Running
10 Hours Faster: Rachel Entrekin Improving at Cocodona 250 and a Story About Icy Hot....
Dirt And Vert›
May 6, 20261:20:23
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What does it look like to have 107 races and 104 trophies? For Rachel Entrekin, it looks like a duffel bag full of hardware under the bed and a life recently transformed by professional running contracts.
In this episode of the Dirt & Vert Podcast, we sit down with Rachel to discuss her transition from a Doctor of Physical Therapy to a full-time professional athlete. Rachel takes us through her "prolific" racing schedule, her shift from road marathons to the mountain trails of Colorado, and the incredible 10-hour improvement she made at Cocodona 250 just by fixing her fueling strategy. She also shares one of the most harrowing (and hilarious) "rookie mistake" stories in ultra history involving a heat wave, a bad case of chafing, and a very poorly timed application of Icy Hot.
Key Takeaways
The Pro Pivot: How Rachel leveraged her success in 2025 to sign professional contracts and leave her 40-hour PT job.
The Cocodona Breakthrough: A deep dive into how she shaved 10 hours off her time through better fueling and altitude training.
The Multi-Day Mindset: Lessons from Matt Shepard on why you should sleep when you're tired rather than sticking to a rigid plan.
Gear & Humility: Why she traded Old Navy shorts for technical gear like Teregnota and Norda to survive the triple-digit distances.
The "Why": Why Rachel runs "because her life is too easy," using the sport as a practice ground for resilience.
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"10 Hours Faster: Rachel Entrekin Improving at Cocodona 250 and a Story About Icy Hot...." is an episode of Dirt And Vert. Runtime 1 hr 20 min. Published May 6, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.
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Quick FAQ
- When was this episode published?
- May 6, 2026.
- How long is this episode?
- 1 hr 20 min.
- What podcast is this from?
- Dirt And Vert. Browse the full back catalog on the show page.
- What does this episode cover?
- Dirt And Vert covers running. This episode runs on the show's regular cadence.
