Results/Photos

Date: Aug. 22, 2026 Participant: Spencer Gray #594 Race: 2026 Habanero 10K Distance: 6.2 miles

Wire-to-Wire Dominance in the Texas Heat Spencer Gray, 32, of Bryan, Texas, delivered a commanding performance at the 2026 Habanero Hundred, capturing the 10K title outright among a field of 49 participants. Gray crossed the finish line in 46:57, holding the overall, gender, and division lead from the very first mile through the last a true wire-to-wire victory with an average pace of 7:41 per mile over the 6.1-mile course. Gray's mile splits reveal a strong, if slightly uneven, pacing strategy. He opened fast with back-to-back 7:20 miles, pushing his cumulative pace to 7:19 min/mile through two miles. A dip followed in miles three and four, with splits of 7:43 and 8:01 his slowest stretch of the race before he rebounded impressively with a 7:21 fifth mile, nearly matching his opening pace. He closed with an 8:32 final split, still enough to preserve his lead into the finish. Tightening the mid-race pacing, particularly around miles three and four, could help Gray shave additional time off a similar effort in the future. Gray's win came on a course built for extremes. The Habanero Hundred, billed as Texas' hottest trail race, is run each August at the 7IL Ranch with a deliberately brutal high-noon start under real-feel temperatures that often exceed 100 degrees. The event is cupless, requiring runners to carry a minimum of 500ml of personal hydration, and features deep sand terrain designed to test even the most experienced ultra runners. Since its inception, only 198 finishers have completed the full 100-mile distance over more than a decade a testament to the event's demanding conditions. Against that backdrop, Gray's decisive 10K win stands out as a strong showing on a genuinely challenging course.