3X Men: Honey Badger Trifecta dominates from Salton Sea to Palomar

• Honey Badger Trifecta (Armendariz, Davis & Gruebele) won the 3X Men in 19:17:00 — over five hours clear of the field.
• Rita's Men (Castro, Kidd & Lawson) claimed 2nd in 24:26:20, nearly matching that same margin back to 3rd.
• Youthless Wrecks (Becker, Litwin & O'Brien) completed all three 3X Men teams, finishing in 27:24:30.
• Robert Becker, at 80 years old, crossed the line after 81 miles of desert-to-mountain terrain — the standout individual story of the field.

Three teams, three very different races. Honey Badger Trifecta — Ramses Armendariz (42, Urbana, IL), Michael Davis (44, Hamden, CT), and Martin Gruebele (61, Champaign, IL) — ran the 81-mile point-to-point from Salton City to Palomar Mountain in 19:17:00, averaging 14:17 per mile across more than 9,000 feet of elevation gain. They were never seriously threatened, moving steadily through the broader field and posting the three fastest splits on the 35M–40M segment among the men — a stretch where they clearly hit another gear while others didn't.

Rita's Men — David Castro (52, Myrtle Beach, SC), William Kidd (36, Mims, FL), and Gregg Lawson (50, Clearwater, FL) — had a very different journey. Their 24:26:20 finish at 18:06/mi reflected a patient, grinding progression through the field. The moves data tells the story: Castro and Kidd both worked steadily upward through the broader standings across every checkpoint, with their best relative gains coming in the back half of the race. They finished 5:09:20 behind the winners and a solid 2:57:50 ahead of the third team.

That third team, Youthless Wrecks — Robert Becker (80, Fort Lauderdale, FL), William Litwin (55, Cutler Bay, FL), and Tim O'Brien (65, Fort Lauderdale, FL) — closed out the 3X Men field in 27:24:30, averaging 20:18 per mile. Every finisher here earned their result, but Becker completing 81 miles of Badwater terrain at age 80 is the number that stands alone. All three teams made it to Palomar Mountain. In a race this demanding, that is never a given.