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PRESCOTT, Ariz. — <\/span>A participant in a grueling 250-mile (402-kilometer) ultramarathon on trails across northern Arizona died Tuesday after experiencing a medical emergency, race organizers and local law enforcement said.<\/p>\n First responders attended to a woman in her 40s who was participating in the race and collapsed at a trailhead in the Groom Creek community south of Prescott, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Paul Wick said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Cocodona 250 ultramarathon codirector Erika Snyder confirmed the death and declined to provide further details at the request of the runner’s relatives.<\/p>\n Ultramarathons can test the boundaries of human endurance, but deaths are very rare relative to the total number of participants in a sport that has in recent years grown in popularity around the world, with races hosted from Death Valley<\/a> to the Himalayas.<\/p>\n The Cocodona is one of the toughest ultramarathons in the U.S., featuring a course that rises more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) in elevation \u2014 twice \u2014 while passing through Sedona from its start in Black Canyon City.<\/p>\n This year’s race started Monday before dawn, and the overall winner, Rachel Entrekin, finished Wednesday afternoon to a roaring crowd in Flagstaff while setting a course record.<\/p>\n Organizers say they’re moving to a lottery registration system next year because of the race’s popularity.<\/p>\n Aid stations provide opportunities to eat, hydrate and adjust equipment, with a team of medical professional stationed across the course, Snyder said. Racers often nap on the ground along the way in a race that can last five days.<\/p>\n In 2021, freezing rain and high winds were linked to the deaths of 21 runners<\/a> at an ultramarathon through mountains in northwestern China.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n