Mashed Potato & 19 Minutes' Sleep - Entrekin's Epic Race

The cardinal to breaking a people grounds for a 250-mile ultramarathon?

Mashed potato, and 19 minutes' worthy of slumber connected nan ground.

That is what fuelled Rachel Entrekin successful her historical tally astatine nan Cocodona 250 successful Arizona arsenic nan American won nan wide title - men included - successful a record-breaking clip of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 48 seconds.

"Somewhere astir mile 200, I slept for 5 minutes astatine an assistance station," said nan 34-year-old, speaking to BBC Sport nan greeting aft her success.

"Then astir 230 miles, I took 2 seven-minute naps connected nan floor. And food, it's intolerable to opportunity really overmuch I ate but arsenic acold arsenic existent nutrient goes, I had a batch of mashed potatoes.

"Mashed potatoes are nan best. You get tired of chewing and you don't want to expend immoderate other power doing that."

Entrekin besides fuelled pinch tons of power gels, sweets, atom and broth on nan way, and moreover had nan capacity to put successful a sprint decorativeness astatine nan end.

The greeting aft nan race, aft sleeping from 11pm until 6.30am, was spent refuelling and cheering different runners complete nan decorativeness line.

She was supported on nan people by a six-person squad which included her parents, and this was her 3rd consecutive win, having triumphed successful nan women's races successful 2024 and 2025.

"Men and women evidently person very different skillsets but successful an arena for illustration this, it comes down to truthful overmuch much than conscionable fitness," said Entrekin.

"Your cognition and your expertise to combat accent is truthful important, they are astatine slightest arsenic important arsenic really physically fresh you are, truthful I deliberation nan section is conscionable truthful overmuch much levelled astatine thing for illustration this."