Rachel Entrecan Reveals Anorexia Nearly Killed Her Before Ultra Running Career
"I was anorexic for a while. I discovered running in that way because I would go to the gym as a way to escape my home life too. I went to rehab actually twice. Instead of going to college my first year, I went to rehab twice. I missed the full year."
About this episode
On this episode of the Rich Roll Podcast, host Rich Roll spoke with Rachel Entrecan, the first woman to win the overall field at the Cocodona 250, one of the world's most grueling ultra-endurance races. Entrecan stunned the running world in 2025 by not only winning the women's race for the third consecutive year but beating all male competitors including legendary runner Kilian Jornet by over an hour, finishing the 250-mile course with more elevation gain than Everest in 56 hours on only 19 minutes of sleep. Her finish line footage went viral globally, showing her smiling and looking fresh after an unimaginable feat of endurance. The conversation delved deeply into Entrecan's personal history, revealing she nearly died from anorexia after high school, attending rehab twice and missing her first year of college. She described how running initially fueled her eating disorder before she learned to transform it into a healthy performance practice over years of intentional work. Entrecan explained her fueling breakthrough working with Precision Fueling scientists, her philosophy of choosing joy and gratitude over suffering during races, and a mystical encounter with a Hopi woman who gave her ceremonial cornmeal during the final climb. The episode explored themes of addiction recovery, the spiritual dimensions of ultra running, redefining human potential, and how choosing one's mindset under extreme duress translates to everyday life. Entrecan emphasized that multi-day races provide a stage for athletes to show who they are as people, not just their speed, and that her only goals were proper nutrition and maintaining a positive attitude regardless of placement.
Key takeaways
- Entrecan revealed she struggled with severe anorexia after high school, attending rehab twice and missing her first college year before transforming running into healthy practice.
- She ran 250 miles in 56 hours on only 19 minutes of total sleep, with her first nap coming at mile 200, demonstrating extreme sleep deprivation tolerance.
- Entrecan credited her 7-hour course record improvement to outsourcing nutrition to sports scientist Emily, consuming 60 grams of carbs hourly plus beige foods.
- A Hopi woman appeared at mile 240 and gave Entrecan ceremonial cornmeal, blessing her and inspiring her to run the entire final 2,000-foot climb without walking.
- Entrecan argued choosing joy and gratitude during races improves performance more than suffering, making attitude her primary goal after an emotionally flat 2024 victory.
- She emphasized that mindset and response are the only things humans fully control, a lesson she practices both in ultra races and everyday life.
- Entrecan is preparing for UTMB with no placement expectations, focused on having a good experience and remaining curious about her potential.