Heather Jackson and Rob Molke win a rain-soaked Javelina 100 as Des Linden finishes her first 100-miler

Heather Jackson and Rob Molke won the Javelina 100 Mile at McDowell Mountain Regional Park, near Fountain Hills in Arizona, on 31 October, after a day of storms and mud in the Sonoran Desert.

Jackson, a former professional triathlete, ran down Britain’s Carla Molinaro in the closing miles to win the women’s race in 13 hours 48 minutes 29 seconds, 55 seconds ahead. Molke took the men’s race in 12:11:30, 1 minute 27 seconds clear of Noah Dusseau and only 78 seconds outside the course record.

The race also marked the 100-mile debut of Des Linden, the two-time Olympic marathoner and former Boston Marathon champion, who led the women’s race at halfway and finished ninth in 16:58:00, according to iRunFar’s provisional results.

A wet Javelina

The Javelina course is usually hot and dry. This time heavy rain the night before left mud and minor washouts, and storms came and went all day, iRunFar reported. Skies stayed overcast, humidity was very high and the temperature peaked at about 24°C (75°F). Rain returned in the final hours of the elite race.

The route is five loops, one of 22.3 miles and four of 19.45 miles, with about 1,919 m (6,296 ft) of climbing, mostly on smooth trail and old doubletrack.

Molke’s late move

Cade Michael set off fast, reaching Coyote Camp 2 in 2:54, which iRunFar described as the fastest split for that section in the race’s history, but he dropped out at Coyote Camp 3 (mile 45.3). Dusseau then took control and led into the late stages.

Molke, who had not finished the race in 2025, passed him shortly after the Jackass Junction aid station at mile 90.2 and held on. His 12:11:30 was just outside Will Murray’s course record of 12:10:12, set in 2025, and Dusseau’s 12:12:57 is the third-fastest time run on the course. China’s Can-Hua Luo was third in 12:19:39.

Jackson’s second Javelina title

The women’s race changed leader several times. Linden, who iRunFar said turned to trail running only in the past year, moved from fifth to first during the third loop and went through Coyote Camp 3 in 5:53 elapsed. By mile 56.9 she had a lead of about five minutes over Katie Asmuth.

Molinaro then came through. She passed Asmuth, reached Coyote Camp 4 (mile 64.6) ahead of Linden and led for much of the late race. Jackson trailed her by more than eight minutes at mile 71, closed the gap by mile 95.3 and overtook her in the final few miles. Asmuth was third, about 15 minutes behind the winner.

It was Jackson’s second Javelina win. She took up trail running in 2022, after 15 years as a professional triathlete in which she finished third at the 2016 Ironman World Championship, and won the Javelina in 2023, iRunFar has reported. Devon Yanko, the 2022 winner, was fifth. Ellaney Matarese, who led the women early, left the race after the third loop.

Golden Tickets for Western States

The Javelina is the second of seven Golden Ticket races for the 2027 Western States 100. Four tickets were on offer, for the first two men and first two women. If any of them already has a place or declines, the ticket rolls down to the next eligible finisher, as far as fifth place.

Molke had come looking for a ticket. He ran Western States in 2025 after getting in with a single lottery ticket and finished 16th, iRunFar reported. Banta, fourth, had also hoped for a ticket after a disappointing Western States in 2026. The final list of who accepts the four places had not been confirmed when this article was written.

For Linden, the race was a first test at the distance. She led the women’s field at 57 miles and still finished inside the top 10, 3 hours 9 minutes behind Jackson on iRunFar’s provisional times.