Jefferson County Runner Cody Poskin Claims Third Overall in 250-Mile Ultramarathon

Cedar Hill native finishes the Cocodona 250 in the third-fastest time in race history

By The Jefferson Review

Cody Poskin’s running journey began in Jefferson County, but it has now taken him across the world and into the front ranks of one of the most difficult endurance races in the country.

Poskin, who grew up in Cedar Hill and graduated from Northwest High School in 2020, recently finished third overall in the Cocodona 250, a 250-mile ultramarathon in Arizona. His official time was 58 hours, 13 minutes and 44 seconds, making it the third-fastest finish in the race’s history.

For Poskin, the accomplishment was not just about where he finished. It was also about how far he has come.

Last year, Poskin completed the same race in roughly 71 hours. This year, he cut about 13 hours off that time.

“And just seeing how many people were at the finish line supporting me and just excited to be there and experience this thing that I am so passionate about, I was just super grateful,” Poskin said.

The Cocodona 250 is not simply a long race. It is a test of distance, terrain, weather, sleep deprivation and mental toughness.

The course begins outside Phoenix, where runners face heat, rocks, sharp terrain and desert conditions. From there, the race climbs toward Flagstaff, where the elevation rises to 6,000, 7,000 and even 8,000 feet. Poskin said one night dropped to around 25 degrees.

“You are running through the day, through the night,” Poskin said. “There is no real stopping, so it’s little short naps.”

This year, he said course knowledge made a major difference. He knew what to expect, trained more intentionally for climbing, and slept less during the race. Poskin estimated he slept only about 90 minutes total during the entire 250 miles.

Training for that kind of race in Missouri presents its own challenge.

“It’s hard to train out here in Missouri for these races because you’re climbing,” he said, noting that the race included around 38,000 feet of climbing. “Out here, I’m running up and down the same hill like twenty times, just to get any sort of hill training.”

Even with those limits, Poskin found a way to compete with runners from places like Colorado and Arizona, where mountain training is much easier to access.

One of his strongest moments came during the first night, around mile 100 or 110. After a short nap and caffeine, Poskin and his pacer descended a mountain under the stars, passing runners and moving into third place.

“We were just absolutely tearing down the trail,” Poskin said. “You just kind of feel like a monster at that point in time.”

That moment helped push him toward a finish that proved something important.

While the race was deeply personal, Poskin said his motivation extended beyond himself. When his body wanted to stop, he thought about the family and friends who had sacrificed time, travel and paid time off to support him.

“At that point in time, it’s about more than just me,” he said.

Poskin’s path began with cross country and track in Jefferson County. Since then, running has taken him to places he never expected, including China and Dubai.

For young runners in Jefferson County who may dream of doing something big, Poskin’s advice is simple.

“Just do it. Follow your dreams,” he said. “I never pictured myself as a high school kid in Jefferson County running 250 miles. But just following that passion has taken me where I didn’t even know I could go.”

His next major race is a 100-miler in Wyoming this August, with several smaller races scheduled before then, including a 40-mile race in Utah.

And while most people would consider a six-and-a-half-mile commute extreme, Poskin said he has even run from his home in High Ridge to work before.

“Not regular, but it has happened,” he said. “It’s about six and a half miles one way, so not too bad.”

For Poskin, the story is still being written. But his latest finish has already placed him among the top performers in one of ultrarunning’s most demanding events.

As he put it, it all started here.

Poskin’s finish is more than a personal milestone. It is a Jefferson County story that began on local tracks and trails and now reaches some of the toughest endurance races in the world.