Jack Scott, the Winter Spine Race record holder, has been forced out of Cocodona 250 due to a hamstring injury.
The British ultrarunning star was one of the favourites for the the 250-miler from Black Canyon City to Flagstaff, which features an incredible 40,000ft (12,200m) of ascent and is described as “the most diverse point-to-point 200+ mile footrace in America.”
It started on Monday (5th May) and Scott had begun well against the likes of the great Courtney Dauwalter.
But a hamstring issue just after the 50-mile point saw him drop back and it was tough going from that point onwards.
‘He is gutted’
He did his best to push on but continued to lose ground and then early on Tuesday came this news on his Instagram account:
“Mrs Scott here… Unfortunately Jack’s hamstring injury at mile 52 has meant he has had to retire at mile 90.
“As expected, he is gutted. We thank you all so much for your support.”
And soon after Scott posted his runs in two parts on Strava, saying first of all: “Attempt to DNF part 1. Hamstring went @ mile 52. Got to camp Kipa, somehow. Regrouped and had another go.”
And then: “Actual dnf as uphill Impossible. Hurts and not just the hammy.”
Focussed preparation
Scott made the headlines in January 2024 when he set an astonishing new record when winning the Winter Spine Race, sleeping for less than an hour as he covered the 268 miles on the Pennine Way in what is billed as Britain’s ‘most brutal race’ more than 10 hours quicker than Jasmin Paris’ previous best mark.
Cocodona 250 was Scott’s first race in the US and his longest ultra since that incredible Spine success.
He had even taken a sabbatical from work and enlisted the help of sports performance experts at Leeds Beckett University to help him prepare for the conditions he would face in Arizona.
All of which underlines the disappointment he must be feeling after the hamstring injury ended his hopes.
And American Dan Green, who had been working well with Scott in the first part of the race, had moved into the lead at the 100-mile point, just ahead of Dauwalter.
But there would be dramatic news soon after when Dauwalter herself dropped out soon after at mile 108.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on how things pan out for the rest of the race – but in the meantime wish Jack and Courtney all the best with their recoveries.
