Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Ethan Hester #307 Race: 2026 Habanero 50K Distance: 31.0 miles

Strong Start Fuels Third-Place Finish in Brutal Texas Heat Ethan Hester, 34, of Tyler, TX, closed out the 50K at the 2026 Habanero Hundred in 6:04:46, good for 3rd overall and 3rd in the Men's Open division out of 71 total participants. His overall pace settled at 11:53 min/mile across the 30.69-mile course a notable achievement given the race's reputation for average real-feel temperatures exceeding 100 degrees and deep sand underfoot. Hester's race began with a blistering opening, clicking off the first five miles at an 8:15-8:16 min/mile pace and sitting in 2nd place overall. He briefly grabbed the overall lead at mile 7 before settling into the top 5. The middle miles told a tougher story: splits stretched to 15-18 min/mile between miles 13 and 26, and his overall position dipped as low as 6th around miles 9-13. To his credit, Hester fought back into podium position by mile 17, holding 2nd-3rd overall for the remainder of the race and closing strong to secure the 3rd-place finish. One quirk worth noting: the Habanero Hundred is a cupless race with mandatory personal hydration, run entirely on a single 10km loop course that keeps runners never more than three miles from aid Hester's 50K route consisted of 5 laps of this loop. Given his fast start and the pace decay in the race's second half, Hester may benefit from a more conservative early strategy in future ultras, banking energy for the loop-based grind rather than pushing sub-8:20 pace out of the gate. Still, his ability to recover from a mid-race slide back into the top 3 speaks to solid resilience on a genuinely challenging course.