I am honestly surprised that no one else has done a review, here, of this race, until now. The Javelina Jundred has earned a reputation as the party in the desert. It is run the last weekend of October and is a costumed run (if you choose to dress up) that offers 100K and 100 mile options. (This year they also added a Jackass Night Run option with shorter distances.)

The expo for the race is awesome. The swag was amazing. The race support is on point. This event offers camping at the start/finish area and you can choose to camp in your car or a tent. If you choose tent, you can bring your own or rent one from the race organizers! I opted to stay at a hotel just 8 miles away.

The 100 mile runners started at 6 a.m. and my 100K distance started at 7:00 a.m. The race information warns of heat during the day and cool night temps, so I went prepared with arm sleeves for sun protection, hat, sunglasses, etc. By 9 a.m. it felt warm and by early afternoon, temperatures were in the 90s. At the end of October. Night time temps dropped into the low 60's. For some, this was cold, but for me it felt great.

This is a looped course. The first loop is just over 22 miles and includes a section that is omitted from every other loop. Subsequent loops are about 19.5 miles each, so 100K runners do 3 total loops and 100 milers do 5. The loops are run washing-machine style, meaning the first loop is clockwise, second is counter-clockwise, and so-on. Because of this, you pass by other runners all day and all night, which is a bonus.

The other bonus is that the race organizers prepare for the heat. They brought in 20,000 pounds of ice in 2018, and every time I was in an aid station, they had plenty of ice. We filled ice bandanas and hats and arm sleeves with ice, and we were able to douse ourselves in ice-cold water if we chose to do so. Those things would help keep us cool for the first 2-3 miles out of each aid station. Still, the heat got to me, and I walked a lot of the miles in this race.

The nice thing, though, is that you can walk the whole thing if you want and finish the 100K distance because you have 29 hours to do so. There is not a lot of elevation gain in the race (about 2,000 feet per loop, I think) so the climbing is not a challenge. In this race, the rocky section between the Coyote and Jackass aid stations, and the heat, are what make the race a challenge. There is no shade on the course. It is open desert, and cacti, with beautiful view, but with zero shade.

This event is definitely a party in the desert. The furthest aid station had a full-on disco party happening at night, with glitter and a disco ball! Some runners ran in costume the entire event, including well-known ultra-runner Catra Corbett, who won the costume contest this year as the Mad Hatter. (This was her 10th time running the 100 mile event and she was presented with a jacket at the end of her race.)

This event is a great race for a first time 100K or first 100 miler, provided you're able to train in the heat and can run well/ adapt to that. It does get cold, as deserts do, at night. But if you're smart, change into something dry, and have layers available, this should not be an issue. The real battle is with the heat. Plan to take it slow between 11 a.m. and about 4 p.m. and if you do that, you will conquer this race and still have enough energy left to party at the Jackass Junction aid station during your final loop.