Getting In · Coveted ultra
Cocodona 250
Two hundred and fifty miles from the Sonoran Desert to the ponderosa pines of Flagstaff, over five days, with a live broadcast following the leaders the entire way. Cocodona turned the 200-plus mile race into a spectator sport, and demand got so large it had to become a lottery.
- Distance
- ~250 mi
- Climbing
- ~40,000 ft
- Duration
- 2 to 5 days
- Cutoff
- 125 hours
- Lottery
- Opens early May
- Coverage
- Live-streamed for days
The route climbs from desert scrub near Black Canyon City through Crown King, Prescott, Mingus Mountain, Sedona's red rock, and finally up to Flagstaff at 7,000 feet, gaining roughly 40,000 feet along the way. Runners sleep in sleep stations, in bushes, or barely at all, and the tactical question that defines the race is how much sleep you can afford to skip before you start hallucinating on a ridge.
Aravaipa's live coverage changed the sport's relationship with these events: people who have never run a trail race watch Cocodona for five days. That popularity is exactly why entry changed.
How to get in
- LotteryThe lottery, new from 2027
Cocodona moved to a lottery starting with the 2027 race. The window has run early May to mid-May with results announced at the start of June, and every applicant gets one ticket. There is no weighting for previous applications.
- ApplicationElite entry
Elite entries are granted at the race organisation's discretion. If you have a competitive record at the distance you can email to be considered.
Sleep is the discipline
Two-hundred-mile races are not just longer hundreds. They are a different problem.
- Have a sleep plan before you start. Most finishers take somewhere between two and six hours of sleep total, in 20 to 90 minute blocks at sleep stations.
- Sleep early, not late. Banking a short sleep on night one is far more effective than trying to fix a deficit on night three.
- Hallucinations are normal. Nearly everyone sees things by night three. Knowing that in advance keeps it from becoming a crisis.
- Feet are the number one DNF cause. Change socks constantly, treat hot spots the moment they appear, and have a crew member who genuinely knows foot care.
- Eat real food. Five days on gels is not possible. Practise eating meals while moving.
Questions runners actually ask
How does the Cocodona lottery work?
Starting with the 2027 race, Cocodona uses a lottery. The window has run from early May to mid-May with results in early June, and each applicant receives one ticket with no weighting.
How much do people sleep during Cocodona?
Most finishers take two to six hours total across the whole race, usually in short blocks at designated sleep stations. Sleeping early rather than late is the consensus strategy.
Go to the source
Entry rules, dates, standards, fees, and odds change every single year, and the interesting races change them the most. Use this guide to build the plan; use the official site to confirm the details before you book anything.
If this is your kind of thing
Need the races in between? The hard part of a bucket list year is everything else on the calendar: the qualifier, the tune-up, the long run with a bib on.