Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: AnnieJoy Amuan #97 Race: 2026 Habanero 100 Mile Distance: 100.0 miles

Blistering Start, Gritty Battle to the Finish Racing in the Habanero Hundred a course run on a working Texas ranch under a brutal high-noon start, where average real-feel temperatures top 100 degrees and only 198 finishers have completed the 100-mile distance in the event's history AnnieJoy Amuan covered 97.79 miles in 26:44:04, finishing 9th overall out of 79 and 3rd in the female division. The opening miles showed serious wheels: a 9:13-9:14 min/mile pace through the first five miles put her 3rd overall and in the female lead. That intensity understandably came with a cost, as the pace steadily eased through the middle miles, settling into the mid-16:00s min/mile range by the halfway point and holding there for much of the second half. This is a common ultra-distance pattern, and the data suggests an opportunity to bank a bit less early speed in exchange for more consistent mid-race splits particularly valuable on a heat-exposed course where the sun-first strategy is baked into the event's design. What stands out most is the late-race resilience. After grinding through the 16:30s min/mile pace for a long middle stretch, Amuan surged in the final ten miles, climbing all the way to 2nd overall and 1st in the female division around mile 93-96 before finishing 9th overall and 3rd female. That kind of closing move reclaiming nearly 80 overall positions worth of ground late in a 26-plus hour effort reflects strong mental toughness and pacing discipline when it mattered most. Tightening the gap between the fast opening and the mid-race lull could translate directly into an even stronger overall finish next time, but the ability to fight back into podium contention after 90-plus miles on this notoriously punishing course is a genuine highlight of the performance.