Most people would be lucky to run 250 miles in their entire lifetime, but for Agassiz’s Marina Striker, that was the result of just one intense week.
The 54-year-old was one of more than 400 people who faced the daunting Cocodona 250 ultramarathon, which took place in Arizona at the beginning of May.
Striker is no stranger to long-distance running, with nine years of trail running under her belt, including participation in the Hurt 100 in Hawaii, the Bighorn 100 in Wyoming, the Divide 200 in the Rocky Mountains, and the Mammoth 200 in California.
She is also one of the directors behind the Fat Dog 120 race in Manning Park each year. But even for someone as experienced as Striker, Cocodona 250 presented an all-new type of challenge.
“I love long distance, and after DNFing for the first time ever at the Mammoth 200 at 100 miles due to altitude issues, I was compelled to finish this one no matter what,” said Striker.
The 250-mile race snakes through central Arizona, going from Flagstaff to Black Canyon City. While approximately 400 runners began the ultramarathon, less than 300 were able to cross the finish line in the 125-hour cutoff.
The course pushed the athletes to their absolute limits, with the race even taking a life this year.
Despite these daunting conditions, Striker managed to complete Cocodona 250 in 92 hours and 37 minutes.
In less than four days, her legs carried her the equivalent of nine-and-a-half marathons, or nearly the entire length of Vancouver Island.
Striker said one of the biggest challenges during this extended race was maintaining a positive mindset in the face of extreme pain and discomfort.
“My biggest low was when I was solo for a section, 20 miles from the finish, and I overheated due to no longer having the desire to drink from my hydration hose,” she said.
“We still had the biggest climb ahead of us, and I was only sipping small sips and rationing my electrolyte water. Ultimately, my brain was tripping me, resulting in honing in on negative thoughts of heat, fatigue, and having a little pity-party. However, I knew there was no one who was going to rescue me 1.5 miles from the aid station. So I had to death-march it in where my crew fixed me up, let me have a 15-minute nap before heading out in the relentless afternoon heat, now with my pacer.”
By using the tactics she has developed in her many previous ultramarathons, Striker was able to keep her momentum going and even prevailed above her own personal goal of 100 hours.
“I focus on practicing a strong mindset and visualizing what complexities can take place because in an ultramarathon, you are always problem-solving,” said Striker.
“So many variables were played out throughout the 250-mile run that it was truly surreal to finally roll into the finish.”
Her pace made her the 63rd-fastest person, the 15th-fastest female, and the third-fastest in her age category at this year’s Cocodona 250.
This was especially significant given the tough competition she faced, with both the female and male race records being beaten this year.
But accomplishing this feat wasn’t something she could have done alone, Striker explained.
“Much thanks to my husband, Darcy Striker, who crewed me at every crewable checkpoint, and an even bigger thanks to Chris Fleugel from Squamish, who flew down to pace me three sections for a total of 100 miles,” she said.
While a return to Cocodona 250 might be in her future, Striker said she first needs to recover at home with her family and friends.
“Training for Cocodona was very all-consuming, and so rediscovering that balance is as important as the recovery,” Striker said.