Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Eduardo Elisea #371 Race: 2026 Habanero Marathon Distance: 26.2 miles

Age-Group Win Forged in Texas Heat Eduardo Elisea completed the Marathon distance at the 2026 Habanero Hundred in 8:30:09, placing 13th overall among 39 finishers and capturing first in the M40-49 division. The race is run on a working Texas ranch with a deliberate high-noon start a quirk designed to expose runners to peak heat while they're still fresh rather than late in the race with average real-feel temperatures topping 100 degrees and deep sand underfoot for the entire 10km loop course. Elisea's early pace was aggressive, covering his second mile in 9:22 and sitting inside the top 15 overall through the opening laps, with elapsed pace under 15:30/mile through mile 7. As the day wore on, his mile splits lengthened steadily climbing from the mid-teens through the race's first half into the 17-19 minute range by mile 16, and eventually into the low-20s over the closing miles, a pattern consistent with the course's brutal midday conditions taking their toll. Elisea held the M40-49 division lead for nearly the entire race, briefly slipping to second between miles 22 and 23 before reclaiming the top spot for good by mile 24 and carrying it through to the finish. Given the strong early speed and the corresponding fade in the second half elapsed pace nearly doubled from the fastest early split to the finish a more even effort distribution over the opening miles could help him bank additional energy for the heat-driven slowdown that typically arrives later in this event.