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Maggie Guterl of Durango claims inaugural Cocodona 250 win

Maggie Guterl slept for only about 90 minutes during a more than 85-hour effort at the Cocodona 250 in Arizona. Courtesy of Kyle Curtin
Grueling Arizona ultra the brainchild of Jamil Coury

Triple-digit temperatures, 255 miles, more than 42,000 feet of elevation gain, and none of it could stop Maggie Guterl.

The 40-year-old of Durango claimed the women’s title at the inaugural running of the Cocodona 250 ultra-marathon after crossing the finish line Thursday in Flagstaff, Arizona, in 85 hours, 30 minutes, 38 seconds.

The three-and-a-half day effort started at the Rock Springs Café in Black Canyon City, Arizona. On limited rest, Guterl jumped up and slapped the archway over the finish line at Flagstaff’s Heritage Square as the seventh overall finisher and fastest woman.

“The best part was getting to share the experience with friends,” Guterl said. “The views are insane. The sunsets and sunrises can’t be beat. No matter where on the course you were, you were treated to some great ones.

“The most difficult aspect was the heat. They talked about the first 50 kilometers being brutally hot, but really each day caused you to die a slow heat death. Even getting to Flagstaff on Thursday morning and making the trek of (Mount Elden) felt ungodly hot. I like heat a lot, but after this race, I think I need a break.”

The sun rises on Durango's Maggie Guterl as she runs near Sedona, Arizona, during her second of three-and-a-half days of the Cocodona 250 ultra-marathon. Courtesy of Kyle Curtin

The overall win went to Michael Versteeg, a 35-year-old from Prescott, Arizona. He finished in 72:50:25. Peter Mortimer of Flagstaff was second in 77:16:14.

The race was the brainchild of famed ultrarunner Jamil Coury, the CEO of Aravaipa Running. There were 21 aid stations on the route separated by as little as five miles or as many as 21. The max elevation was 9,013 feet with the low of 1,898 feet. And to go with all the elevation gain, there also was roughly 37,500 feet of cumulative elevation loss.

Coury finished 16th overall in 92:59.43. The second-place woman was Dawn Greenwalt of Arizona. She finished in 90:08:33.

Guterl estimated she spent only 90 minutes sleeping with three 20-minute naps and a few two- to five-minute naps worked into the mix.

“It was really cool because no one really knew how long this course could take us,” Guterl said. “Jamil and Anthony Culpepper ran it in pieces over the course of a bunch of days, but they also slept some each night. The heat and accumulative fatigue really made this course more of a doozy than anyone expected. It was fun to be one of the first runners to get to see what it’s like.”

The epic views couldn't be beat, Durango's Maggie Guterl said of the Cocodona 250 course in Arizona. Courtesy of Kyle Curtin

The route included Jerome Historic State Park, Dead Horse Ranch State Park, Watson Lake Park in Prescott, and Sedona among several other highlights.

Dauwalter had an ace team of crew members. Durango’s Kyle Curtin, the Tahoe 200 record holder, paced her through the first two nights, and she was brought into Flagstaff during the final stretch by Golden’s Courtney Dauwalter, the 2019 UTMB champion to go with a long list of some of the biggest results in the sport.

Curtin was impressed by Guterl’s mental strength throughout the race.

“Maggie turned in a great effort, a super solid performance the whole time,” Curtin said. “I am really proud of her attitude. She was always in the hunt and never complaining, even when it was incredibly hot.

“She would take a couple of real small naps at night, but that was it. She was really in a groove at night trying to keep moving with how hot and tough it was during the days. It seemed like she nailed her nutrition, hydration and had as little downtime not moving as possible.”

Guterl, who works for Tailwind Nutrition in Durango, credited her entire crew for her win.

“I could not have done it without them. The experience was so stress free and enjoyable for me,” she said. “I have a couple I know from our Tailwind Ambassador team, Amy Margolis and David Wilson. They were full-time crew. Kyle Curtin joined them as well to assist but also paced. The rest of my pacers are all extremely accomplished ultra runners; Nicole and Zach Bitter, Brian Tinder, Courtney Dauwalter and Kevin Schmidt.”

Guterl, who famously was the last woman or man standing at the 2019 Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in Tennessee after running 250 miles, quickly decided she wanted to run the Cocodona event after her third appearance in March at The Barkley Marathons at Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. Running with Dauwalter on the brutal course in agonizing conditions, they completed two laps before being shut down by the time limit.

Maggie Guterl was the first woman to the finish line at the inaugural Cocodona 250 in Arizona. Courtesy of Kyle Curtin

“I put the idea on the radar before Barkley, but Barkley was the all-in goal,” Guterl said. “Barkley didn’t turn out to be what I was aiming for. During Barkley this year was the best I have ever felt during the race. So pretty much the next day after Barkley, I decided Cocodona was it.”

Now, Guterl will look to her next adventure of pacing Dauwalter in July at the 2021 Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run in Silverton. Dauwalter has been slated for the Hardrock 100 since 2019, but the famed race in Southwest Colorado has been canceled each of the last two years.

Then, Guterl will run her own 100-mile race, the High Lonesome 100 in Salida.

Meanwhile, Curtin is preparing for the Western States Endurance Run, another 100-miler in June in California.

jlivingston@durangoherald.com