Overview
- A participant collapsed Tuesday near the Groom Creek Trailhead south of Prescott and later died, race organizers and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.
- Deputies said the runner was a woman in her 40s and that the death is not considered suspicious, with the family’s privacy requested and no identity released.
- Organizers kept the Cocodona 250 going in the runner’s honor and asked athletes to carry her memory on the trail as staff support affected runners and crews.
- Rachel Entrekin won Wednesday afternoon in a course‑record time, becoming the first woman to take the overall title at the Cocodona 250.
- Race leaders noted aid and medical teams are spread across the 250‑plus‑mile route and said they plan to move to a lottery next year, as the sport grows despite rare but known fatalities in events like a 2025 Colorado race and a 2021 race in China.