Local runner tackles iconic 400km race
250 miles.
That's about 400 kilometres, give or take an ankle-twisting, knee-jarring mountain trail or two. And that's what Capetonian trail-running legend Ryan Sandes has set out to accomplish this week when he took his first steps across the start line of the Cocodona 250 at 5am Arizona time on Monday.
Launched in 2021, the Cocodona 250 has quickly become known as one of the most gruelling ultramarathons in the world, tracing a heartbreaking route across Arizona's rugged high desert and mountain terrain.
Starting in Black Canyon City and finishing in Flagstaff, the race takes runners on a punishing point-to-point journey that includes over 40 000 feet (12 000m) of elevation gain. That's the same height as running from Camps Bay to the top of Table Mountain... 12 times!
With long and remote trails, intense heat, and high altitude, this is no weekend adventure, though. Cocodona 250 is aimed at seasoned endurance athletes, and most runners take between four and six days – DAYS! – to reach the finish line. After setting off at 5am on Monday, the runners will have 125 hours to complete the route, giving them until 10am on Saturday (May 10th) to cross the finish line in Flagstaff.
Of course, Ryan Sandes is as hardcore as they come. In 2008, just two years after running his first marathon, he won the punishing 155-mile Gobi March in Central Mongolia, going on to become the first person to win all four outings in the 'Desert Races' series. Next, he became the first person to win an ultra-marathon on each of the seven continents, and claimed victory at the legendary Western States 100-miler.
Closer to home, .
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