12.4.2024
Finn Melanson on Tackling the Cocodona 250: Insights & Tips
Embarking on a 250-mile ultramarathon is no small feat, but for Finn Melanson, it was a challenge filled with purpose, perseverance, and discovery. In this interview, Finn shares his motivations, training strategies, race experiences, and recovery insights from the Cocodona 250. Whether you’re an ultrarunning enthusiast or seeking inspiration, his story is packed with valuable lessons and advice for tackling the extraordinary.
What Motivated You To Take On The Challenge Of The Cocodona 250 Ultramarathon?
“I think there has to be a story you tell yourself. And then hold on to it firmly. My story was that this was a grand finale, in a sense. My wife was four months pregnant at the time, our world was about to change dramatically. I had been dabbling in this ultrarunning community going on eight years to that point, I had built up some confidence. And I wanted to bookend the era with a test. Signing up for a multi-day race is the perfect thing to do. I wasn’t sure if it was within the realm of possibility (to finish), I wasn’t sure how my mind, body and spirit would respond at various points… so on and so forth.
That uncertainty was attractive to me. Primarily because there were some core values I wanted to live out: adventure, curiosity, and courage. These are some of the values I want to impart to my daughter, who is now a month old. Beyond all this, there were some other factors. Aravaipa Running (the race organization) has a strong media arm and they have put on a livestream for the event since its inaugural year in 2021. I was one of the commentators for the 2023 edition, and that left a strong impression on me. Specifically, I walked away from that experience deeply moved by the design of the course and the various environments it went through. I knew after seeing all that, the ambiance from start to finish would make covering those a little bit easier.”
How Did You Physically And Mentally Prepare For Such An Extreme Endurance Race?
“From a physical standpoint, we are still in an era where no one quite knows how to prepare for these things. It’s still very much an experiment, which makes it an exciting time. It really feels like an endurance frontier, much like 100 milers felt through the early 2010s. We’re just learning so much year after year. My strategy for physical preparation was just to run a lot of miles around race pace. And also race fairly frequently. In the eight week lead-up, I raced three times: at the Red Mountain 55K in early March, at the Antelope Island 50M in late March, and at the Desert Rats 100K in mid-April.
This strategy was a bit high risk, but it was helpful in the sense that it made the Cocodona start line way less intimidating. I also poured over a lot of race reports and vlogs - I was constantly consuming material from prior years (2021 to 2023). Mentally, I’d refer back to what I mentioned around motivations. I knew that having these strong “whys” and curiosities about the arena would make anything possible. All of this combined to make me feel as ready as possible. I felt pretty confident, or at least at peace, with where I was on the start line.”
Can You Describe The Most Challenging Section Of The Cocodona 250 Course?
“Two come to mind. First, the first 36 miles. They are wild. So remote. You get up into the Bradshaw Mountains from the start line in Black Canyon City. The terrain is unstable, there’s a lot of sun exposure, lots of elevation gain and descent, not much water. And only 1 or 2 aid stations early on. You really have to be careful and meter your effort. My race almost ended in this section. I had some gear failures with my hydration system and wasn’t drinking nearly enough. By the time I got to the first crewed aid station at Crown King about 36 to 37 miles in, my crew could tell I had been taken for a ride. Luckily, they got me situated, fixed my feet, got me back on the hydration plan, and sent me back out on trail. It’s amazing how many times you figuratively die and resurrect in these multi-day races. It would be the first of 3-4 times on that course that I had that low to high experience.
The second example was about 160 miles into the race leaving the Sedona Aid Station in the middle of the night with my brother, Ned, as a pacer. I was about 45 hours into the race, I still hadn’t slept yet. About 3 miles into the section, as we were approaching the vaunted Casner Mountain climb to get onto the Coconino Plateau, I had a rush of sleep pressure hit me, and I told Ned that I needed to lie down. He is not a trail runner, so this was a disconcerting request. I was too tired to explain that dirt naps are common in our sport. I promptly slept off the side of the trail in the pitch dark for the next 5 minutes. He threw an emergency blanket over me for warmth, and started to pace back and forth wondering if I was going to be ok. True to my word, I got back up after 5 minutes, feeling oddly replenished. The next 15 miles to the following aid station were arduous (relatively technical climbing, river crossings, etc) all through the middle of the night. But we got it done and it was an awesome brotherly bonding moment. I needed him in that section.”
What Was Your Nutrition Strategy For Staying Fueled During The 250-Mile Race?
“For the first day, I was consuming pretty conventional sports nutrition (gels, drink mixes, electrolyte mixes, etc). Mostly Naak brand. I use them for all my races. After the first day, intuitively, I started to eat like a regular person. By that I mean, I was taking in a lot of solid foods - pasta, noodles, baked goods. I had some weird requests too that my crew abided by. Like, I started drinking milk, non-alcoholic beer, and massive protein shakes. Somehow, it all worked. And apparently, it was exactly what I needed. I think I was moving slow enough (3-4 MPH) that the digestion aspect was feasible. My recommendation in these multi-day things is to trust intuition, your body will tell you what it needs - heed the requests!”
How Did You Manage Sleep Deprivation Over The Multi-Day Race?
“I ended up taking 2 5-minute dirt naps - once around mile 165 and again at mile 235. Formally, at crew stops, I tried to take 2 longer 30 to 60-minute sleeps (once at mile 178 and again at 227). At 178, I think I slept for about 45 minutes and at 227, I basically got nothing because I was too excited by how close the finish line was.
My friend Katie Schide showed up to surprise me, so emotions were running high! Somehow, I never quite paid the price of sleep deprivation. I did feel sleep pressure twice (as I mentioned), but each time, a 5-minute dirt nap solved it. I have no idea if I could replicate this sleep performance again. Sleep is such a mystery in these contexts!”
What Gear Or Equipment Did You Rely On To Successfully Complete The Cocodona 250?
“The first 80 miles, you only see your crew twice, so it’s very gear intensive. It's almost like a thru-hike because it’s so remote. After that, you see your crew more and you can carry much less. I was wearing GOREWEARapparel the whole time. During the days, when it was quite hot, I was switching off between the Everyday Tee and Contest 2.0 Tee for the upper layer and the Ultimate 2in1 Shorts and R5 5 inch Shorts for the bottom layer. At night, I was wearing the R5 WINDSTOPPER® Pants, CONCURVE GORE-TEX Jacket, and Everyday Long Sleeve Shirt underneath.”
How Did You Recover After Completing Such A Grueling Ultramarathon?
“It was a combination of treatments. For a lot of these ultras, I treat it much like recovery from a major medical procedure. I wanted to get back moving as soon as possible, but in a therapeutic way and incorporate some activities that correct muscle imbalances, etc. So, within 2 days post-event, I was going on 3-4 mile road walks from my home. Before and after I was doing dynamic and static stretching. I was taking saunas (we have a makeshift one in our backyard). I was going in for massage therapy. But on a very basic level, I was getting lots of sleep and waking up naturally (no alarm), I was eating an extra 1,000 calories a day for the first 3 weeks after. Most importantly, and this is a luxury, but I tried to take the following week off from any real mental work. I was limiting any engagements that stressed the mind because that’s the part of me that probably got beat up the most at Cocodona.“
What Advice Would You Give to Someone Considering Running The Cocodona 250?
“My advice is threefold: make sure you have a strong reason for taking on the distance, make sure you’re inspired by the course, and make sure you have a good crew. Ultrarunning is always a team sport but it’s especially true at this distance.”