Tri-Cities runner nears finish in grueling 250-mile Arizona ultramarathon
A West Richland runner and coach is tackling one of the nation’s most brutal and competitive ultramarathons this week.
Tri-City residents can watch along and track Lance Harpe as he finishes the “life-altering” 2026 Cocodona 250.
The 253-mile race — which follows several world-class trails, pitting runners against nearly 39,000 feet of elevation gain — started at 5 a.m. Monday in Black Canyon City, Arizona.
An Eastern Washington ultramarathoner who’s tackled the toughest long-distance courses for more than a decade, Harpe was projected to finish sometime Thursday.
He told a broadcaster early Wednesday after tallying 160 miles that he was running a better race than he did in 2023.
He entered Cocodona injured and had to “walk every step of the race that year,” finishing it with a time of 107 hours and 11 minutes.
“It’s never an easy course. You just move a little faster,” said Harpe, who had finished a “short nap” under the Sedona sunshine.
He didn’t mince words when asked what the biggest hurdle in the race had been so far: Feet.
“This course is designed to tear your feet up from the beginning. And when it finally relents, your feet are hamburger meat,” he said.
Harpe gave a shoutout to his friends back home, his pacer, and his wife and kids for their support. The Navy veteran operates his own coaching business, Red Hat Ultra Coaching, to help athletes accomplish their long-distance running goals.
There are more than a dozen runners from across Washington participating in this year’s race, including Seattle’s Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy, who finished this year’s race in the top five.
Rachel Entrekin, from Conifer, Colo., became the first woman to win the overall race this year.
One participant in this year’s race died earlier this week after suffering a medical emergency and collapsing at a trailhead.
