The 2016 Hotter’N Hell Hundred Endurance Ride will be Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. We will have Mountain Bike Racing on Friday, August 26, 2016 and USA Cycling Criterium races on Friday, August 26th and Sunday, August 28, 2016. We will host the Hotter’N Hell Hundred, USA Cycling Road Races on Saturday, August 27, 2016. Sunday morning HHH will host the half marathon trail run that makes up the final third of the weekend Triple Threat Extreme Challenge. For those that are interested in the Trail Run but not a half marathon, Sandy will also offer a 10k on the WeeChiTah Trail.
The Hotter’N Hell Hundred celebrated its 34th annual ride in 2015. The event was a huge success with over 13,000 registered participants along with the largest Consumer Show and Finish Line Village in the history of the HHH.
The Hotter’N Hell Hundred grew out of efforts to find a special way for Wichita Falls to celebrate its centennial in 1982. Roby Christie of the Wichita Falls Bicycle Club proposed a bicycle ride – 100 miles in 100 degree heat to celebrate 100 years. The original HHH committee promoted the idea as a unique and fitting event to honor the spirit of Texoma and the people who first settled the area. A consulting company from New York City had proposed a rocking chair marathon, but after lengthy discussion the Centennial Committee agreed with the HHH committee that early settlers were not rocking chair people. Gritty people capable of riding 100 miles in Texoma heat was a more fitting symbol of the tenacity of our early settlers. Mark and Jo-Alice Davis, now of Weatherford Texas, coined the name, Hotter’N Hell Hundred. The rest is Hotter’N Hell History. Some of the original committee members have moved on but Roby and many others remain involved in planning and implementing the event in each of its now 34 years. The committee started with 7 people and is now in excess of 100.
During the first year of HHH, there were 1200 riders. Endurance cycling was relatively new to Texas but 1200 riders celebrated the first year as the largest single day 100-mile ride in the nation. The HHH committee has been a constant pupil in the school of hard knocks. Rest stops during the first year were operated by members of the Good Sam’s RV Club. On-board water, toilets and built-in shade made these RV land yachts appear to be the perfect mobile rest stop. The bicycling event emptied the water tanks, filled the toilet tanks and wore out the small crew of volunteers. Tired or not, the Good Sam’s remained an important part of road support for many years.
Ever wonder where the CamelBak hydration pack originated? Well, it was at the 1988 Hotter’N Hell Hundred right here in Wichita Falls, Texas! Click on the link to visit their site.http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/About-Us/Our-Story.aspx
The early years of medical support would be a nightmare for current day medical volunteers. There was one medical unit at the finish line. Nowadays there are MASH units at each rest stop and at the finish. Medical volunteers treat everything from bees embedded in rider’s ears, to emu bites, road rash, under hydration, over hydration and hard landings.
The Hotter’N Hell grew geometrically for several years. The Hotter’N Hell Hundred is still the largest single day 100 mile bicycle ride in the nation – and one of the largest in the world. In 2015 more than 13,000 registrants again participated in the Hotter’N Hell Hundred weekend events.