This Is the Playlist That Powers Ultramarathoner Rachel Entrekin

Good music can often make the difference between a rave run and a blown goal. That’s why we’re putting together 90-minute playlists each month chock-full of songs with enough of a beat to keep you moving. For even more tunes, check out our list of The Best Running Playlists to Power Every Pace and Distance.Within the ultrarunning community, Rachel Entrekin is best known for racking up an impressive set of racing accolades. Not only has she won dozens of ultramarathons, scaling from measly 50Ks up to behemoth 250-milers that take days to complete, she’s also earned a reputation for besting the entire field—women and men. After three back-to-back wins at the Cocodona 250 (the last of which she finished an hour faster than the closest male), she’s been hailed the “Queen of Cocodona.” What the running community may not know is that Rachel Entrekin is also the “Queen of the Airport Piano.”“It’s a mission of mine to play as many airport pianos as I possibly can, because there’s quite a lot of them actually,” she tells me over the phone in between her training runs in Chamonix, France, where she’s getting ready for the 170K-long Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.When I ask her how many airport pianos she’s played, she says “probably at least eight.” It almost came to nine, but the one at Heathrow in London had a broken sustain pedal. “My favorite is LAX’s in Terminal 7—it’s this beautiful grand piano, and it’s right in front of the TSA, so everybody, for better or worse, is stuck listening to me play.” Her go-to piece? “Careless Whisper” by George Michael. “It’s a crowd pleaser,” she laughs. “Always.”Entrekin is actually very musical. At home, she has a keyboard which she started playing at a young age. Growing up, she also sang in a choir, something she now channels into karaoke performances. Her favorite song is “At Last” by Etta James, a song requiring strong breath control and vibrato, if that tells you anything about her ability level. “I have music on in my house at all times,” she adds. Like running, it’s a lifelong passion.Entrekin doesn’t tend to listen to music while training on trails due to safety reasons—she wants to be able to hear if someone comes up behind her, or if there are animals nearby—but she listens to music on any other run. “When I was living in Los Angeles, I mastered the art of one headphone when I was doing my city runs though,” she says.And yet, songs follow her through the mountains anyway. During the Jackpot Ultra Running Festival’s 48-Hour race (which she’s won twice), she had a Beyoncé song stuck in her head for two days. “That was pretty insane,” she remembers. “I wasn’t really mad about it; it was funny.”In honor of all her accomplishments (including her airport piano recitals), we asked Entrekin to guest-DJ a running playlist for us. While many music fans tend to say they listen to a wide range of genres, Entrekin can prove it. Not only does her 90-minute mix include everything from bluegrass to hip hop, but it also spans the globe, including plenty of international hits.Like Entrekin, maybe don’t listen to this playlist on a trail run through a mountain range, but use it to kick-start a run through your neighborhood (where there hopefully aren’t bears) and channel some of her grit and perseverance.Listen on SpotifyListen on Amazon MusicListen on Apple MusicMatthew Huff is a freelance writer and runner, and he is the author of MARATHONER: What to Expect When Training for and Running a Marathon, published by Rizzoli Publications. His writing has appeared in Runner's World and BuzzFeed among others, and he is the co-host of “P.S. You're Wrong: A Pop Culture Podcast.” Originally from Michigan, he now lives and runs in New York City, where he is pursuing a career as an expert chicken tender taster.