10 Hours Faster: Rachel Entrekin Improving at Cocodona 250 and a Story About Icy Hot....

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.