Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Kelly Swanson #54 Race: 2026 Habanero 100 Mile Distance: 100.0 miles

Wire-to-Wire Womens Champion Battles Texas Heat for a Runner-Up Overall Finish Kelly Swanson, 44, of Spring, TX, completed the 2026 Habanero Hundred in 20:08:37, covering 97.79 miles at a 12:21 min/mile average pace. She crossed the line as the overall womens champion and finished 2nd overall out of 79 participants a notable result on a course where, since 2015, only 198 total 100-mile finishes have been recorded. Swansons race showed disciplined pacing under difficult conditions. She opened with five miles at a brisk 9:17 min/mile pace, holding 4th overall and 2nd in her division early on. By mile 8 she had already claimed the female lead, a position she would not relinquish for the remainder of the race. Her splits gradually lengthened as fatigue and heat set in a natural progression at this distance moving from sub-10-minute miles in the opening laps to the 1216 minute range by the final third of the race, with a few outlier laps near 1718 minutes likely reflecting aid station stops or brief recovery periods. Notably, Swanson twice touched the overall race lead (1st overall) at miles 33 and 40, and again near mile 63 and 74, demonstrating strong positioning against the mens field deep into the race. She spent the majority of the back half locked into 2nd overall, a testament to consistent effort management over nearly 20 hours of racing. Coaching note: the later laps show a gradual pace decay from roughly 11:30 to 12:20 min/mile average common in 100-mile efforts, but tightening nutrition/pacing strategy around miles 45-60, where lap times first crossed into the 15-16 minute range, could help preserve more speed in the closing miles for future starts on similarly demanding courses.