Distance To Empty Lauren Jones is Flagstaff Bound at the 2026 Cocodona 250
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She finished second female at the 2022 Cocodona 250. She sobbed on the descent off Mingus Mountain. She wrote a blog post about the whole experience called "I'd Run 100 Miles for a Grilled Cheese Sandwich." She is back.
In this episode of Flagstaff Bound, Kevin and Peter sit down with Lauren Jones — ultrarunner, writer, and proud cheese enthusiast from Atlanta — for one of the most honest and genuinely funny conversations in the series. Lauren talks about what it was like to run 250 miles through the Arizona desert, fall apart on a mountain descent in tears, keep going anyway, and then write about all of it with the kind of self-awareness that makes you feel like you were out there with her.
She also gives her chalkboard message for Mingus Mountain, and it is exactly what you'd expect from someone who has cried on that descent and earned the right to say it.
Cocodona 250 kicks off Monday, May 4th at 5 AM Pacific. Follow the action live on the Mountain Outpost YouTube channel.