Sarah Ostaszewski has run the Cocodona 250 all three years of its existence, each go-around shrinking the amount of time it’s taken for her to get from where the race starts just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, to where it ends 250 miles north in the town of Flagstaff. Sarah’s latest attempt on the grueling point-to-point course was her fastest yet; she finished in just over three days, good for 1st place and 4th overall.
The daunting prospect of returning to something the scale of Cocodona 250, a race that includes 40,000 ft. of cumulative elevation change, vast temperature swings, and a 125-hour cutoff that leaves little room for sleep, all but guarantees that the number of repeat finishers stays quite small. So, I talked to Sarah about why she keeps coming back for more; why multi-day events are so alluring; what makes the changing landscapes of the Mountain West so intoxicating; her ice cream intake; and a whole lot more.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- Recovery After Running 250 Miles (2:21)
- Moving to US Trail Towns (5:42)
- Sarah’s Ultra Entry Point (7:54)
- Favorite Trails in the PNW (9:52)
- Discovering the Cocodona 250 (11:34)
- Time On Feet (14:32)
- Arizona’s Changing Landscapes (17:17)
- Crew Tough Love (22:55)
- Cocodona 250’s Rapid Growth (23:44)
- Why She Keeps Coming Back (28:25)
- Sarah’s Sleep Strategy (34:58)
- Thoughts on Nutrition (41:24)
- The Allure of Multi-Day Races (45:38)
- Preparing for the Ouray 100 (52:21)
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