Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Cesar Ordonez #269 Race: 2026 Habanero 50K Distance: 31.0 miles

Blistering Start Gives Way to a Hard-Fought Rally in the Texas Heat Cesar Ordonez tackled the 50K at the 2026 Habanero Hundred, a race whose organizers intentionally start runners at high noon so athletes face the Texas heat while fresh rather than in the race's closing hours. Held on deep sand trails at the 7IL Ranch, the event is notorious for its difficulty in ten years, only 198 runners have ever completed its 100-mile distance. Ordonez opened aggressively, clicking off his first five miles at a 9:28 min/mile pace and sitting 4th overall and 1st in the M30-39 division. The middle portion of the race told a different story, as the heat and terrain took their toll: splits ballooned to 27:24 (mile 13), 23:50 (mile 19), and a demanding 32:45 (mile 20), dropping him to 19th overall by the race's midpoint. This stretch is a good reminder of how quickly conditions like these can erode an early pace advantage, and pacing more conservatively through the heat of the day could help preserve position in future efforts. To his credit, Ordonez found a second wind late, reeling off several strong closing splits 10:56, 11:20, and 10:53 min/mile that pulled him back up the leaderboard from 19th to 15th overall in the final miles. He crossed the finish line in 7:34:41, good for 15th overall out of 71 finishers, 13th among men, and 4th in the competitive M30-39 division. The comeback in the final 10K stands out as the highlight of the day, showing solid resilience after a tough middle stretch, and building on that late-race strength with steadier early pacing could translate into an even stronger overall result next time.