Rachel Entrekin

Rachel Entrekin (born June 17, 1991) is an American elite ultramarathon runner and physical therapist, best known for her performances in long-distance trail and mountain racing.

She is the only three-time winner of the Cocodona 250, one of North America's most demanding ultramarathons, and has been nicknamed the "Queen of Cocodona" after consecutive victories in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

In 2026, Entrekin became the first woman to win the Cocodona 250 outright, setting an overall course record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds.

In a May 2026 interview on Welcome To The Party with Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy, Entrekin discussed her Cocodona win, her approach to competition, and referred to herself as a "vibes-based" runner.

Early life and career

Entrekin was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and began running in college while pursuing a degree in exercise science. She completed her undergraduate degree in 2012 and her doctorate in physical therapy, in 2016, from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

After running her first half marathon in 2010 and her first marathon in 2011, she continued increasing her race distances. Reflecting on her early move into trail running, Entrekin said that she "just kind of said yes to everything," including "every type of run that every type of person at every type of speed asked me to do."

Running career

Entrekin began running ultramarathons in 2013, initially focusing on the 50K distance.

She moved to Washington State in 2016, and began setting Fastest Known Times (FKTs) on routes including Mount Rainier's Wonderland Trail, Mount Hood's Timberline Trail, and Section J of the Washington Pacific Crest Trail.

After her first Cocodona 250 victory in 2024, Entrekin won the High Lonesome 100, the Aspen Backcountry Marathon, the Mammoth 200, and the Pass Mountain 50, before winning the Coldwater Hundred outright in January 2026.

Entrekin finished third female and 14th overall at the 2026 Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB.

In December 2025, Entrekin signed with Norda. She is also sponsored by Precision Fuel and Hydration.

During the 2026 race, Entrekin said that she questioned herself after taking the lead earlier than expected, before reframing the moment with the question, "Why not you?" Bloomberg covered the race as a course-record performance. Good Morning America and ABC News described the win as a landmark moment in ultrarunning, emphasizing that she beat the entire men's field. Reuters distributed race images and described her as the first woman to win Cocodona 250 outright. Spain's AS framed the win as a historic ultratrail result and connected the Cocodona organization's "queen" language to the scale of her achievement. Germany's Bild also reported on her overall win, emphasizing that she defeated all male competitors and ran on minimal sleep.

Specialist running outlets treated the win as one of the major ultrarunning performances of the year.

Runner's World reported that Entrekin's 2026 victory completed three major race goals for women at Cocodona: a woman winning overall, a woman placing in the overall top three and three women finishing in the overall top 10. Outside described the win as a performance defined by joy, relentlessness and Entrekin's return to the finish line to support other runners after completing her own race. Trail Runner published a feature arguing that Entrekin's performance reflected her long preparation, positive approach and increasing use of speedwork. Marathon Handbook published multiple stories on her attempt, victory and race strategy, including articles on her 19 minutes of sleep and her status as the first woman to win the race outright.

Awards and recognition

Entrekin was named fourth in the 2025 UltraRunning Magazine Ultrarunner of the Year vote.

Selected wins