Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Peter Korosi #452 Race: 2026 Habanero Half Marathon Distance: 13.1 miles

Steady Climber Battles the Texas Heat to a Top-20% Finish Peter Korosi opened his half marathon at the 2026 Habanero Hundred with real pace, clicking off the first mile in 12:02 and settling into an 11:27 min/mile average through mile twogood enough for 14th in the men's field and 4th in the M40-49 division. That opening surge briefly pushed him as high as 12th overall gender-wise before the notorious Texas conditions began to assert themselves. The middle miles told the story of the day. Splits ballooned from a competitive 11:43 (mile 3) to an 18:55 split at mile 7 and a 23:00 split at mile 8nearly double his early paceas the course's deep sand and triple-digit real-feel heat took their toll. Despite the fade, Korosi steadied himself over the closing miles, holding in the 1417 minute range from mile 9 onward and closing with a 17:52 final full-mile split before finishing the 13.2-mile course in 3:21:13. He crossed 22nd overall out of 110 finishers, 17th among men, and 4th in the competitive M40-49 divisiona fitting result on a course designed so runners are never more than three miles from an aid station. Korosi's data shows a runner with strong aerobic capacity in cooler, fresher conditions but real vulnerability once heat accumulated in the race's midsection. The patterna fast opening 20%, a steep sag through the middle third, then a partial reboundsuggests the value of a more conservative early pace to preserve energy for the heat-soaked middle miles. Given the Habanero Hundred's reputation for punishing conditions, a more even-effort pacing plan, particularly through miles 48, could help convert an already solid top-20% overall finish into an even stronger placement next time out.