Rachel Entrekin is the First Woman To Win Cocodona 250 Ultramarathon

Summary

Welcome to the Party
Episode: Rachel Entrekin is the First Woman To Win Cocodona 250 Ultramarathon
Date: May 21, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, soccer legends Julie Foudy and Abby Wambach, with regular guest Billie Jean King, host ultramarathon runner Dr. Rachel Entrekin after her historic win at the Cocodona 250. Rachel is the first woman to win the entire field at this grueling 250+ mile ultramarathon, shattering records and redefining what’s possible for women in endurance sports. The conversation dives deep into Rachel’s physical and mental journey, training philosophy, fueling strategies, and the meaningful moments that made her race unforgettable—including a powerful, almost mystical encounter during the final climb. The hosts also cover the changing landscape of women’s sports and advocate for holistic growth and retention in youth sports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Cocodona 250 Victory

• Rachel’s Achievement: Rachel became the first woman (and fifth overall) to win the Cocodona 250 outright, covering 253.3 miles in 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 48 seconds, shattering the course record by more than two and a half hours, and besting her own previous record by seven hours. (27:58)
• Physical Feats: Along the way, she slept just 19 minutes, consumed mostly mashed potatoes, rice, gels, and broth, and completed the race with an elevation gain of nearly 39,000 feet—higher than Mt. Everest.
• Community Impact: The finish line was filled with women and girls in “Here For the Women’s Race” shirts, underscoring the significance of her win for women’s sport visibility. (29:41)

2. Rachel’s Mindset: Radical Acceptance, Curiosity, and Growth

• Running for Transformation: “I am doing runs like Cocodona to see if I like the person that emerges when things get hard.” – Rachel Entrekin (00:00, 48:30)
• On Improvement: Rachel focused not just on winning but on finishing with an attitude she could be proud of, reflecting on a previous finish where she did not like who she was in that moment. Therapy, gratitude, and self-awareness fueled this growth. (48:29-50:09)
• Pain Cave Philosophy: Inspired by athletes like Courtney Dauwalter, Rachel approaches tough moments with curiosity: “We're here to see who you are.” (47:01)

3. Fueling Strategy & “Vibes-Based” Approach

• Intuitive Racing: Unlike most elite athletes, Rachel avoids obsessing over data, relying on perceived exertion rather than metrics. “My biggest metric that I think about is a subjective one, and it’s my rate of perceived exertion.” (39:18)
• Teamwork Matters: Her sports nutritionist, Emily, handles tracking and planning her intake. Rachel trusts the process, eating whatever is put in her pack and focusing her energy on running. (38:04)
• Sleep Philosophy: She only takes a nap when no longer “productively moving forward,” relating that in the Cocodona she didn't sleep until after mile 200. (68:14)

4. Race Community, Giving Back, and Female Solidarity

• Staying at the Finish Line: After her victory, Rachel stayed for two days to cheer on other finishers: “Why would I leave? I wanted to live at that finish line... People above are in a really unique position to extend a hand and help other people up.” (52:09)
• On Role Models: “I don’t want to be a hero that people regret meeting.” (52:09)

5. A Mystical Encounter: The Native American Woman and Cornmeal

• Transformational Moment: On her final climb, Rachel met a Native American woman who gifted her Hopi cornmeal, symbolizing power and harmony. The spiritual encounter reinvigorated her and brought her to tears—she set a personal record up that climb immediately afterward. (72:44, 75:25)
  • “The implications and the ripple effect from what I was doing was so much bigger than anything I could have imagined.” – Rachel (73:29)
  • “That exchange gave me so much energy and…there was no other thing to do... than take that gift that she’d given me and utilize it to do something insane.” (77:34)
  • This five-minute interaction, off-camera at the woman’s request, became a core memory of her running career.

6. Rachel’s Journey into Ultrarunning and Healing

• History with Running: Rachel began running as part of a struggle with an eating disorder, but after seeking professional help, she redefined her relationship with running, finding joy and empowerment rather than self-punishment. (63:01)
• Fuel as Foundation: “If you want this to be who you are…you just need to do it correctly.” (65:32)
• Longevity & Learning: Her path was not one of overnight success—15 years of effort, trial, and error. (61:30)

7. Women’s Sports Expanding This Summer

• WLL (Women’s Lacrosse League) launching its first full season; PSL (Professional Softball League) and Women’s Pro Baseball League starting inaugural seasons. The episode encourages listeners to watch, support, and show up for these new ventures. (11:27-14:56)

8. Rethinking Youth Sports: Preventing Burnout

• Key advice for young athletes and parents:
  • Move your body differently and avoid hyper-specialization.
  • Allow kids to be bored—don’t overschedule.
  • Build a life and identity bigger than sports.
  • “You need to have other things foundationally that are holding up your universe.” – Abby (19:43)
• Reference to U.S. Soccer’s “Hers To Play” national study on retention and dropout in youth sports. (21:26)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Transformation Through Adversity:

• “I am doing runs like Cocodona to see if I like the person that emerges when things get hard.” – Rachel Entrekin (00:00 / 48:30)
• “At the interface of hard, I want to like the person I become.” – Rachel Entrekin (50:00)

On Winning and Community:

• “Why would I leave? I wanted to live at that finish line.” – Rachel Entrekin (51:13)
• “I don’t want to be a hero that people regret meeting.” – Rachel Entrekin (52:09)

On Fueling Philosophy:

• “My biggest metric that I think about is a subjective one and it’s my rate of perceived exertion.” – Rachel Entrekin (39:24)

On the Mystical Encounter:

• “She was telling me that the implications and the Ripple effect from what I was doing was so much bigger than anything I could have imagined... [She] gives me this handful of cornmeal... That exchange gave me so much energy...” – Rachel Entrekin (73:29 – 77:34)

On Mistakes, Growth, and Longevity:

• “Don’t expect to nail your landing on the first go... anything is possible if you’re willing to just keep trying.” – Rachel Entrekin (62:36)

Hosts’ Reflections:

• “Doing hard things and wanting to be a person she likes at the end—that is the whole shebang.” – Abby (84:37)
• “Radical acceptance of, like, things are going to go wrong. And making a plan and accepting if it worked, accepting if it didn’t work...” – Julie (84:37)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Main Introduction and Cocodona Context: 00:00–01:55
• Women’s sports news, summer preview: 10:26–15:58
• Youth sports and burnout: 15:58–21:26
• Rachel Entrekin’s Intro and Race Recap: 27:58–33:07
• Discussion of Winning Moments & Mental Toughness: 34:56–50:00
• Radical Acceptance & Growth After Previous Races: 48:29–52:09
• Mystical Encounter Story: 72:44–80:58
• Rachel’s Personal History with Ultrarunning & Healing: 61:30–66:37
• Closing Reflections: 84:37–87:10

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Additional Highlights

• Rachel’s approach is unorthodox for her sport—trust-based, centered on self-awareness, and “vibes” instead of data, counter to expectations for elite athletes.
• The hosts and Rachel emphasize the importance of “finishing and trying”—valuing process over outcome and inclusion over competition.
• Rachel’s journey reaffirms the power of vulnerability, community, and perseverance for both elite and everyday athletes.

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Episode Tone

Buoyant, honest, wise, and deeply inspiring. Rachel speaks with warmth and candor, while Abby and Julie bring humor, enthusiasm, and heartfelt admiration throughout the conversation.

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This episode epitomizes the heart of women’s sports: breaking barriers, supporting others, embracing challenge, and becoming better humans through hard things—on and off the field (or the trail).

Transcript

[A]

I am doing runs like Cocodona to see if I like the person that emerges when things get hard.

[B]

You stayed and cheered other people on at the friggin finish line for the next two days.

[A]

Oh yeah. I mean, why would I leave? I think the thing that I love the most about Cocodona is how much it teaches you about radical acceptance.

[C]

You run for hundreds of miles and you're like, whatever is going to be thrown at me, I'll deal with it when I deal with it. And like, that is cool.

[A]

That was the moment when I recognized, like, okay, something, something that is going to require my attention is about to happen here.

[B]

I'm going to just keep rewinding this on a loop this, this episode because it's been so good.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Attention. The party is about to commence.

[A]

Welcome to the party.

[B]

What's up party people? I'm Julie Foudy.

[C]

And I'm Abby Wambach. Hi, Jules.

[B]

Hi, Abs. Coming up later in the show, we are so excited. Ultra marathoner Rachel Entricken is going to come on the show. And y', all. She became the first woman ever to win the entire field at the Cocodona 250 Ultra Marathon. Yes. Ever. First woman ever to win that specific race. Shattered the course record and improved her own previous record by like seven hours. This woman is incredible. She opens up about so many things. Her past struggles on body image and self doubt before becoming one of. Of the rock stars on the planet. And we cannot wait to talk to her.

[C]

So Abigail, I'm obsessed. I cannot wait to talk to her.

[B]

I know. But first, can I just tell you about my.

[C]

Please tell me.

[B]

Can I talk about me first?

[C]

Please tell me about your week.

[B]

Because we had our Netflix up front. It's like an hour and a half show that talks about their various shows. But they chose the 99ers as one of the things our film they wanted to highlight. How cool is that?

[C]

That's so cool.

[B]

So six of us were able to come out. Mia, Mia, Brandy, Carla Mish, myself, Joy. And it was really cool. We saw Tina Feyn Fay. I know. And Elle Duncan was hosting the little halftime segment. That was what we were part of. Who's a former ESPN colleague of mine who I love. She's doing all the hosting stuff for Netflix now. Like it was. It was really cool. Anyways. And then we gotta, we gotta go on set and watch the shooting on

[C]

the actual shoot of the 99ers.

[B]

Of the 99ers. Like I had met Amelia Jones, who's my actor and Quickly, because I was calling that game in New Jersey when they were at a US Women's national team game. So I was working too. And, um, but it was just so fun. Like, Carla hadn't met her actor. And so it was. The actors are hysterical and they are having the time of their lives. They're like, we have never done something like this where all of us are together on a team. And they called it trauma bonding because they did a month, a month long boot camp before they started shooting, which was like legit. Like soccer drills. Felt fitness, bro.

[C]

Maybe that's what we were doing.

[B]

Exactly. I'm like, that is how we trauma bonded too.

[C]

Never put it in those terms before. We were trauma bonding.

[B]

Yes. And they were like, we are all ready. Because they're halfway through their shoot. They're like, we're already getting sad for this to end. I'm like, I know. We called it the post Olympic, post World cup blues. When you come off this, they said, you know, when you. We've been on sets before and done movies, you always have this like sadness left. Like, oh, it's over. But they said with this group, like, they're so tight. They went on like a. They had like a three day break weekend. And afterwards they were like, oh, my gosh. Where were you guys? We missed you. Hi. What have you been doing? I'm like, yep.

[C]

I mean, hearing this makes me feel like it's going to like the connection will feel.

[B]

Feel sure. Exactly. Because that's. That's what I said. I'm like that like in. In Ross Greenberg, who has like 700 Emmys and is one of our amazing producers on this, and Liza Chasen, who is also our amazing producer on this. They're like, this is unreal. We've never seen this before with all the actors and this whole team of people just being so and so excited to be doing the movie. So that was really cool.

[C]

Makes a difference. Congrats, Jules. That's so cool.

[B]

Yeah. How about you? What did you do?

[C]

Well, I went to the Indigo Girls concert. Oh, no.

[B]

I love them so much and you know I do. How are Amy and Emily?

[C]

And Emily. They're great. We got to hang out with them and they're. I just. My voice is a little bit rasp today because I was scream singing. Honestly, I go to a lot of concerts because my family, we're music people and I don't know a lot of the lyrics to a lot of the concerts that we go to because it. We go as family, you know, and it's sometimes Tisha's favorite band or. Or chases or. Or Glennon's. Whatever. But in the Indigo Girls, it's like they are in the history arc. So it was Glennon and I's anniversary yesterday, so we went. Because there are like, they're the band that we can point to different years of our marriage. That there are certain songs that have that hold very important, like nostalgic memories and importance, like the power of two. There was this one moment in our

[B]

marriage multiply life by the power of two.

[C]

So we go to them. We go to a show every year and watch them. And at the end of this show, it was really special because another friend of ours who is the league's lead. Lead singer of the band called Muna. Name is Katie Gavin. She's incredible. They invited Katie up to the stage to sing the last. The third verse of Closer to fine on their last song. And that was, like, so fun to watch. It was.

[B]

What if they ever invited you up there, would you go and sing it?

[C]

Yes, but I wouldn't put my mouth near the microphone. I would just be hype, man. Singing along, as in like a karaoke style. Like, I'm watching my people do the karaoke, but I'm singing along with them.

[B]

Did they do Watershed? That's my favorite song of all time by them up on a watershed.

[C]

They did not. They did not do Watershed.

[B]

Never do Watershed. Standing at the folk of the road you could stand there and agonize Till you agonize your heaviestness we can sing it if they don't sing it. Get used to a country mile.

[C]

Sorry, party people. We love you. We're apologizing.

[B]

Oh, gosh. That's so rad.

[C]

Yeah, it was fun.

[B]

So we had a good week.

[C]

And Tisha's home. She came home late last night. We had a late night. She got in at, like, 12:15 from college. Freshman year checks some big nights.

[B]

Are you okay?

[C]

I'm doing fine. I'm doing fine. I don't know how Glennon's doing, but I'm doing fine.

[B]

Okay. Yay. Tisha's survived her freshman. Her freshman year. Also. Memorial Day weekend is almost here. And as Pino was talking about on. On her episode, Memorial Day is kind of this unofficial official kickoff to summer. And obviously we love summer because it's also one of the best stretches on the sports calendar. We've got ridiculous amounts of WNBA and NWSL fund matchups, Wimbledon, the U.S. open, WNB, NBA All Star Weekend, U.S. women's National Team games in June. And of course, the FIFA Men's World cup is coming to America. And as we know, the World cup is going to be a parte. An expensive party this time around, mind you, but always a party nonetheless. And let's not forget, one of the biggest women's sports events of the summer is happening right here in Southern California.

[C]

Yeah, that's right, Jewel. So the US Women's Open, presented by Ally, is taking over riviera Country Club June 4th through the 7th. This is golf, folks. And this is one of those weekends that the women's sports fans, not only in LA but around the country, need to have circled on their calendar. This is major championship golf. Incredible athletes, I would say, huge energy because this is, this is the US the women's US Open. It's so exciting. And if you're around this week, come celebrate June 4th from 5pm to 9pm at the Ally House at 1212 Santa Monica in Santa Monica. Because guess what, folks, Julie and I will be there for a live conversation, a meet and greet and a fan experience built kind of around the tournament, the community and the momentum behind women's sports. So if you want to come to a live event, come hang out with us. We are going to have the best time. If you want to RSVP now, you just go to ally.com ally-house that's again, ally.com ally-house space is limited and Ally customers get priority access. So don't wait. That's ally.com ally-house

[B]

and speaking of Ally showing up in a big way for women's sports, let's get into our party starter, shall we? The highlights, shakeups and headlines you want to celebrate this week in women's sports? This party starter is brought to you by of course, Ally the bank that is your Ally. And since we are unofficially kicking off summer today, this party starter is going to be all things summer. So topic number one, what sports are you most for looking forward to watching this summer? And the crazy thing is is there are a bunch of brand new leagues actually launching right now on the women's side over the summer, which as we know means more opportunities to watch great players and support women's sports and all those things. So hopefully you can go check them out in person or you can support them by watching them on TV or online. So Abs, what are you most excited to watch this summer?

[C]

What I'm feeling so excited about because I just got a chance to watch a bunch of lacrosse a couple weekends ago is the women's Lacrosse league, the W L L okay. So it's just launched its first full season this summer. The league is backed by the pll, the premier Lacrosse league. Now we have four teams. Boston Guard, New York Charging, Maryland Charm, and the Flor and the California Palms.

[B]

Good names.

[C]

I kind of love those names, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Maryland Char.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

The rosters feature many of the best women's lacrosse players in the world. The league expanded from the original 6 on 6 championship format to 4 full field, 10 on 10 lacrosse for the summer season. So they're doing that for the. The regular season. And then when they get into the playoffs, I think they're going back to the 6, 6v6 championship format, which will also be the format for the 28 Olympics. ESPN has broadcast rights where. Where I want to be looking for some of the players this summer. And who rises to the top is Charlotte North. She's playing for the Boston guard, Izzy Skane for the New York Charging. I also wanted to give a shout out to Madison Taylor, who's going to be playing for the California Palms. She was the first pick in WLL history, drafted moments after a big Northwestern win. Her whole team watched it to happen, like live on the sidelines. And she's. She's the rookie arrival, right? The new generation. Still finishing her college run right now, but I think that that's going to be interesting to see how she develops. And then Marie McCool, she. She's also playing for the California Palms. She's kind of like the elder stateswoman, the counterpart to Taylor on the same roster. So that's what I'm looking forward to, this WLL women's lacrosse league. It's so exciting.

[B]

Yay. That'll be fun. All right. For me, I think it's kind of crazy. We have. We're gonna have two softball leagues now and one women's pro baseball league launching over the summer as well. So I'll start with the women's pro baseball league, wpbl. We've been talking about this. We haven't talked about it as much, but it officially launches and becomes the first professional women's baseball league in the United States since 1954. Party people. Four teams in this inaugural season. They're based in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. And they're already doing events and training camps. But the actual season kicks off August 1, 2026. So mark your calendars. You can watch live broadcast and game highlights on the women's Pro Baseball League YouTube channel and the women's Pro baseball league website.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. And then there's the we can't forget the Professional Softball league. The PSL begins its first season in June. Jules. The season. Yeah, they're scheduled.

[B]

I love it.

[C]

I know, it's so incredible. The season's scheduled to run from the second week of June through the beginning of August. Seven teams in a city based format. Atlanta Smoke, Chattanooga Chill, Florida Breeze, Florida Heat, Florida Vibe, Kansas City Diamonds, and the New York Rise. The PSL will be streamed on on the all women's sports network, awsn. And one other really cool thing, they're going to have a minor league to help develop players as well. Jules.

[B]

Yeah, that's important. Yeah, I want to play for the Chattanooga Chill. The Chattanooga Chill. That could be my favorite team name actually, ever.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

And finally, Athletes Unlimited Softball League. This isn't brand new, but they actually are coming back with a different look. It's a usl. They have moved into a permanent city based format. So the league started with four teams and they're now at six teams in 2026, each with a home base. So we got Chicago, Carolina, Utah and Texas. Those four were already there and they've added OKC and Portland. And I, I'm sure you've seen this abs. It's created a ton of buzz. These golden tickets, have you seen them that they've been handing out to college softball stars across the country. And they basically announce their roster spots and they build excitement by handing them this golden ticket that they present and surprise them with. And they're so fun. There's always such a good story.

[C]

It's like the Voice or whatever that

[B]

singing show is exactly when it goes.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And the league, which is really cool, is now backed by Major League Baseball and the season begins on June 9th.

[C]

All right, so we gotta go ahead to topic two, party people. We know we just did a big episode on Burnout, so go check that out if you missed it. We've gotten a lot of really cool feedback from that. But this summer, officially, now that it's here or soon to be, this topic is basically top of mind. And we wanted to share three things that we think young athletes need more of right now. Because kids are quitting sports in record numbers. They're overwhelmed, Jules, over scheduled, and they're constantly worried, honestly about falling behind. So for a lot of families, summer isn't a break anymore. We, you and I know very well it's another pressure packed season. It usually doesn't create healthier athletes.

[B]

It doesn't.

[C]

It creates exhausted ones. Okay, so here are three things we think young athletes actually need more of this summer. And I'm gonna go first, Jules. I just think that kids need to move their bodies differently.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

You know what I mean? Like.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Playing. Playing. If I played only soccer for.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

For 11 or 12 months throughout the year, I would have quit playing soccer. I'm, I promise you. I think too many kids, especially those in club sports, are doing one sport year round and it's, it's too laser focused and I think it actually compromises our ability to, to become the best athlete that we need to become.

[B]

Right.

[C]

I, I feel like you need to mix it up. It not only I think it's going to help with injury prevention, but it'll help with performance as well. And then so, and it's not like

[B]

we're asking you to, to like take on a whole nother sport over the summer, but you can do little things. Yeah. Right.

[C]

Like go out for. Go for a hike with your family. Go for a walk. Play horse in the driveway.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Play pickleball. Or what did we used to play when we were young? Kick the can. You know, like play some sort of like outdoor neighborhood game. Go to the gym, do a push up challenge. Like just make jungle gym, not the

[B]

gym gym, go to the jungle gym. That's amazing. And you, you know those little pull up bars they always have?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Elementary school ones. I used to do that all the time.

[C]

Yeah. And also this is, this is a challenge to the parents as well. This isn't just like set it up for your kid, do it with them, go swimming, jump in the pool. You know when your kids are in the pool and they're like, mom, dad, whoever, come in, get in and you're like, no, I've got to go inside and just get in the pool. Do some fun things with your kids. Like, I think that that is like, yeah, that's, that's a key.

[B]

And that's actually like mine. The second thing is, is like let them be bored. You don't have to like we over schedule the heck out of everything is I give them that downtime. Right. And, and make sure that, you know, you have boredom built into it. There's, there's a lot of resilience and confidence that gets developed in that. So as much as you can as parents, I think you should step back, put, encourage them. Absolutely. Because you're going to say, well, they're just going to go on their phone, put away the electronics and, and let them figure some stuff out.

[C]

I actually heard this thing the other day that when you go on, go on family Vacations, we call them trips, do not over plan it. So when you land you just kind of figure it out. And evidently that science backed like this is research. We'll have to look it up where we got, where I got this from. But you, the families tend to have a much better experience when it's a little bit more curiosity based.

[B]

And I think that's my theory. I never plan a vacation or a trip.

[C]

The other thing, the other thing Jules, I think will be helpful is to have a focus on trying to build a life that is bigger than their sport.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

And, and I say this from experience.

[B]

Y right.

[C]

Like to read books or listen if you're like me and it's harder for you to read, get a summer job, learn a new skill, whether it's cooking, go volunteer, hang out with your friends, find interests, I think that are outside the identity as an athlete. Because when, not if, but when the athlete themselves has to retire because we all retire sadly, we need to have other things foundationally that are holding up our universe. Right. And even those who continue to play on beyond in college and beyond college, they have to know more than just their sport in order to survive on this planet. Because it's a short lived life sport is in terms of the competition. So I love the idea of making your world bigger outside of sports.

[B]

Yeah. Because here is what we absolutely know. There is a huge retention problem in youth sports right now. Kids are dropping out like crazy. This is why we are giving these tidbits and it's our, our small way of trying to as parents, because we're experiencing it as well, try and keep kids playing. And the one stat that has been thrown around for years, 70% of kids quit organized sports by age 13. Why you ask?

[C]

Wild.

[B]

Yeah, for many reasons. It's. It's not getting breaks like we just talked about. It's. It's not fun. But here's this cool thing that's happening with U.S. soccer. U.S. soccer's Kang women's Institute. So Michelle Kang, as we know, has donated a lot of money to provide this service. U.S. soccer's Kang women's Institute wanted to dig even deeper. They just launched a major national study called hers to Play, asking women what kept them in youth soccer and what pushed them out. So party people, if you're a woman 19 years old or older who played youth soccer in the United States, they'd love your input. The survey is anonymous. It takes less than 10 minutes. And the findings can help keep kids in the game, which is what we all want. So we'd love it if you can take the time again, less than 10 minutes. It's anonymous to fill it out, what you liked, what you didn't like and we will link the survey in our show notes for that. Okay, and that is a wrap on our party starter. And thanks to Ally for sponsoring this segment. Ally is more than a bank, and their do it right approach helps customers unlock their economic potential and guides their efforts as a leading sponsor in women's sports. And just like us, Ally believes that when women in sports win, we all have a reason to party. Ally Bank Member FDIC okay, abs. Coming up after the break, she ran the equivalent of nearly 10 marathons back to back through the Arizona, Arizona desert and mountains. She slept party people just 19 total minutes. She shattered the course record and somehow still stopped to pet dogs along the way. Honestly, we are beyond fascinated by this woman. Ultra marathoner Rachel. And Trickin is next.

[C]

Whenever I really try to go all out planning a dinner party or even like a slightly more involved meal than usual.

[B]

Because you are the cooker in the house, right?

[C]

Yes. I always make it all the way until the end before realizing I'm missing like one key ingredient. Right. So like you're in the finishing stages of the prepping your. Your lime basil chicken and then you realize you forgot the limes.

[B]

Yeah. Kind of important.

[C]

Yes. And that is where Shipt has genuinely, like saved me more than once. Not only do I trust the shoppers with Shipt with those really quick runs, I really trust them to pick the best limes because, you know, sometimes you just don't know what you're going to get with some of these other places. But with Shipt, they actually do it well. They'll text me when, when they're shopping, check in if something's out, make sure I get exactly what I need. They truly just above and beyond. So use code podcast to get a year of shipped for only $49, half off of the regular 99 [e-mail] offer. That's S-H-I-P-T.com offer terms apply. You guys know how much we love the Peloton cross training Tread plus powered by Peloton iq. Peloton helps you unlock all the expansive, joyful feeling one gets through movement. Truly, it's not just running. You can literally go from a walk or run straight into strength training with like the swivel screen that, you know, that we all love. And it just feels so seamless. Love it. It's. There's no stopping, no overthinking. Without losing any momentum. And my goodness, if I lose lose momentum, I'm gone.

[B]

And let me tell you, I have to fight the family to get on the peloton cross training dread. Plus, lately, yeah, everyone is on it. They're all doing the swivel, they're doing the cross training. I'm like, listen, yo, this is mine. Get off. It's built around you, too. Your pace, your energy, what you need that day. It's like having a roadmap, which we all want, but without the pressure. So peloton IQ gives you the level of support you deserve. And let's be clear, us women deserve tools, support, and experiences built for us and around us. And of course, our potential.

[C]

Exactly. So whether you're running or lifting or just trying something new or, Jules, even feeling a little along the way, you're still moving forward. Let yourself run, lift, fail, try and go again. Explore the new peloton cross training tread [e-mail] so, Jules, like many of you and I know we've talked about it before, I'm trying to keep up with my protein intake. You know, I'm 45 years old and Omaha steaks has made it way easier for me to actually follow through. So, Jules, did you get your delivery?

[B]

Oh, my gosh, yes.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

I love it. I love the way they package it all too.

[C]

I know, I know. All like freezer high quality.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

They deliver this premium cuts straight to your door. So there's always some high quality in the freezer that you can just grab if you forgot to grab something at the store. And that alone has changed my whole mindset around cooking. I already have, like, I just have good options always waiting for me and I can build the meal around it. So I tried their filets and they were incredible. They were tender, real juicy, juicy flavor. And just clearly for me, what feels like a step above what I'm normally grabbing at the store. Like, everything is individually vacuum sealed.

[B]

I love that. That's what I'm talking about.

[C]

Portion. Yes. So you can pull out exactly what you need and then you save the rest. It just makes the whole process feel easier and honestly, a little more enjoyable. Taste the Omaha steaks difference and you never settle for grocery protein again. Get flavorful, high quality proteins delivered by visiting Omaha steaks.com/35 off when you use promo code. Welcome to the party. At checkout, that's omahasteaks.com code. Welcome to the party. Terms apply. See site for details.

[B]

All right, party people, people, now it is Time for the partiest part of our party. Today's guest just delivered one of the greatest endurance performances the sport has ever seen. Last week, Rachel and Tricken became the first woman ever to win the overall field at the Cocodona 250, beating every single runner, male or female, across. Actually not. 250.253.3 miles through the Arizona mountains and desert. She did it, party people. In 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds, she shattered the course record by over two and a half hours, slept less than 20 total minutes in what she calls dirt naps, and fueled herself mostly on mashed potatoes, rice, oatmeal, broth, caffeine and gels. But what makes Rachel so compelling is not just the running. She's a doctor of physical therapy who spent years balancing elite ultra marathon training with a demanding career in oncology rehabilitation before finally becoming a full time professional athlete just this year. She's thoughtful, hilarious, emotional, wildly self aware, and incredibly open about her past struggles with eating disorders, body image, pressure and self doubt. And she crossed the finish line when she crossed it. There were little girls, mothers, daughters and fans wearing here for the women's race shirts. Watching history happen in real time as Rachel not only proved something to herself, but helped redefine what female athletes everywhere might believe is possible. She is incredible. Dr. Rachel and Trickin, welcome to the party.

[C]

Welcome to the party. You run the longest and the fastest.

[A]

Thank you. That was an incredible introduction. I appreciate it.

[B]

Yeah, I think I'm gonna pride ourselves on those. Oh my gosh, we are obsessed with you.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

How many hours can we steal? She's off to. She's off to Paris soon.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, as many as it takes. I suppose I can just. Paris can wait.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

I mean, Rachel, like, how are you doing? Like, how are you feeling? The response has been insane. Like, tell us what life has been like.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, it's been insane. I think I've averaged probably like either five interviews or podcast requests a day.

[C]

And this one's your favorite.

[B]

And thank you for doing this one.

[A]

Definitely the most enthusiastic. But yeah, I. Yesterday was my first day where I just was like, you know what, I'm not doing anything. Me and a couple of my friends went and climbed Mount Antero. What?

[B]

Rachel?

[A]

Yeah, I'm pretty tired, but that was. That was potentially optimistic. But we made it. We made it. And I was very realistic with them because it's a 14,000foot peak here in here.

[C]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

But, but, yeah. And so and we started it, my friend had to work and so we started it at 4pm or actually probably 4:30, so.

[C]

So when did you finish?

[A]

About 9:15pm oh my God.

[B]

Honestly, I would be like, just bring me a margarita and let me sit by the pool. Come on. Nope, I'm going to go climb this peak.

[A]

Yeah, but I haven't really been doing that much. I started running again. Honestly, the media schedule has kept me from getting back out there sooner, but. And also too, like I'm trying not to. I say this right after telling you I just did a 14er, but I'm trying not to get back into things too quickly because I think that is short sighted. And so I haven't really done. I just got back into running probably Tuesday maybe I did like six miles and then I did four miles and then I did 16 miles with 5,000ft of climbing.

[C]

Can you explain to our listeners what 14er means? What a 14er is?

[A]

Yeah, so Mount Whitney is the tallest mountain in the, in the continental United States. And it's about 14, 5 or so. So 14ers is just really tall peaks within the United States. There's no oxygen and everything's hard and there's a lot of rocks. But they're super fun because you can get to the top and you just see forever because there's nothing blocking your way or your view. So I like to climb them. I think they're really fun.

[B]

Okay, can we, can we just go back to this race? Because I know you had won the women's division the prior two years, but like, this is the first time where you just crushed it. The entire field, male and female, as we said in the intro. I'm most interested in those moments where you go, okay, can I do this? Because I know you talked about it after, like you were, you were ahead. Like, did you doubt yourself? And when did you doubt yourself? I'm guessing yes. And then what was your response?

[A]

Yeah, so I was running in a, in a lead pack, I guess, with Killian Korth, who was the eventual men's winner in second overall.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Who had a fantastic day out there, by the way. Just gotta give him props where it's due.

[B]

He also broke his like, personal best right in the record for himself.

[A]

So he PR'd his cocodona finishing time by 25 hours. 25 hours?

[B]

What?

[A]

That is, that is an incredible stat. I think that's a whole day plus. Yeah.

[B]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

So anyway, but enough about him. We're talking about me.

[C]

That's correct.

[A]

But yeah, so I was running with him and then I was running with a really talented multi day and just runner in general named Joe McConaughey. And we ran together probably the first, like, probably the first 35 miles, like lockstep. And then Killian kind of started to run his own pace and then eventually around mile, like about the 100k mark, so probably mile 60, Joe started taking walk breaks when I didn't feel like I needed to. You know, it's a race. So like I didn't, you know, I don't want to burn all my matches in the beginning, but I also want to run my own race. So yeah, I just, you know, around the 100k mark, became the race leader, which, like, I have almost 200 more miles to go. And it just felt really early to be making those kinds of moves. But. And so, yeah, I mean there was, there was certainly a lot of doubt. There was doubt that I could, you know, again, 200 miles, like, am I really, am I really confident enough that I can, I can maintain this lead the rest for basically 48 more hours? Right.

[C]

I don't know, but that is so unbelievable to me. Okay.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

First of all, in those first 60 miles, 100 kilometers, are you, do you talk with each other or are you just like silent?

[A]

Dude. It was incredible. I, I loved the experience of running with those two guys. It was so much fun. Killian is this really like cerebral guy and one of the questions that he posed was, do you ever think about how you know what something will feel like when you lick it before you do? And we were just like, what? And then we were looking at all the things.

[C]

I love that question.

[A]

Yeah. And then it's like, but it's kind of true. Like if I'm looking at this wall, like I can imagine what that would be. Feel like if I, I'm probably right. And like we were looking at like trees and rocks and like, and stuff. And it's like, like I definitely, I don't know, it was really fun. And then, And Joe is really funny. I've met his mom a couple of times, or actually only once, but I stayed at her house and like. And I love his mom and I love him too. Like, he's a great guy. And so we, we were just having a really fun time for that purse.

[B]

I love that you're just chatting away as you're, you're in your 60s. 60th mile, 100 kilometer.

[A]

Yeah, but I mean, the relative intensity of the effort you're putting out is quite low. It's not like we're doing a marathon. Like, I'm probably not talking if I'm running a 5, 10 pace, but we're doing like nines. So that's, you know, zone one or something.

[C]

That's like my marathon pace.

[A]

I mean, that's great. Any. Any, but.

[B]

Well, and your, Your elevation gain I saw was like Mount Everest. 39. Almost 39,000.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Higher than Mount Everest.

[A]

And a lot of that comes in the first 100 miles. The first 37 miles has almost 12,000ft by itself. Yeah. So.

[B]

Oh, my.

[C]

And are you, like, walking during this time or are you, like, at a slow jog?

[A]

I. I think it depends. I mean, the first couple years that I ran this race, I used trekking poles. I walked some, but this year I just didn't. I didn't think I. I walked some. If it were really steep, then I would walk. But generally speaking, if I, I like to try to keep my, I guess, exertion level kind of constant. And so if, if I'm doing a slow jog or if I'm. I'm trying to jog up a hill and it bypasses that level, that arbitrary level that I've set for myself, I'll walk. But as soon.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

But as soon as I can, I start running again. Because it is a race.

[C]

Right?

[A]

Right.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Okay. So I want to know. I'm a data metrics person and, and because of the science behind fueling and how important it is for these, like, long distance races for every race, but for this specifically, like, how much planning and preparation goes into that and what kind of data are you during the race looking at four. So that, you know, like, if your heart rate spikes a little bit or. Tell me all the things because I want to know all the things.

[A]

You're about to be so disappointed in me. I am not a data person.

[B]

No, we won't.

[A]

You're not a data person. So I fortunately, thank God, I have a woman. Her name is Emily Errol and I love her to death. She is priceless, but she is my sports nutrition scientists, um, and she's been on my cruise. So she crewed me for a race called Chianti, in which it was. It was probably one of my favorite performances to date because it was just so outside of my wheelhouse. It was very fast race. Um, and I don't care too much for those. I like mountain or long stuff. This was, this was about 70 miles. Um, and it was really. I did it in 11 and a half hours, which is quite fast and it has about 17k of climbing. So it's, it's, it was. But she's very data oriented and so she fortunately kept all up with all of the input and output and what I'm doing and when I'm doing it, like, thank God, because I'm not doing any of that stuff. I don't care. Just get me to the finish line. And then as far as like my pace and my heart rate, I don't, I don't. I mean I have a watch. I mostly use it just so that I can share data. I don't. In real time, I don't use it.

[B]

That's probably why you're so damn good. You're not obsessed with that stuff. You just feel it.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, like I said, my, my biggest metric that I think about is a subjective one and it's my rate of perceived exertion. So if I feel like I don't need to look at my heart rate, I don't need to look at my pace. If I feel like my RPE is getting too high, I'll. I'll tone it down until it is reasonable again.

[C]

Oh my God. This is so fascinating to me that you were able to accomplish over 250 miles of the Cocodona and win. And I bet you most, I mean, are. Is this common, a common way of life for ultra marathoners?

[A]

Not looking at data? I don't think so.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Courtney Dualter, if you, I imagine her.

[B]

Yeah, she's. She's awesome. Yeah. She came in sick. She's rad.

[A]

Yeah. She's pretty vibes based also.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And when she was first like blasting onto the scene, I was really appreciative that somebody else was like I was or approached it in a similar way where it's like, you know, data isn't the most important thing.

[C]

And it's true.

[A]

It's cool because, you know, without data, like we don't know how to repeat results for other people, which for me is really important because I do want to propel the sport forward. I think that I put up an incredible time, but in 10 years from now, like, I hope my time is improved considerably and we're not going to be able to do that without data sharing. I'm really glad that I'm able to have people who care about data on my team so that I can share those things. But just in the moment, it's never going to be something that's important to me. And it is, it is interesting too that like Courtney, I mean, admittedly one of the greats ever. Greatest to ever do it within our sport is also very much like vibes as opposed to.

[B]

I love that you called it vibes based. So good. I think that's so important for people to hear.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Right. Like, you are not measuring how many calories you're eating right then in there. And you have someone that's obviously doing that, but, like, takes that load off of you. And the fueling is important. I'm curious, how many, like, how many do you. There's aid stations. I know, but for something that's this long, how do you get enough in. Are you just. Are you just sucking down gel packs as you're running? And then at the aid stations, you stop and eat your mashed potatoes? How does that work?

[A]

Kind of. Yeah, I, I eat a lot. I ate a lot of gels. I'm a new gel person. I only started eating gels in March.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. And before that, I was, like, mostly eating chews or, like, drink mix and stuff. But, but gels are really great. I'm glad that we've come to an understanding with each other now. They make it really easy to just get in quick calories without having to chew or think about it. But, yeah, I mean, I was, I was, you know, Emily and I have a very good understanding of how to get me to eat stuff. And I basically told her, like, put whatever I'm supposed to eat in my pack, and I'll do my best. And so she just puts whatever I'm supposed to eat in my pack. Not anymore and not any less. And I try to get it done. Um, so, yeah, I mean, and then, you know, there were times, especially later in the race, that I was not hitting my numbers, like, very accurately at all. And so we, I would get into the aid station, and that was usually when I'd have something a little heartier, like oatmeal or potatoes. And I like those things anyway. And it's, it's nice to get that palate cleanser almost, because a lot of the gels and stuff. Precision, who I work with, they do. It's like a neutral flavor, but it's still sugar. I mean, it's still. It still has, like, you know, and so getting something that's more savory. Nice. It's a really nice.

[C]

That's good.

[A]

Yeah, it's nice.

[C]

I, I did one marathon, and I will only do one marathon. And I, I, I trended towards the honey stinger waffle things, whatever the. Oh, it's like a treat.

[A]

Yeah. They're like, have you had the stroopwafel? Like the Danish?

[C]

Just so good.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So good.

[B]

Yeah. I turned it toward the, the chili cheese dogs. That was what I would do.

[A]

Be a great ultra runner. Yeah. Thank you.

[C]

So I want to talk a little bit about what you, how you approach the mentality of what you're doing as former pro athletes. I don't know if you know, but we played soccer growing up.

[A]

Oh, I know.

[C]

Okay. And, and, and I think that like it takes a kind of mentality to play professional sports and do professional sports. And I think I would, I would say ultra is probably the most interesting in terms of, it's fascinating to me because it was the hardest, like to maintain a consistent pace and do that for a long period of time is actually like my worst nightmare. Um, so I wonder, like, are you suffering? Are you going through like, what is your mentality like during a 250 plus mile race? What is that?

[A]

Yeah, it's funny because going into the race, you know, I made a spreadsheet which I hate. You know, obviously I'm sitting there and I'm sitting there.

[B]

I love you.

[A]

Yeah. And I'm sitting there. You know, I had my spreadsheet from last year and last year I did about 64 hours and I'm just slashing my pace because I wanted to try to sub 6, I wanted to try to get below 60 hours this year and I'm slashing my paces and I'm slashing my aid station times and I'm slashing all these things and I, I end up at 61 and a half hours and I'm just like, okay, like I, I hate this because I'm already, I'm already cutting in half. I feel like most of the paces that I'm supposed to be doing and like, I don't know how I'm gonna do this and I don't know, you know, I'm already saying at this, from this, in this 16 mile section, I'm gonna do a 10 minute pace at mile 214. Like, am I like really? So I think. And then it's funny because then I start the race and I just completely blow my spreadsheet out of the water immediately. So I think for me, I don't know, I'm not. Everybody's different, but I don't think that. I think the mentality that I take into it is as long as I'm doing the best that I can at any given moment, like you, you know, I'm a professional now it is not my job to slack off during races, especially, especially big A races like this one. Like, I'm, I'm. It is my duty to try my best at all times. That's why I'm paid to do this, is because, like, I have made that bargain of like, you give me money, I give you all my effort and I would do that any. I was doing that before I was paid. But it's, it's even more important now that I'm somebody within the sport. So. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I just, I don't.

[B]

But it's got to be mentally. I mean the physical, of course. But for me, with. And like Courtney Du Walter, as you were talking about, she talks about her pain cave.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And. And chipping away into the pain cave and how she actually anticipates and, and likes when she gets to the pain cave party. So there is a different mindset for ultra marathon runners, I feel like, in terms of their relationship with that pain.

[A]

I think.

[B]

And how do you get to that?

[A]

Yeah, I think for me it is, it is also curiosity based. So in 2024, when I did Cocodona, it was the hardest thing I'd ever done to date and it probably still is because that was the first time I run that far. And I got to the top of the last climb, which you summit a 9,000 foot peak and it's just hideous. There it was at the time. You know, I have a different relationship with it now, but. But I just fell apart and like, I became this really grumpy person and ungrateful and like, I didn't recognize what was happening in that moment and I won the race. And I just like that finish line. I hate that finish line video. I'm so glad that the race wasn't then what it is now because the person that I was when I finished that race is somebody that I did not like and I did not do and I did not want to be. And so going into 2025, I don't set. This is the first year at this race that I've set time goals, which was kind of scary. But in 2025, one of the goals that I set was to have a better attitude at the finish line because if I'm gonna any in that, to me, it doesn't matter if I'm getting first or if I'm getting 90th. Like, attitude is something that is under my control. And so even though it's hard, hard is why we're doing this. We're I am doing.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, I am doing runs like Cocodona to see if I like the person that emerges when things get hard. And in 2024, I did not like that person. And in 2025, I did a lot of work in that year between the races, like therapy and runs that were really butt kicking and choosing to be grateful during them and choosing to enjoy the experiences that I was having despite it being hard. And so in 2025, I mean, I had one of the best finish line experiences of my life because of. I recognized in that moment, like I did it. Like I didn't just win the race. I didn't. I honestly didn't care about winning the race. What I cared about was I am happy at this finish line. And I have. You know, there was a point on the last climb, because you do the same climb every year. And there was a point when I started to get into that grumpy place and I recognized it and I strategized and I improved my behavior and I improved my attitude and by the time the finish line came around, like, I was, I was happy with the person that I was.

[C]

Oh my God. I mean, in terms of like a new definition of success when faced with hardship.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Like I, it, like literally you just gave me tears in my eyes because it's like such an important gift that you are giving me right now.

[A]

Thank you.

[C]

At the, at the interface of hard, I want to like the person I become.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Oh my God. Like, thank you. That's gonna make me a better parent. Like that right there is gonna make me a better parent ultra running.

[A]

But yeah. And with that being said too, it shifts the. Because I think there's a lot of fear around doing hard things, but it, it shifts that fear into something that you're looking forward to because now you get to like. All right, well, this is what we're here for. We're here to see who you are. And so the sooner you get to that point, the better because you get to spend more time examining who you are.

[B]

So yeah, the other crazy thing too about that is when you said, I loved who I want to love who I am at the finish line. I noticed, Rachel, that you spent the next two plus days at the finish line cheering people on. So after you've just gone two and a half days of running, this blew my mind. This says everything about you to me is you stayed and cheered other people on at the friggin finish line for the next two days. Is that true? Right?

[A]

Oh, yeah. I mean, why would I leave. I wanted to live at that finish line, but unfortunately. And do interviews. But, yeah, no, I. You know, when I was. When I was getting started and running, you know, it meant the world to me when the people who were successful in the sport congratulated me. Like, I'm. I'm. In my eyes, I was nobody. I was a newcomer. And, like, whatever. And, you know, I know there's that expression of, like, never meet your heroes. And, like, I don't want to be a hero that people regret meeting. And, you know, I just. I think back to, like, what I would have wanted in order to feel like a part of the community, and that is that, you know, people above are in a really unique position to extend a hand and help other people up. And so I don't. I'm not interested.

[B]

Turn and pull.

[A]

Yeah, I'm not interested in. In sitting on my high horse and, like, being superior to other people just because my race result is better than theirs. Like, that's not. I don't know. That's just not what I'm about. And so, yeah, I mean, Cocodona, the week of the race, that is my Christmas. I get to do this really hard thing with, like, all these people who have signed up for the same challenge. Like, and I think that anytime somebody does something hard and emerges on the other side, whether they finish or not, like, even the act of towing the start line is incredibly brave because you don't know what's gonna happen out there, and that deserves to be celebrated by everyone from the top. So, yeah, I mean, I. I think the. The most incredible thing that somebody asked me to do this entire last week was to give the last finisher their belt buckle. That was. I mean, I. Like, I could not have said yes fast enough because that, to me, is everything that ultrarunning is about. Like, we all. It doesn't matter how long it took us to get here. We all got there. And, like, if I can, I'm getting to give, like, the person who was out there the longest and probably had way more challenges than I had. I mean, I was only out there for two freaking days. They were out there for almost six. Like, imagine how much mental toughness and, like, physical discomfort that person was probably in compared to what I. I mean, like, my race, comparatively, was easy. I was done so much sooner. I could take a nap and, like, a shower and eat and stuff. Meanwhile, they're still out there. Like, nothing is better than me getting to meet that person and congratulate them. Like, that is. That is what Ultra running, I think is all about is, is celebrating everybody. Everybody celebrates everybody.

[C]

It's. It's the finishing and it's in the trying.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Like, it's, it's such a cool, a cool community that, that I have a couple ultra friends and they're wild, like, they're intense. Not necessarily as chill vibes as you. Very, very specific about their timing and Type A. Yeah. Is there another race that you're looking, looking at going, you know what this is? What, this is my next. This is my next challenge? Or is the Cocodona like the biggest one, like the most difficult?

[A]

It's, it's hopefully the longest one.

[C]

Hopefully they don't add mileage.

[A]

It's funny because a lot of people have been asking me like, oh, what's next? I don't, I mean, I don't. Realistically, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to like one up that one as a gestalt, you know, thing. But, but I, you know, there are obviously things that I'm looking. Challenges that I'm looking forward to. Like I'm doing the utmb, which is a huge race in France. It's really competitive. There's like a lot of dense, talented people. Like, I mean, probably there's like 25 women that could win that race and like I get to line up next them and see what happens. And so I'm really curious about that. I also haven't done a lot of international racing and so that'll be a unique challenge of kind of navigating a different country, actually three different countries, because the race is in three countries, so that'll be fun. And then, you know, there's, there's other races. I really like hundred milers, especially mountain hundreds. So there's a couple races that I've got my eye. Eyes on. I think Hard Rock would be really fun. It's super difficult to get into, but

[C]

I think you probably can manage. Like, how do you, how could you not get into think, do you have to qualify for it? Like, didn't you just qualify for every race ever going forward?

[A]

I don't know. Actually, Hard Rock does have its own qualification races, which I've done, so I am qualified for it. It's just getting in is just. It's very challenging. There's a very small, it's in a, it's in a sensitive area and so there's a very small amount of, of people who are able to get in and I just haven't yet. Yet. I'd like to, I mean, I did get an email.

[C]

I know that has to change.

[A]

I got a congratulatory email from the race. So I am optimistic. At least now they know.

[C]

I think that I think it might work out this time.

[B]

I think that's foreshadowing right there from him or her.

[A]

Awesome. It would be awesome to do that race. But you know, obviously the race doesn't owe me an entry, so I accept. And you know, there's a, there's a ton of other races out there too that I would love to do. There's one in New Zealand called Tarawera that looks really cool. Zealand. Like, are you kidding me? And what a better place, like way to experience a place than on foot. Sounds cool.

[C]

I could think a few better ways. Easier ways you're probably better is with rice, but easier.

[A]

Yeah, I don't know. There's. I'll have to redefine. My, my, what do I want to do?

[B]

I already knew about OSEA because my Stanford pals were so kind when I hosted a bunch of them here a few years ago. They were so kind to get me all this OSEA product. So I'm on the bandwagon. They actually make my skin look and feel noticeably better. Their formulas are seaweed powered. Isn't that cool? Clinically tested and just feel elevated. And lately I've been especially obsessed with their undaria algae body oil.

[C]

Come on. Okay, okay, okay.

[B]

It absorbs really fast, doesn't leave you greasy, which I cannot handle. The greasy is the worst. Gives you your skin this healthy looking glow. Dare I say immediately. I usually put it on after a shower and my skin just feels better. It feels softer. It's smoother, way more hydrated when I'm using it consistently. And get this, in a two week clinical study, 100% this never happens. 100% of women showed improvement in moisturization and skin elasticity. Weight 100 also agreed their skin felt softer, smoother and more supple.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Get a spring worthy glow with clean clinically tested skin care from osea. And right now we actually have a special discount just for our listeners. So get 10 off your first order site wide with code. Welcome to the [e-mail] O S E-A

[C]

Malibu.com okay, so Jules, we all want a simplified closet, right?

[B]

Gosh.

[C]

One where you know if you reach in, you'll pull out something you actually want to wear.

[B]

Is yours like that?

[C]

Yeah, I know. Not right now. Not right now. I'm like, when you do your little

[B]

closet, hits it Looks very organized. I'm just saying this is why I

[C]

keep coming back to quints for that reason, because their pieces, they just, they hit that balance that they're nice fabrics, they're flattering fits. It's really nothing fussy, right? So quince is really easy way to refresh your everyday wardrobe. So this spring, without overthinking it, do it right now.

[B]

I am really feeling, and this is going to surprise you because I haven't been into too many dresses lately, but I'm feeling their 100% European linen fit and flare midi dress because the weather's finally get nicer and I can actually do that. So I got it in this incredible moonstone blue color. I love my blue hues so much. And whenever I don't know what to wear, I just throw it on.

[C]

Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to quince.com welcome to the party for free shipping on your orders and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N C E.com welcome to the party for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com welcome to the party.

[B]

We talk a lot on this, this podcast about and we talk to people who have, you know, done amazing feats like you just did. But one of the things we, we, we talk about is that like, look, it's, you're seeing the shiny object at the end of it right now and the glory of it. But we know that obviously the 250 miles itself was anything but easy. And there's so much to the story beyond this race. What do you want people to really know about you when they see you win a race like this?

[A]

Yeah, I think the thing that is just like what you said, I mean, you're seeing the finished product. But I've been doing this for 15 years. I've been running ultras for 15 years. I obviously, I don't know. I think everybody wants to believe or maybe not but like that they're the exception and they can just get by and be successful immediately. And that's it. I was not immediately successful at ultrarunning. But things that you love, you don't mind learning. And so, yeah, I don't know. I know I get a lot of comments about like how easy I make things look because I'm choosing to have that attitude when I'm out there is like I can't, when I'm doing something hard, I can't tell myself or I can't Keep reminding myself how hard it is, because that gets really overwhelming really fast. And so, you know, I'm gonna go into the eight stations with a smile as much as I can. I'm going to talk about how, like, fun it is because it is. It is fun, but just because, you know, fun and hard are not mutually exclusive. And so.

[B]

Yeah, so true.

[A]

Yeah. So I think, you know, don't expect to nail your landing on the first go. And if you don't nail the landing, like, don't be afraid to try again, because I really do think anything is possible if you're willing to just keep trying. So that's my.

[B]

How did you even get into ultra running?

[A]

Oh, gosh, that's a good question. So, I mean, we mentioned. You mentioned it a little bit before, but I did have a really bad eating disorder when I was in high school, and part of my illness involved using exercise as a means of control as well. And so, you know, and my family was going through some stuff, too. And so just as another way to get out of my house, I would just go to the gym for hours, hours and hours. And I actually really liked that part of it. I didn't. Obviously, it was not beneficial for my brain, but. But I really. I realized that I was very good at doing the same thing for a long time. Like, I would get on the treadmill, and just like, three hours later, I'd drag myself off and be like, all right, that's. That was. And so, you know, eventually, obviously, I needed professional help in. In getting over my illness. But when I was doing all of that work, I realized that I liked how running made me feel. I didn't just, like, the calories, it burned or like, whatever, you know, stupid eating things that are put in your brain. Like, I. I wanted to get back out there and I wanted to experience because it makes me feel powerful and it makes me feel confident and it makes me feel able and all this. All this stuff. And I want. I needed that. I really needed that in my life. And so, you know, I got. I went to rehab a couple times, and then eventually, when I was on my own, it's like, okay, priority number one needs to be figuring out how to do this safely. And so, you know, I had nutritionist and I had therapists, and it took a really long time because, you know, it's easy to slip back into bad habits. Especially I was in college and I was getting a doctorate degree and stuff was stressful and, like, it was easy. But every time I realized that I was using it for evil. It's like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like you want. You want to be able to do this for a long, long time. So it is only going to benefit you to learn how to do it correctly. And yeah, I mean, it probably took me like six years before I was really like, all right, you have to eat when you run. You can't just like look at it as a transaction. Like, this is. If you want this to be who you are, then, yeah, you just. You just need to do it correctly.

[B]

So, yeah, well, I'm sure you could see too, as if you didn't fuel yourself properly, then you're not able to do it.

[A]

I'm not getting to this point, that's for sure. So, yeah. So, yeah, eventually I. I was able to figure it all out. I did realize pretty quickly that I was. I started with marathons as well, like road marathons. And I realized pretty quickly that I could do like three of them in a month and be fine. Endurance was obviously something that like I just had. I can recover really fast, which is really convenient. And so, you know, from the road scene, I eventually got into the trail scene and then into the ultra scene, and then it was kind of game over. It's like, oh, I can just run for longer. Great. And then eventually that led us to like 250 miles, which I think is as far as a race goes. Like, I hope that that's the longest that I do because it's a long way and it just requires so many moving parts that it's like, okay, this is. Is. This is good. This is good.

[B]

This is good.

[A]

Milers are great. I. 100 milers are great and I really like it. So I'll just. I think that's probably gonna be. You know, I obviously I love the multi day and I. At some point I would like to try to go after maybe some long, long trails like the Pacific Crest Trail or like the jmt. Oh my gosh. Looks so cool.

[C]

Break the record. Smash the record.

[A]

I'd like to try it at some point. Um, but. But yeah, as far as like races go, I mean, unless something really piques my interest, I'm probably like 250 is plenty long.

[C]

Yeah. Wait, so the. The PCT and the ACE. The Appalachian Trail, the AT, they're like thousands of miles. So I wonder what the 2500 miles. So that's 10 times as long as the Cocodona. So technically then what we can expect is 10 times 2. You could get it done in 20 days.

[A]

I don't know how math works. I'm not going to do public math on a show. I think the record, sleeping. You know, actually Tara Dower is a female who has the overall Appalachian Trail record. A woman has that one too, which is pretty cool.

[C]

How many days do you know?

[A]

I should know this. I don't. I think it's in the 40s.

[C]

I think so too. I think it's in the 40s.

[B]

I was gonna say 20.

[A]

No, I mean I would have to because again, I only slept for 19 minutes during Cocodona and like, I'm not,

[B]

I know those dirt naps. I was like, oh my gosh. And the fact that you didn't take your first nap until the 200th mile. Almost.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I was like, come on.

[A]

I mean, I knew that that's probably what I was gonna do because I've done 200. I did a 200 miler in Mammoth, California and. And everybody was like, oh, what's your sleep plan? And I was like, sleep plan? Like I'm not gonna sleep. Like, it's just sleep. Yeah, it's like two days. I don't need to sleep for that. But when you get into that third day, which is, which is what makes the 250 particularly interesting is because so far we've had to get into the third day. We haven't, we haven't been able to run it fast enough to only have it two days. Which is like, it's insane to think about it only being two days, but I'm sure.

[B]

And you were like literally falling asleep while you were running is how it turned out.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I saw that.

[A]

So yeah, I needed, I needed those naps, but I don't know. Yeah, those naps were. But I mean, I do. There's a lot of schools of thought around like how do you sleep during a multi day? And I, you know, there's people who plan their sleep and they're like, oh, I'm going to sleep by mile 100 and then I'm going to sleep again at mile 170. And like, I don't, I'm not doing that. I'm just going to, I'm gonna try to keep going until I'm. I'm no longer productively moving forward. And then I'm going until you're falling

[B]

asleep while you're running.

[C]

But I think it's important for like, you know, the idea of best laid plans. And I think it's really interesting and fascinating to me that you were going on vibes and how you feel and essentially you were running until you fell asleep while you were ran. And you're like, I think I might need a nap now. And, and so you lay down for five minutes or whatever it is and then you keep running. I just, I think that your approach to this is so interesting and wonderful and something that we can all learn from because so often, especially in our day in life now, like everything is calendared and everything is organized and we have children. So we have to structure and plan and you know, be prepared for all possible circumstances. And it's like what you are showing is that you go out on these trails and you run for hundreds of miles and you're like, whatever is going to be thrown at me, I'll deal with it when I deal with it. And like that is fucking cool. And so rare when you're proving that vibes and feel and trust, like, it requires an immense amount of trust in yourself, which I really appreciate.

[A]

Yeah. And I mean I had a legendary crew too that was, whose only job was to help me. And it requires, it's very mutual trust.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So, yeah. And I, I want to point out, I, I, yes, vibes based, huge vibespace person. But I do, I mean I have, I have plans for common things that go wrong and how to deal with those. I just, I just don't worry about when that is going to happen. I think the thing that I love the most about Cocodona is how much it teaches you about radical acceptance. Like something is going to go wrong. When it does, there's no, you don't need to spend energy on getting mad about it or being all woe is me about it. Like, you just need to make a plan on how to address the issues. You need to execute the plan and you need to move on. And if your plan doesn't work, accept that, make another plan, execute it. And it's just, it's very, it's like 200 milers are just, it's like a crash course in problem solving. Which is what I think is really fun because I heard someone say one time that a hundred milers, you, you could go the entire race and have nothing go wrong. And that has happened to me before during 100 milers. Like, excellent day, like, no notes, everything went perfectly. I could not have done any better If I tried. 200 milers, everything that could possibly go wrong will go wrong and it will probably go wrong multiple times. Like, they're just very different in that way. And so it's, it kind of, you get to exercise a different muscle to use A pun, I guess, when you do a 200 mile and that, and that muscle that you're exercising is like your ability to problem solve on the fly without freaking out, blaming the situation or blaming other people or, like, I don't know, it. It's. It's really fun. They're. They're fun in that way, I think.

[B]

Radical acceptance. That's so good.

[A]

Acceptance. Yeah.

[B]

Okay, before we let you go, I have one last quick question.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

The Native American woman.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

On the mountain.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

This. Tell this story, please.

[A]

Wild. Yeah. It was an out of body experience. I'm not even kidding.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And if there, there was a camera person there with me, and if she hadn't, like, also been there sobbing alongside me, then I would have thought I was hallucinating. But for the last 22 miles of the race, you do by yourself. And, you know, I had a camera follow, but we didn't really talk all that much, which was kind of nice because I wanted to. I wanted to do it by myself because like I said before, I have a really interesting history with Mount Eldon that usually involves me getting my ass kicked by it. And I wanted to change that narrative this year.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Especially I was given the opportunity to do it solo without a pacer. And so it's like, all right, this is all on you. Like, you get to write this story now. You can't rely on anybody else, you know, whatever. And so, so I started off the climb really strong. You do. You do a little, I don't know, like a circuitous route around something called Little Elden first. And then you hit this junction where you kind of like dogleg, right? And then start going up the big Eldon climb. And in that junction, there was just this, like, woman standing there in, like, street clothes, you know, like how what. And she looked like she. And she looked like she was holding something. And, you know, as I approach her and she's kind of. She's, you know, there's people cheering along the course, but it didn't feel like that. It felt like she was. She said something to me and it was in a language I didn't understand, and it just, like, made me kind of pause. And so as I get up to her, I stop because now she's, like, talking to me in English and she's. She's basically telling me. And I wish so much that, like, I remembered the full extent of our conversation, but I just. I don't know, it was just wild. And she was telling me that, like, the implications and the Ripple effect from what I was doing was so much bigger than anything I could have imagined. Like, she was talking about, you know, the power of like, I don't know, like universal consciousness and like the divine feminine, all this stuff. And I'm just sitting there like, are you freaking kidding me? Really happening. And like, this is probably like a five minute exchange and I'm just in the middle of a race at a dead stop, talking to this woman in the middle of the trail.

[B]

Oh my gosh.

[A]

Yeah. And we're like, I mean, like my hands on her shoulder and her hands on mine and we have this like, circle of just like, I don't know what was happening, but it was just like the most important thing that's ever happened to me. And then kind of towards the end of our exchange, she gives me this handful or handful of cornmeal. And I guess it was Hopi. And in Hopi culture, from what I understand, that is very symbolic of like power and harmony and like life. Yeah. I don't know how long she was waiting there just with a handful. I don't even know what happened. But anyway, oh my gosh to me. And she said, you know, this is yours to do with what you will. But like, I needed to give this to you. And so, and I'm just sobbing. And so I put, I put the cornmeal in my pocket. I shorts with pockets and with like the residue that was on my hands, like left on my hands, I just like rubbed it on my quads and I was like, I'm climbing up this entire thing. Like I'm about to climb up this whole climb. And I pr'd. I've done that climb several times and I pr'd my climb and it was, it was wild because like, that exchange gave me so much energy and like, I, I, the only thing to do was run up that climb. Like there was no other thing to do in that moment than like take that gift that she'd given me and like utilize it to do something insane. And so I dropped my camera person halfway up the climb. Like, I'm dropping this fresh person behind me.

[B]

Yeah. Who has not done 200 miles yet.

[A]

Not at mile 200. Do like 40. And I'm just like clicking off 10 minute miles going up a 30. It was, I, I cannot, honestly, I can't take credit for it because I don't even. It felt like an out of body experience. It's like I'm watching somebody else do this. I just, I felt nothing other than just like, you can do this.

[B]

And so I. I totally believe, like, the universe put her there for you in that moment at the junction when you're about to go up the climb. That is crazy.

[A]

And, you know, I think. I think, too, the thing that struck me as, like, so beautiful is that we live in a. In a world where, like, I don't know, it's just people don't get along, and people don't always want to help each other out, and, I mean, Native American people have a billion reasons to hate white people. And the only thing she wanted to do in that moment was help me do something like, as arbitrary air quotes as winning a race like that. I mean, it was. I don't know, like, the amount of honor I felt in that moment for her to give chills. I know I live my life in chills perpetually now, but. Yeah, it was just like. I couldn't. I couldn't believe that that happened to me. I. I still. I still. I mean, it was just like. It was. It was wonderful. It was so kind.

[B]

And that you took five minutes of your time, like, this is all on a clock, right? This is a race that you stopped and with your hands on each other's shoulders for five minutes is.

[A]

I gained that.

[B]

Beautiful as well.

[A]

I gained that five minutes back going up that climb. Easy, easy.

[C]

That's right.

[A]

And so. So, yeah, I got to the top. I didn't get to the top of the climb, but my favorite part of the climb is just before you hit this forest service road that takes you to the top. It's really steep, but there's a single track section that it puts you through these beautiful woods. There was snow this year, which was. It's always a treat to see snow in Arizona. And so I got to the top of the tallest point of that climb, and I took a little handful and I threw it over the edge. And, like, I stood there and I stood there and I watched it, and it was just like, this is freaking insane. Yeah. But it just felt like. I don't know, it was like. Everything felt like the right thing to do. So, like, taking that cornmeal and giving it back just because, you know, in my mind, I'm thinking, like, all right, Killian is behind me, and Killian probably needs something just as much as I did. Like, you know, killing is never gonna, like, see that cornmeal or touch it or anything, but, like, here's me, like, putting it out there just in case. So, yeah, it was. And then it was. Yeah. Wild. It was wild. That was a wild thank you for asking me about it, because I want to tell that story for the rest of my life.

[C]

I think you get to.

[A]

Yeah. It was the coolest thing that's happened to me during a race.

[B]

I hope you find that woman again as well and are able to tell her.

[A]

And, like, I. I talked to a lot of, like. Like, Hopi and Navajo folks after the race was over, and I was like, hey, do you know who this was? No one does. No one knows. Like, yeah.

[B]

Did the camera. Did the camera catch it?

[A]

No, because the woman asked to not be filmed, so. And it's like.

[C]

It's better.

[B]

It's even better. That's even better. I know it's even better.

[A]

That's. I think that was the moment when I recognized, like, okay, something. Something that is going to require my attention is about to happen here. So.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, my gosh.

[A]

On the live stream, there's a moment where there's, like, five minutes of the camera just being pointed at the ground. Like, that was. That was that moment, and it was nuts.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

It was nuts.

[B]

That gives me tears.

[C]

I know. Same.

[B]

That is beautiful.

[C]

So incredible.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I mean, thank you so much for sharing all that you've shared today and obviously for what you're doing for us women in the world of. Of sports. You know, like, doing this is a win for all women everywhere. And I know that, like, that might not necessarily be the driver of why you're doing stuff, but it's also the impact. And I just want to say, like, thank you for doing it in the way that's true to you, because that's like. Like the. The. The theme of this whole conversation to me is, like, you. You've made this the experience fully your own. And I think that that's such an important lesson for all of us because we can see successful people out in the world, but, like, their. Their path is going to be different than ours. You seem like somebody I just want to be friends with and want to go on, like, a hiker. A very flat and short hike.

[A]

I can hike. I'm not a snob. I will do whatever pace.

[B]

We'll do the beach trail.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

In Hermosa.

[A]

Great. I used to live in. I used to live in Venice.

[C]

Oh, no way.

[B]

Right on.

[A]

So I'm very accustomed to that trip.

[C]

Yeah. Julie and I are Southern California kids, so.

[B]

Rachel, Dang. You are just amazing, my friend. I'm not calling you my friend. You're stuck with us.

[A]

I'm all about friends.

[B]

So amazing. Enjoy France. Thank you for taking the time. Appreciate you so much, and thanks for so many. So much inspiration that I'm just gonna. I'm gonna just keep rewinding this on a loop, this episode, because it's been so good,

[A]

that entire experience on rewind, on the loop until the next. Until the next thing happens. And then, you know, there's always. My friend Stephen, always says something that I. I've adopted for myself, and when somebody asks how he's doing, he says, oh, it's. It's the best day of my life so far. And I just. The best day of my life so far.

[C]

Yes. That's good. And one thing that we do, we do this thing called a party pose. And essentially, it's like a snapshot that gets, like, put on. So just. We're gonna do a party pose on three, if you don't mind. Ready? One, two, three.

[B]

Whoa.

[C]

I'm so fascinated by her, and I'm so appreciative of what she just brought us. Like, you know, I. I look at ultra marathoners and, like, Iron women, people like that, who have done things that I know that I cannot do. And I look to them for the kind of. Not advice, but the idea of how to live in some ways. And what she said about hard times and. And doing hard things and wanting to be a person she likes at the end, like, doing those hard. Of doing the hard things is. That is the freaking. That's the whole shebang. I think that is the whole shebang. That is what we're doing here. I just.

[B]

And the radical acceptance of, like, things are going to go wrong. Yes.

[C]

And making a plan and accepting if it worked. Accepting if it didn't work, and, you

[B]

know, the thing that always comes through. I've interviewed Courtney Du Walter before as well, who's very much as. She was talking about a similar vibe. There is a gratitude for putting yourself in these uncomfortable situations and getting out of them. And obviously, we don't want to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations just to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations. But, like, there's an acceptance of it of, like, yeah, I'm gonna grow. I'm gonna learn. I'm gonna be a better human coming out of this. When you go in with those mindsets.

[C]

Mm. Yep. Yep. Like, for her to have done it before and to finish in a grumpy way, her words, not mine, and to not love that that was what she was crossing the finish line as, and that being the focus of what she wanted to change rather than the time or rather than, like, the. The awareness to the way that we're responding to emotions that show up. Like, that is so that it was just. I loved, I loved every bit of that conversation so much. I'm sweating. I'm sweating.

[B]

And the Native American woman. Oh, my gosh.

[C]

I can't even talk about that.

[B]

Honestly, I like, I love that they didn't capture it on camera. You and I had the exact same response.

[C]

Like, good. Same.

[B]

God, I do hope one day she can just like give her a big squeeze.

[C]

Oh, it'll happen at some other point, probably in another Cocodona when she needs, you know, like, it'll.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

It came out of nowhere. And it will also show up again, I think, out of nowhere.

[B]

Did you know too, abs, that Rachel went into the race with a couple goals. One of them was to for some woman to get around the 60 minute mark.

[C]

60 hour.

[B]

Sorry, 60 hour.

[C]

Thank you. Yeah.

[B]

Could you imagine 60 minutes. 60 hour mark.

[C]

And she crushed that 56 hours and nine minutes.

[B]

Yeah. And then she also wanted three women to finish in the top ten and they got that. Courtney Dualter finished six as I mentioned. Megan Eckert.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Was eighth.

[C]

It's. She was just. Thank you for being a person on the world and in the world doing the things Rachel. It's awesome.

[B]

That's right. Okay, party people, don't forget to subscribe

[C]

to the welcome to the but hold on, Jules. Party people, we've got some exciting news.

[B]

Oh.

[C]

Because if you haven't heard, oh, we have a substack now sign up.

[B]

We do.

[C]

If you want to sign up to follow us, you just go to the welcome to the partyshow.substack.com Our newsletter is going to peel back the curtain, if you will, and share a little bit more about our lives behind the scene, tidbits from the show, things we're into, things we're doing our weekends, what we're watching the watch guide to all watch sports. That is so go to again, welcome to the party show.substack.com to follow us on substack and you'll get this newsletter to your inbox and you can keep up with all things women's sports.

[B]

It's so fun. I love our substack welcome to the sub stack party.

[C]

It's gonna be very, it's gonna be very fun and we're gonna like actually interact also. So comment, ask us questions, give us some feedback who you want us to to have on. Really, we are just trying to create things that we need for women's sports updates, women's sports information, where to watch stuff. Like it's literally the thing that we, we're building the thing that we need in our own lives and building the

[B]

community that we've always wanted to continue to grow. So of course. All right, so don't forget to also subscribe to the welcome to the party YouTube channel. Click that little bell icon so you can get updates when new episodes go live and rate.

[C]

Leave a Comment subscribe to Pop the the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're podcast. It actually matters to us. We read every comment. It's important to the show that, that you, you, you get those downloads and that you are making sure that you can stay up to date with what's going on with us. And be sure to follow us on Instagram or YouTube wherever you get your socials at. Welcome to the Party show where Julie, Billy and I will bring the party straight to your feed. You can also email us at party people questions gmail.com KDIAZ we still love Earthbeat music. Bringing in Jules USA on three. You ready?

[B]

Pausing.

[C]

One, two, three. Welcome to the Party is an independent production brought to you by Treat Media. Treat Media makes art for humans who want to stay human. Initial Digital is our production partner and you can also watch our full conversations on the welcome to the party YouTube channel and follow us at welcome to the Party show on Instagram and TikTok. Thanks for listening.