Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 21, 2026 Participant: Carlos Arana #44 Race: 2026 Habanero Habanero 135 Distance: 0.0 miles

Fast Start Fuels a Long, Steady Grind to Near-135 Carlos Arana covered 132.6 miles in 44:29:33 at the inaugural running of the Habanero 135 new for 2026 as the race's toughest offering, added specifically because 100 miles wasn't enough for the event's veteran finishers. Among 39 starters in the distance, Arana finished 15th overall, 14th among men, and 4th in the M30-39 division, a strong showing in a discipline where finishers are rare enough that TROT still prints prior years' 100-mile finisher names on race shirts. Arana came out of the gate aggressively, opening mile one in 9:06 and good for 1st in his division. By mile two he had moved into 2nd place overall with an 8:59 split, and he held that position through roughly mile 11, running consistently in the 9:009:50 min/mile range an ambitious pace given the race's midday, triple-digit heat-index start. That early positioning speaks to a well-paced opening third before the natural fatigue of a 130-plus mile effort set in. As the race stretched into its second and third days, Arana's per-mile splits lengthened considerably, which is standard for efforts of this length, punctuated by extended stops near miles 54 (1:34:08) and 66 (2:03:37) likely aid station or rest breaks during the overnight hours. Notably, he found repeated bursts of energy late in the race, surging to 3rd overall near mile 115 and climbing to 5th overall and 1st in his division around mile 121, showing strong resilience deep into the effort. Given the steep late-race pace increases, targeted work on sustaining mid-race efficiency and shortening aid-station stops could translate into a faster overall finishing time in future efforts at this distance.