Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Rolando Cuevas #380 Race: 2026 Habanero Marathon Distance: 26.2 miles

Steady Climb Through the Heat: A Top-10 Marathon Finish Rolando Cuevas covered the 25.9-mile Habanero Hundred marathon course in 6:10:57, good for 7th overall and 2nd in the Men's Masters division among 39 finishers. The race, run under a deliberately brutal high-noon start with real-feel temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees, tested pacing discipline across its four 10K loops plus a short bolt-on section conditions Cuevas navigated well enough to move from 9th place at the marathon's midpoint to a final top-10 finish. His early miles were his fastest, opening with a 9:52 split on mile two and holding sub-11-minute pace through mile three before the heat began to shape his rhythm. From miles four through twenty, his per-mile splits fluctuated between roughly 11:29 and 18:25, reflecting the loop-to-loop variability common in races with aid stations spaced every three miles. Notably, Cuevas found a second wind in the closing miles, climbing from 8th to 7th place between miles 13 and 14 and holding that position through the finish a strong sign of late-race composure. For future efforts on similarly punishing courses, tightening the variance between his fastest and slowest loop splits (a swing of nearly nine minutes per mile) could help smooth overall pacing and preserve energy for a stronger closing kick. Still, finishing 2nd in his Masters division while the course lived up to its reputation as one of Texas' hottest trail races is a strong showing, especially given that the event's own aid-station lineup including pickle juice, snow cones, and "Gatoritas" exists specifically to combat exactly the kind of heat attrition Cuevas raced through.