After missing the past few Cap10K races, Austin's Rory Tunningley is ready to run again
Rory Tunningley grew up running the Statesman Capitol 10,000. Now he has his sights set on winning it.
The former Texas Longhorn has a personal best of 29 minutes, 30 seconds for the 10,000-meter distance, just a few seconds shy of Eric ChirChir's Cap10K course record of 29:24, set in 2013.
“I’ve probably run the Cap10K at least 10 times,” said Tunningley, a 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier. “My dad used to sign us up every year, so I ran it starting at age 10.”
Post-collegiately, though, he’s run it only once, placing second in 2015 in 31:26 behind Erik Stanley, another former Longhorn.
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Currently, Tunningley’s focus is all about running a 2024 Olympic marathon qualifying time.
“Right now I’m looking to run a half-marathon in June, then shoot for an Olympic marathon qualifier of 2:18:00 or better at the California International Marathon in December,” he said.
So where does the Cap10K fit into all of this?
“The Cap 10 has always been a really cool race,” said Tunningley, store manager at Austin’s Ready to Run. “Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to win it. I’m super familiar with the course. So, yeah, it would be really cool to win. I was going to run it in 2019, but it was canceled due to weather, and then it was canceled in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID. And I was injured in 2022.”
As the years and miles pile up, the focus changes
Tunningley, 33, has pretty much narrowed his training focus to one directive: stay healthy and avoid injury. He’s scaled back to a modest 60 miles a week, comprising primarily shorter speed work and long runs.
“So far I’m doing somewhat lighter training because I tend to get injured,” said Tunningley, who is raising his daughter Riley, 2, with 2018 Cap10K champ Rachel Baptista. “I used to try to pad my mileage, but now I have a bit more relaxed attitude. Every 10 days I take a day off.”
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Said John Schrup, Tunningley's coach: “When you have a kid, a new home, lots of things change. We just decided the goal for Rory was to just be as consistent as possible. In the past, he would always try to go a little bit faster, a little bit further, and that was not the best approach for him. He’s got so much natural talent that all the other stuff will follow if he just stays consistent in his training. We approach it in a way that doesn’t require strict time goals.”
Forgoing the track, Tunningley does the bulk of his training on roads, including the fast stuff.
“During a run, I’ll do pickups — up to eight time-based intervals,” Tunningley said. “I’ll run for 30 seconds all out, then ease back to training pace. That helps you get more efficient at a 10K-based pace, so running sub-5-minute miles for the Cap 10 should not feel that hard.
“It’s kind of cool running the fast stuff on the roads versus the track,” he added. “You’re on different surfaces and terrain instead of a flat oval. Time-based pickups are more effort-based than pace-based ones. You just know that you’re running hard and pushing yourself hard. Also, road-based training makes you more comfortable with running hills, and the Cap 10 has them in the first half.”
Tunningley will face stiff challenges in this year's Cap10K
Tunningley is the first to admit that staying in elite shape post-college is a dicey proposition.
“Some of the guys I went to UT with have gone on to run professionally,” he said. "Joe Stilin is one — he won the Cap 10 in 2018 and continues to compete professionally. But it’s a hard thing to balance. If that’s your whole world and you get injured … you can’t do what you’re being paid to do. I love running, and I love to compete and work hard. Running has come naturally to me, so the goal for me is to do it at as high a level as I can for as long as I can.”
During Sunday’s race, Tunningley is bound to have company in the lead pack. Jeffrey Stein, the 2018 Marine Corps Marathon champ, is entered, as is local elite runner Mitch Ammons, a 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier.
“I’m feeling pretty fit right now,” Ammons said. “I’m going to really try and win. Rory is one of the best competitors around, so it’s going to be a really fun race.”
But after missing the last couple of years, Tunningley is ready.
“It’s a super historic race, so winning the Cap 10 would be huge," he said. "You can’t just show up. It’s going to be a big battle. I’m still super competitive and will run as hard as I can. I know Mitch is in really great shape right now, so I’d be surprised if he doesn’t push it from the start. I don’t think he’s going to let the pace be super slow or anything. My plan is to stay in the front pack as long as I can.”
Statesman Capitol 10,000
8 a.m. Sunday; race starts at Congress Avenue Bridge
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Rory Tunningley has run at least 10 Cap10Ks but is seeking first win
