Behind the scenes of the Cocodona 250 with Gene Dykes
The race didn't go according to plan, but the scenery was breathtaking
On Monday, May 3, 73-year-old #ultrageezer Gene Dykes took on his longest race yet — the inaugural Cocodona 250, a 256-mile trail journey through the Arizona mountains, from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff, put on by Jamil Coury’s company, Aravaipa Running. While the race didn’t go the way Dykes (who is the U.S. M70 100-mile and 24-hour record holder) had planned, he still shared a detailed recap of the race with followers on Facebook, complete with beautiful photos of the stunning desert scenery.
RELATED: Gene Dykes attempts a 100-miler, five weeks after breaking his shoulder blade
In his race report, Dykes explains that while he was prepared for the heat (temperatures ranged from the mid-20s to low-30s), the elevation gain (there was about 50,000 feet of climbing) and the distance, it was the challenging footing and extremely uneven terrain that got the better of him.
“Loose rubble covered a lot of the route where I thought I would be able to make good time. This also led to several blisters, and I never get blisters!” he explained in his post.
Worried that he may miss the cutoff, he pushed hard to keep pace, burning through his glycogen stores by mile 80. He was able to push through, but 10 miles later he dealt with his first bout of lethargy from lack of sleep. With only two hours buffering him from the cutoff, he used that time to take a nap, and continued on. By the time he reached mile 152, he knew he had to throw in the towel.
“Three days, three nights, and not much more than five hours of sleep,” he said.
Despite not reaching the finish, Dykes still says the experience was totally worth it, describing the race as “152 miles of beautiful desert scenery that I’ll have pleasant flashbacks for years to come.” He goes on to explain that many runners often worry about not being able to finish an ultra, but he always tells them that however many miles they do complete will be more than enough for a great experience.
He also described one interesting section of the race, which he went through in the middle of the night:
“We were passing near a lake that had a section of exposed rock near the shoreline. The trail was marked with dots of white paint on the rocks. It was very interesting climbing over these rocks and then looking for the next white dot.”
This may not have been Dyke’s best race, but his stunning photos and interesting anecdotes make it seem like such an incredible experience, we’re now thinking of signing up ourselves. Dykes won’t be getting much rest after his adventure, however, as he’ll be targeting the M70-74 50K world record at the Caumsett State Park 50K USATF National 50K Road Championships on June 13. Stay tuned for more details.
RELATED: RECORD ALERT: Gene Dykes breaks US 100-mile and 24-hour M70 records
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