{"id":254027,"date":"2026-04-17T10:02:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T10:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/254027\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T10:02:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T10:02:29","slug":"cap10k-sets-second-largest-attendance-despite-weather-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/254027\/","title":{"rendered":"Cap10K sets second-largest attendance despite weather concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN, Texas — The 49th annual Statesman Capitol 10,000 managed to avoid delays or cancellation as the threat of thunderstorms faded just ahead of the race. The 2026 edition of the largest 10K in Texas was held on Sunday, April 12.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

Final numbers reported by the Cap10K included 24,427 registered participants, with 19,570 finishers. That means 80 percent of those registered finished the race. The temperature at the start was 70 degrees with overcast skies and high humidity. For reference, the average low for April 12 is 58 degrees.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

While it’s impossible to know how many who did not start or finish were affected by the weather, many runners and walkers acknowledged that the conditions were not ideal, but they made the most of the situation.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

Kendell Croxton Winters said she “was so excited about this one and I wasn’t disappointed. Yes, the hills were tough, as was the humidity. I found that pouring a cup of water over my head really helped with the heat, but it was so worth it.” She quoted Tom Hanks, “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.”<\/p>\n

Mari Ann White described the rain-slicked roads as “Scary slippery downhills.” She continued, “Tortuous uphills. Humidity high enough to rehydrate the moon. But the best race in Texas hands down!”<\/p>\n

Ysik Aguirre also had thoughts about the humidity, saying, “Humidity doesn’t agree with me, I was hoping to beat all my previous Cap10K times, but I struggled a lot.” Despite the struggle, Aguirre “still managed to get a 45-second PR, so I guess a win is a win! This is my favorite race in Austin!”<\/p>\n

\"Maria<\/p>\n

Maria Pe\u00f1a (Race Photographer)<\/p>\n

Maria Pe\u00f1a, a first timer at the Cap10K says, “Was worried about slipping (I almost did weaving through the crowd), but felt so proud that I conquered those hills! Can’t wait to do it next year!”<\/p>\n

Cap10K Race Director Christopher Thibert says, “The race executive team and operations team were checking the weather throughout the night, preparing participant information plans in case weather turned severe.”<\/p>\n

\"Cap10K<\/p>\n

Cap10K Race Director Christopher Thibert (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

He adds, “It was a coordinated effort with local meteorologists in cooperation with the City of Austin and the National Weather Service.”<\/p>\n

As storms progressed eastward through the Hill Country in the pre-dawn hours Sunday morning, they continued to weaken\u2014a trend that led to the early cancellation of a Severe Thunderstorm Watch that had been issued for the Austin area, including the race course.<\/p>\n

Once the watch was cleared, CBS Austin Chief Meteorologist Chikage Windler, the author of this article, pivoted from monitoring radar to joining in the race.<\/p>\n

Thibert says, “Ultimately, our team gave the green light at our 5 a.m. briefing to move forward with the scheduled start of the race.”<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

Though some showers moved through just before the start, there was no lightning. During the race, there was patchy drizzle at times and high humidity. Runners also had to navigate some puddles.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

Most runners took the weather in stride.<\/p>\n

\"Steven<\/p>\n

Steven Taylor (Race Photographer)<\/p>\n

Steven Taylor, a Cap10K veteran, said, “The humidity this year was brutal and for me was the toughest run. Was nowhere near my usual time. But I pushed through and finished. Looking forward to next year’s run.”<\/p>\n

\"Ruby<\/p>\n

Ruby Crystal Siebelink (Race Photographer)<\/p>\n

Ruby Crystal Siebelink, a first-timer, said, “I had so much fun. I was definitely nervous about the storms in the area. I didn’t PR but the humidity and rain was a lot to handle. I’m just glad it wasn’t downpouring.” She said she plans to run again next year.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

“We are ecstatic that Austin showed up in spite of impending weather conditions this past weekend,” says Thibert, as he looks ahead to next year’s event, scheduled for April 11, 2027.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

Thibert adds, “We are excited about the 50th anniversary and the opportunity for everyone who’s ever run the Cap10 to join us again and relive this historic event.”<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

The 2019 race was canceled due to storms, followed by a pivot to virtual events in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. Since then, the race has grown, and 2026 marked its second-largest field.<\/p>\n

\"Seguin<\/p>\n

Seguin Fit to Inspire Run Club (Maria Mendiola)<\/p>\n

Many runners took part as representatives of their respective run clubs. The Seguin Fit to Inspire Run Club had more than a dozen participants.<\/p>\n

The ASL Run ATX team had 37 deaf and asl signing runners with many first timers. For them, this “was more than just about running, but about community representation and inclusion.”<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/p>\n

Austin Runners Club Tent (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

The Austin Runners Club had runners represented in the race plus a tent at the finisher’s festival to promote some of its upcoming races, like the Zilker Relays.<\/p>\n

\"Team<\/p>\n

Team Himalayan Panthers (Sushil Gautam)<\/p>\n

Team Himalayan Panthers were all smiles at the finish line festival, with member Sushil Gautam saying, “Already signed up for 50th anniversary and will lead team Himalayan Panthers next year too!”<\/p>\n

Ironically, the record largest Cap10K was also set during a memorable weather year. According to Cap10K historical records, the 10th annual race, held on March 29, 1987, had a record 28,341 registrants and was the coldest race day in Cap10K history, with temperatures at 33 degrees and sleet.<\/p>\n

This week, organizers of the Carmel Marathon in Indiana made the decision to postpone the race until May due to potentially dangerous weather. It was the second straight year the marathon has been postponed. It has been moved from April 18 to May 31.<\/p>\n

As with any outdoor event, difficult decisions must be made in the interest of public safety.<\/p>\n

\"Race<\/p>\n

Race beneficiary Sustainable Food Center tent (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

Though weather conditions were far from ideal, Cap10K participants persevered to benefit this year’s nonprofit, the Sustainable Food Center.<\/p>\n

Several CBS Austin staffers ran the race, including News Producer Jordan Geelhoed, Morning Anchor John-Carlos Estrada, and Chief Meteorologist Chikage Windler.<\/p>\n

\"CBS<\/p>\n

CBS Austin News Producer Jordan Geelhoed (Jordan Geelhoed)<\/p>\n

\"CBS<\/p>\n

CBS Austin Morning Anchor John-Carlos Estrada (John-Carlos Estrada)<\/p>\n

\"CBS<\/p>\n

CBS Austin Chief Meteorologist Chikage Windler (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

The race, which dates back to 1978, also made history with a women’s course record set by pro runner Allie Ostrander of Louisville, Colorado. Ostrander completed the 6.2-mile course in 32 minutes, 45 seconds. The previous women’s record was 33:43, set by Natalie Nalepa in 1997. The overall and men’s winner was Shuaib Aljabaly of Rochester Hills, Michigan, posting a time of 29 minutes, 41 seconds.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

In contrast to the elite field, there were some runners carrying on the tradition of “Keeping Austin Weird” by dressing up, including Walter Moreau who ran in a pi\u00f1ata costume. “I gave out candy and took lots and lots of selfies. Finished in just under 3 hours,” he said.<\/p>\n

While most of the feedback received from contributors to this article was positive, there were some logistical issues.<\/p>\n

Rebecca Farrar says, “This was my first time running the race (or doing a 10K in general) and it was way too crowded for me.” Michael Murphy says his “Bib didn’t get scanned in when picked up, so no record I even ran it.” Bailey Michelle Easterwood, a first-time runner, said she “thought this was less organized than the Austin Marathon, honestly.” She added “It was so hot out too and they didn’t have enough waters prepped for runners,” but she was still thankful for the volunteers.<\/p>\n

\"2026<\/p>\n

2026 Cap10K (Chikage Windler)<\/p>\n

As runners celebrate their finish and plan ahead for next year, some of them waxed poetic reflecting on Sunday’s race. <\/p>\n

\"Caroline<\/p>\n

Caroline Healy and her son Jullian (Caroline Healy)<\/p>\n

Caroline Healy said, “The 10K was epic for so many reasons. There’s just something about running in the rain, it felt almost therapeutic, like every mile meant a little more.” She added, “Rain, grit, and growth all wrapped into one race day.” She not only ran the race and set a PR, but it was her son Jullian’s first 10K.<\/p>\n

Eric Moreno said he “Started off thinking, ‘Hey, this weather isn’t too bad…’ and about 10 minutes later the humidity politely introduced itself and never left.” He added, “By mile 4 it felt less like a race and more like a group run through a sauna with 19,000 of my closest friends.” He said the energy was unread, he appreciated the volunteers, the music, the people cheering, and when he comes back next year, he hopes it will be with “slightly less air you can wear.”<\/p>\n

For information and to register for the 50th anniversary race: https:\/\/www.cap10k.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, Texas — The 49th annual Statesman Capitol 10,000 managed to avoid delays or cancellation as the threat…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254028,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-254027","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-headlines","10":"tag-austin-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}