Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Sherri Simmons #460 Race: 2026 Habanero Half Marathon Distance: 13.1 miles

Masters Division Champion Battles Texas Heat to Podium Finish Sherri Simmons claimed the top spot in the Female Masters division at the 2026 Habanero Hundred, completing the Half Marathon distance (13.2 miles) in 3:02:39 good for 16th overall and 5th among all women in a field of 110 participants. Held at the 7IL Ranch, this year's race lived up to its billing as Texas' hottest trail race, run in deep sand under real-feel temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Simmons started strong, clicking off her opening mile in 12:04 and holding sub-12-minute pace through mile 3 (11:35 elapsed pace), which had her sitting in 17th overall. The middle miles told the story of the heat and terrain: her pace gradually extended, with notable splits of 14:39 (mile 4), 15:02 (mile 7), and a demanding 17:47 (mile 8) her slowest of the day before rallying with a 12:29 split at mile 12. She closed with a 16:53 final push to the finish, settling her overall elapsed pace at 13:50 min/mile. Throughout the race, Simmons was remarkably consistent within her division, holding 1st place in Female Masters from mile 2 onward a full 12 of 13 splits at the top of her age group. Her overall and gender placement fluctuated modestly between 14th17th overall and 4th7th among women, reflecting a tightly packed competitive field. For future races on similarly punishing terrain, Simmons could focus on maintaining more even pacing through the middle miles, where the 4:009:00 mile stretch saw the largest pace variance of her race. Her ability to close with a stronger split late, despite the demanding conditions, points to solid endurance reserves that could be better distributed across the full distance with continued pacing strategy work.