Why not you? You’ve got this! 

Read more about the race here in runnersworld: https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a71256182/rachel-entrekin-cocodona-2026/