Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Athlos #690 Race: 2026 Habanero 100 Mile Relay Distance: 100.0 miles

Relay Squad Weathers the Heat for a Gritty Near-Century Finish Racing under the Habanero Hundred's signature high-noon start a course quirk designed so runners face Texas' brutal heat while fresh rather than exhausted this relay team covered 97.79 miles in 22:47:17, good for 16th overall out of 25 teams and 6th in the gender category. Their overall 13:58 min/mile pace held remarkably steady across nearly a full day of racing on the event's 10km loop, a testament to sustained effort deep into an ultra-distance relay. The lap-by-lap data tells a story of resilience through fluctuation. Early loops were brisk, with the team sitting inside the top 10 through mile 5 before a mid-race dip pushed them as far back as 20th overall around mile 16. The most dramatic stretch came late: after grinding through a rough patch near miles 7073 (splits ballooning to 18:09, 18:44, and a race-worst 20:40), the team surged back with a 12:27 split at mile 85 that rocketed them from mid-pack into 2nd place overall and briefly into 1st in their gender division a strong comeback before settling into their final position. Their fastest split of the day, a 10:11 mile at mile 36, showed the speed still available even deep into the effort. For a team competing in one of the largest and most punishing trail races in Texas where 100-mile finishes have totaled only 198 across more than a decade nearly reaching the century mark under high-noon heat is a notable showing. The wide swings between loop splits, from sub-11-minute miles to 20-plus-minute miles, suggest that tightening pacing consistency between exchanges could help the team convert late-race surges into steadier overall position gains in future relays.