‘Cocodona 250: Ryan Sandes Runs 250 Miles to Rediscover His Love for Running’ Film Review

The post ‘Cocodona 250: Ryan Sandes Runs 250 Miles to Rediscover His Love for Running’ Film Review appeared first on iRunFar.

What do you get when you mix one of the world’s most iconic trail runners with an epic 250-mile ultramarathon through Arizona in the rainiest year in the race’s history? An emotional roller coaster.

The film “Cocodona 250: Ryan Sandes Runs 250 Miles to Rediscover His Love for Running” follows South African Ryan Sandes through his 2025 Cocodona 250 Mile journey. It is raw, gritty, and honest, kind of like Sandes’ whole career, which dates back well before his win at the 2011 Leadville 100 Mile and includes three top-three finishes at the Western States 100, including a win in 2017.

[Editor’s Note: Click here to watch the film on YouTube.]

Though Sandes has experienced countless 100 milers as well as numerous expedition-length stage races and multi-day adventures, this will be his longest single-push effort. Sandes confesses, “The unknowns really intrigue me, to be honest.”

Cocodona’s 250 miles don’t come easily for Sandes. Sleep deprivation, pain, heat, cold, exhaustion; all these things swirl together over days of running. The doubt that inevitably comes with running a race this long does not discriminate from the front of the pack to the back. Sandes lets us in on these struggles and triumphs as he makes his way from the start in Black Canyon City to the finish in Flagstaff, where he ultimately finishes second.

Let’s be clear. The 2025 Cocodona was wet, wet, wet! Who signs up for a race in the desert and expects it to rain for most of the race? Anyone who endured last year’s conditions — runners and crews — deserves a round of applause.

What was the silver lining to all this rain? Some moody, scenic shots in this Salomon TV episode, that’s what! Kudos to the videographers for capturing the lack of sunrises and unrelenting rain. By the way, longtime trail running film fans will immediately recognize the team behind this production as Wandering Fever, the folks who put together loads of high-quality films for Salomon TV a decade or so ago and who thereby helped inspire a generation of trail runners. What a refreshing surprise to see the result of these expert cinematographers and storytellers’ efforts on the trail running big screen again.

In watching this film, this author’s memories from crewing last year are refreshed, and excitement for this year is piqued! Fellow Salomon elite runner Lucy Bartholomew, Sandes’ crew, pacer, and friend, puts it best: “They say in 100 miles you live life in a day, for 250 miles you are dying and getting reborn multiple times!”

Then and Now

The film begins with vintage clips of Sandes’ races over the past two decades. A reflective Sandes becomes emotional. He has won races from the legendary 2008 Gobi March, a 250-kilometer, six-stage race through the Gobi Desert, to the Western States 100. He’s set speed records with friend and Cocodona crew member Ryno Griesel, who cameos in this film, on the Great Himalaya Trail and Drakensberg Grand Traverse. What’s left for Sandes to accomplish?

Cocodona provides this new frontier. Running 250 miles is a mental game, more mental than physical, some might argue. Sandes comes to Cocodona to see whether he can still push himself mentally. Sandes’ voice wavers when he says, “Two hundred and fifty miles … strips you down.”

The film is interspersed with raw and honest interviews with Sandes. In contrast, Bartholomew’s laughter and energy add humor and lightness. Jeff Browning brings the usual “Bronco Billy” level of enthusiasm. He muses on the sport’s laid-back nature and marvels at how it is getting faster. Browning claims, “The recipe for coolness is to meet up in mountain towns and run races.” He continues, “We keep breaking glass ceilings in the sport, and it’s kind of a cool time to be a part of it.”

That sentiment is exactly what Cocodona reinforces. “Two hundred and fifty miles is a lot to wrap your head around,” Sandes says, explaining that throughout the race, he “was never in race mode and just trying to move forward as fast as possible.” The mentality worked, as he finished in second place behind winner Dan Greene, who smashed the previous course record.

This film is not one where you watch a top runner crush the course and say, “Well, that looked easy.” Sandes and crew endure relentless rain and mud. The fatigue on Sandes’ face progresses as the race goes on. This is a window into what it takes to complete 250 miles in less-than-ideal conditions, or any conditions at all.

I would be remiss not to mention how much the soundtrack adds to the storytelling. It adds a layer of emotion and beauty, elevating the film into something you want to rewatch. It suits this race’s moodiness.

A Team Effort

The film closes around the theme of support and friendship. Those who assemble a crew to assist in the completion  — hats off to the rare few who go it alone — of an endeavor as big as Cocodona will always tell you it’s a team effort. Bartholomew smiles when she says, “I feel like I have come out of this and just been like, ‘This sport is really freaking cool!’” So maybe Browning is right. Maybe this is the coolest thing you can do. Run these crazy races through these small towns in the mountains, with your friends and family, and come out on the other side totally changed for the better.

“Ultrarunning brings together a community of people where more is more,” Bartholomew laughs. “We take something that is a pretty healthy pastime, and we’re like, ‘Great, let’s do it for a week!’ The absurdity of Cocodona is not lost on those who participate in any capacity.

For Sandes, it seems, Cocodona, however hard it was, is another step on a journey with no end — in his running, his life, and his passion for exploring his limits.

And for those who haven’t witnessed Cocodona in person or are content to watch from afar, this film dropped at just the right time. The 2026 version of this 250-mile adventure is just around the corner.

Call for Comments

• What did you think of the film?
• Have you tracked Ryan Sandes’ long and successful career?
• Are you excited to see how this year’s Cocodona 250 Mile unfolds?

‘Cocodona 250: Ryan Sandes Runs 250 Miles to Rediscover His Love for Running’ Film Review by Maggie Guterl.