The Race Directors Report for the 2026 Skunk Ape 100! Full detailed report on Facebook. This is the time I finally get to pause and reflect on the race weekend. With everything that goes into the logistics, it’s often hard to catch every detail in the moment.
First and foremost, I have to thank the volunteers. With over 50 individuals taking time out of their schedules, and for some, even giving up a night of sleep - it’s truly incredible to see the hard work and dedication they bring.
As for the runners, it was amazing to witness so many finishes this weekend. There were countless stories of resilience and many taking on the distance for the very first time. These are the moments that define the spirit of the race. Stories of folks teaming up and working together on the trail – that’s what this community is all about!
As the race would have it, in the 100 Mile, we started with 55 runners and we had 33 finishers! 17 of those finishes were for the first time. In the 50 Miler, we also saw 48 runners complete the 50 Mile distance for the first time.
A new course record in the 100 and 50 Miler. This year Eric Kalina ran a time of 20:21:32. Along with that, we also saw Ary Rochon, Ricky Padgett, and Chris Stangle join the Sub 24-Hour Club! Grant Bonatz set the new course record in the 50 Mile with 8:57:19. He is now the first person to go Sub-9 Hours! Coming in second place overall was Melissa Gray with a time of 9:43:12, which is now the second fastest female time on course.
Overall, it truly was a great year. The Berm proved to be a deciding factor for many, and the paved sections once again sparked the classic love-it-or-hate-it debate. Beyond that, what stood out most were the support systems - aid station volunteers, crews, families, and pacers—all coming together to make something special.
This was truly a special year for the Skunk Ape 100 Mile and it’s because of every single one of you out there.
Night One of Course Marking for the 2026 Skunk Ape 100 Mile Endurance Run is complete! Many more miles to go! It was great evening course marking with Joe Miller out at Pruitt, one of my favorite sections of the course.
It was a great morning group run, course preview, and post-run breakfast at the Santos Trailhead. In 22 days, this will be the start and finish of the 2026 Skunk Ape 100 Mile Endurance Run! Great to see everybody.
As some know, the All Day @ Holloway 10k was my first real race as I’ve been working back into fitness after losing 50 pounds. The 10K went how it realistically should have. I did have an A-Goal to see if I could get into 36’s and a B-Goal of at least 38 minutes.
In the first mile, rolling through at 5:40 pace, I could already feel my quads starting to get cooked. That was the signal to pivot from the A-goal and lock into the B-goal of 38. The early surge clearly led to premature lactate accumulation, and from there the aerobic system was playing catch-up instead of staying in control.
Mile 2; I dropped back to a 6:16 mile. Settling down closer to the B-Goal pace, but HR didn’t come down — meaning the cost of Mile 1 was already paid. So now I was running 10K pace at near-threshold HR instead of just below it.
Miles 3-5; was a classic early overextension fade. Avg’d 6:30’s with the heart rate plateaued. So that’s just muscular fatigue and some lactate tolerance.
Mile 6; moved back up 6:16 - attempting to build back. Knowing the course, the last 1k is a great place to start to open up and move.
Upon reflection of how the miles played out, I had a bit of power inefficiency and a small durability gap right around threshold pace - which is great to know. Based on this run my average HR was 179. Sustained HR mid-race was 177–180. So my likely lactate threshold HR is around 176–178. That’s all easy to fix with some fine tuning.
Overall, fantastic race!! Holloway Park is one of the greatest courses to race in the state of Florida. Big thank you to Chris and Ivi Stangle with @runfluent_fulwise !
It was a fun one with the boys today at the All Day @ Holloway 10k. We ended up getting the 1, 2, 3 with Joseph Miller getting a solid new PR! Always a blast on the Cross Country course.
Another incredible year for the Gasparilla Distance Classic weekend is in the books. There’s truly nothing else like it. It takes a massive team effort — an entire crew of passionate, committed volunteers who show up year after year, putting in countless hours to create an unforgettable experience for thousands of runners.
Huge appreciation to Susan Harmeling, Jeff Downey, the board and committee members, and the volunteers who represent so many corners of our community.
Grateful to be part of something that brings so many people together.
Huge shoutout to Mike Albert for snapping these shots of me and of the Aid Station in action at this year’s Long Haul 100.
Volunteering is hands-down one of the most exciting things to be able to do, it’s always a blast. These races don’t magically happen—they’re built by the folks who show up, lend a hand, and support runners when it matters most.
We’re all blessed to be part of a community that always shows up and has a great time.
