Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Victoria Brown #203 Race: 2026 Habanero 100K Distance: 62.0 miles

A Steady Grind Through Texas Heat and Sand Nets a Division Title Racing on the Habanero Hundred's signature 10km loop a course kept intentionally brutal with a high-noon start so runners face peak heat while still fresh Victoria Brown completed the 100K distance in 17:30:11, finishing 15th overall among 75 competitors and claiming first place in the F30-39 division. Brown's early rhythm was her most consistent stretch of the day, holding a tight 14:5114:52 min/mile pace through the first six miles before the deep sand and rising heat began to stretch her splits into the 1520 minute range through the midrace. Her standout moment came near mile 2728, where back-to-back splits of 14:08 and 21:47 carried her from 21st to 12th overall and briefly to 2nd among all women a high-water mark before the field's placements settled and she leveled into 8th female for the remainder of the race. From roughly mile 34 onward, Brown held the F30-39 division lead virtually uncontested, cementing the win despite splits gradually lengthening into the high-teens and low-20-minute range over the final 25 miles as fatigue and cumulative heat exposure took hold. Brown's race illustrates a common ultra-distance pattern: strong early pacing followed by a natural decay in the back half, with her per-mile average slipping from roughly 15 minutes early to over 17 minutes late. Given the course's reputation for deep sand and extreme heat, work on maintaining leg turnover on tired legs through sand-specific training or hill repeats could help flatten that late-race decay in future starts. Overall, a well-executed race that turned a mid-pack position into a decisive division victory.