Morning endurance fans…

The further you go in endurance sport, the more impossible the achievements start to feel. And that’s exactly why this week’s stunning victory by Rachel Entrekin at the Cocodona 250 hit so hard.

Across 250 brutal miles of heat, sleep deprivation, climbing and mental warfare, Entrekin produced one of the defining performances of the endurance season — conquering one of the toughest races on the planet and etching her name into ultrarunning history in the process. Cocodona isn’t just a race; it’s a survival test, a moving hallucination, a week-long battle against the limits of the human body. And this year, Entrekin owned it.

While records, rankings and rivalries continue to dominate the headlines, few stories this year have captured the raw spirit of endurance sport quite like this one.

Because sometimes the biggest wins are not just about speed – they’re about enduring when almost nobody else can.

Here’s what we have lined up for you today…

🇳🇴 TRAINING: Lionel Sanders has returned to his former coach Mikal Iden as he seeks an added edge via the Norwegian method. Read HERE.

🤕 ANXIETY: Fenella Langridge has spoken about her personal battles with anxiety after a crash left her unable to ride her TT. Read HERE.

🏆 CONTEST: Supertri has announced a strong field of international stars for its opening Pro Series event in Austin. Read HERE.

🥾 WESTERN: Jim Walmsley has been added to the Western States field on a sponsor invite, to the delight of his many fans. Read HERE.

🎽 LONDON: A world-record-breaking 1,338,544 people have applied for an entry to the 2027 TCS London Marathon. Read HERE.

Middle-distance racing heads to Florida this weekend with IRONMAN 70.3 Gulf Coast. It’s only been held as a pro race twice before (2019 and 2023), and last time out only featured a male field, but this year it’s both men and women.

There are plenty of big names taking part, and in our preview below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the action down at Panama City Beach.

The racing will begin with the pro men at 05:40 local time, which is 06:40 Eastern, 03:40 Western, 11:40 in the UK and 12:40 CET. The pro women head off five minutes later.

The last time there was a pro race at 70.3 Gulf Coast, it was Sam Long who topped the standings, and he’s back again this year in the #1 bib.

It’s not part of the IRONMAN Pro Series, so it isn’t televised, but, as always, the IRONMAN Tracker app on mobile devices is your essential way to follow the action – and we’ll have reports soon after the winners cross the line.

Marta Sánchez will head the field at this weekend’s Challenge Salou-Costa Daurada, fresh from her recent exploits in achieving a fantastic podium finish at IRONMAN Texas.

The Spaniard stunned what was a stacked field by taking third place behind dominant Norwegian winner Solveig Lovseth and American runner-up Taylor Knibb in what was a display of pure grit and determination.

Heralding something of a return to form for the 30-year-old, she will be hoping to build on her success in a race where she is sure to feel right at home with plenty of local support.

Paul Magnier stormed to victory on stage one of the Giro d'Italia in Nessebar, Bulgaria, on Friday, winning from a reduced group after a mass crash in the final kilometre. As a result, the Frenchman will take the first pink jersey.

The Soudal Quick-Step rider timed his sprint perfectly to round Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) in the closing metres. Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling) finished third in a small group of around just 10 riders. It is Magnier's first Grand Tour stage win and first WorldTour victory of the year. Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), the sprint favourite, finished fourth.

The run-in was dominated by a serious crash, which took out contenders including Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets). However, all riders held up by the incident will finish at the same time due to it happening in the final kilometres. The crash blocked the road, meaning anyone not in the front dozen riders was unable to compete in the sprint.

Rachel Entrekin made ultrarunning history this week, when she became the first woman to win the overall title at the iconic Cocodona 250.

The American star has won the women’s race in this epic 254-mile point-to-point ultramarathon through central Arizona in each of the last two years, shattering the female course record in 2025 with her time of 63 hours, 50 minutes and 55 seconds.

But this year was something even more special, as she beat not only every other competitor – female and male – but also went way under the overall course record as she won by over an hour.

It was a performance for the ages – the previous best was 58 hours, 47 minutes and 18 seconds, set last year by Dan Green. This year, 34-year-old Entrekin stopped the clock in 56 hours and nine minutes.

She took the lead relatively early and then gradually pulled clear of her rivals.

Kilian Korth did close to within a few minutes at one stage, but Entrekin looked strong throughout, and in the final 50 miles she had moved around two hours clear.

And this was a stacked field too – the fellow headliner alongside Entrekin was ultrarunning GOAT Courtney Dauwalter in what was only her second attempt at this extreme distance.

She finished as the second female and sixth overall. Korth was second overall behind Entrekin and the men’s winner in a time of 57:32.

The spotlight was quite rightly on Entrekin after a ground-breaking victory, and not long after crossing the finish line, she said: “I feel fine; that was insane – thank you so much to everyone for the support.”

She barely stopped at the 21 aid stations en route and pretty much went without sleep from the start at 5am local time on Monday morning through to Wednesday afternoon: “My goal this year was not to stop in the van and only have dirt naps – and I did that! I slept five minutes, then seven minutes, then seven minutes.”

The reaction was immediate, and you can get a flavour below. Men’s ultra legend Kilian Jornet was among the first to congratulate her, simply saying: “Chapeau 🙌🙌🙌”.

WOMEN

🥇Rachel Entrekin – 56:09:48 (and overall winner)
🥈Courtney Dauwalter – 61:58:35
🥉 Megan Eckert – 63:09:07

MEN

🥇 Kilian Korth – 57:28:36
🥈 Cody Poskin – 58:13:44
🥉 DJ Fox – 59:29:03

The Cocodona 250 ultramarathon was overshadowed by tragedy after organisers announced that one of the participants had passed away following a “serious medical emergency”.

The race follows a 253-mile point-to-point route through central Arizona, linking historic towns and trails off the beaten path.

Sadly, late on Tuesday night, organisers posted the following announcement on their Instagram page: “We are deeply saddened to share that a participant experienced a serious medical emergency today during the event and has passed away. The runner’s family and crew have been notified.

“Out of respect for the runner’s family and loved ones, we are not sharing additional personal details at this time. Our team is supporting those directly involved and will share more only when appropriate.

“Please keep the runner’s family, friends, fellow runners, volunteers, and first responders in your thoughts. We are deeply grateful to this beautiful community.”

We would like to add our own words of respect to the family and friends of the runner who, we like to think, died doing what they loved.

Triathlon has long been looking to attract sponsors from outside the swim, bike and run world, so the latest news from the Professional Triathletes Organisation is encouraging for the sport as a whole.

The PTO has announced a three-year agreement with global payments and financial platform Sokin to become a foundational – and non-endemic – partner of the T100 Triathlon World Tour.

Sokin last year signed a multi-year agreement with iconic football club Manchester United and has also partnered with a range of other top European clubs, as well as rugby union’s British & Irish Lions for the Test series in Australia last summer.

As part of the PTO deal, Sokin will become the Tour’s Official Global Business Payments Partner as well as title partner of the San Francisco event on 6-7 June, 2026, with the professional race being branded the Sokin San Francisco T100 Triathlon.

You can trust ironmemes_140.6 to hit the nail on the head when it comes to social media memes and triathlon… and this week was no different, as the start lists were revealed for the Aix-en-Provence 70.3.

Rather than try to explain them and, no doubt, do them a disservice, just have a flick through below and allow yourself a little giggle… We particularly like the last one regarding Kristian Blummenfelt.

Pacing in triathlon is the ability to distribute effort across swim, bike, and run so you can maintain performance to the finish. It’s not about going as hard as possible in each discipline. It’s about controlling intensity so that you can run well at the end.

Most athletes don’t lose time because they’re unfit. They lose time because they pace poorly, especially on the bike.

The bike leg is where pacing errors accumulate. Ride too hard, and your run collapses. Ride too easy, and you leave time on the course. The goal is simple: arrive at T2 ready to run at your target pace.

The swim sets up your entire race, but it should never feel like a maximal effort. A good swim pace feels firm but repeatable, like something you could hold longer if needed. The right wetsuit also matters when it comes to pace development, and finding the right wetsuit can be a bit challenging without a proper guide.

You are not trying to “win” the swim unless you’re at the very front of the field.

✅ Key approach:

❌ Common mistake:

Going out too hard in the first minutes, leading to an elevated heart rate before the bike even begins.

The bike is where discipline matters most. Your effort should feel controlled throughout, even when terrain changes.

✅ What does good bike pacing look like?

❌ What does bad bike pacing look like?

The run is where pacing discipline pays off. Most athletes start too fast and slow dramatically later.

✅ The correct approach:

✅ Mid-run strategy: hold, don’t force
Once you settle into your rhythm:

✅ Final phase: build if you can
If pacing has been executed properly:

Scrolling through our social media accounts this week, we couldn’t help but like this fab post issued by the team at ultrafine.running, as they lay out the key lessons to understand about ultra marathon running.

We think you will agree that they have hit the nail bang on the head…

“Everyone thinks ultramarathons are about running. They’re not. Running is the easy part,” the post reads.

“The hard part is: Eating when you don’t want to. Staying calm when everything hurts. Fixing problems at mile 70. Managing your pace when everyone else blows up. Convincing your brain to keep moving forward when quitting would be easier.

“Ultras aren’t won by the fastest runner. They’re finished by the best problem solver.”

Here, here…

Together, we go the distance. — @247_endurance 🏃‍♂️🚴‍♀️🏊‍♂️