Allie Kieffer Makes History At Statesman Cap10K, Earning Second Straight Victory
The 48th annual 6.2 mile race in Austin, Texas featured over 19,000 runners from across the U.S.
AUSTIN, Texas—Allie Kieffer wasted little time imparting her dominance on Sunday in the 48th annual Statesman Cap10K, claiming her second straight victory on the rangy 6.2 mile course to win in 34 minutes and 18 seconds, a performance 13 seconds faster than her effort a year ago.
The victory, which earned Kieffer a $1,500 prize purse, entered the 37-year-old into historic company with Austin’s longest tenure road race, marking the first time since 2016 a women’s athlete repeated. More than 19,000 competitors finished the 10,000 meter race on Sunday in the Capitol city, making the field one of its largest in recent memory.
Kieffer now is among seven other women in the event’s history to win more than once, joining Allison Mendez, Desiree Ficker, Albina Gallyamova, Cassandra Henkiel, Carmen Troncoso, Vickie Smith and Tracy Lynn Wong.
The women’s field included an Austin-area sweep, as Shannon Gaden and Johanna Gretschel, teammates with Austin-based Bat City Track Club, went two-three, submitting times of 34:47 and 35:13.
Johanna Gretschel, 34, from Austin, Texas, finished third overall in the Statesman Cap10K on Sunday. Photo: Rio Reina/PostRunDrip
Shannon Gaden, 30, finished second at the Statesman Cap10K on Sunday. The runner is a member of Bat City TC. Photo: Rio Reina/PostRunDrip
The men’s race, meanwhile, was less predictable, as the final moments came down to a sprint to the finish between Alexander Torres Rojas, a runner hailing from Orocovis, Puerto Rico, and Jonathan Chung, a graduate senior with the Texas A&M men’s track and field team.
Chung attempted to chase down Rojas in the final steps, but the 34-year-old Rojas secured the victory in 30 minutes and 24 seconds. Chung was just two seconds back in 30:256, while San Antonio resident Kevin Heeman was third in 30:43.
Mitch Ammons, the reigning Austin Half Marathon winner from February, was fourth overall in 30:47. Just four runners from Austin finished inside the top 10 overall.
Rojas’ win, however, comes with a slight asterisk. The Puerto Rican runner was racing for just the second time since a provisional suspension was enforced on the athlete following a win at the San Blas Half Marathon in Coamo, Puerto Rico, in March of 2023. Rojas’ two-year suspension ended in March, MaratonesPr, a media outlet covering marathon running in Puerto Rico, confirmed.
According to a report by the WAPA Media Group in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rojas was found to have an adverse analytical finding in a drug sample from December 2022, with the Puerto Rico Anti-Doping Organization finding chlorothiazide, a masking agent commonly found for anabolic steroids.
For a list of the top 25 finishers in the men’s and women’s field, find more information on our Instagram account. For more photos, PostRunDrip has you covered.
The Statesman Cap10K gets underway on Sunday, April 6, in Austin, Texas. Photo: Rio Reina/PostRunDrip
Men’s Statesman Cap10K Top 10:
1. Alexander Torres Rojas, 30:24
2. Jonathan Chung, 30:26
3. Kevin Heeman, 30:43
4. Mitch Ammons, 30:47
5. Calahan Warren, 31:03
6. Will Nation, 31:16
7. Jordan West, 31:24
8. Daniel Golden, 31:44
9. Jarred Elizondo, 31:45
10. Sean Handel, 31:47
Women’s Statesman Cap10K Top 10:
1. Allie Kieffer, 34:18
2. Shannon Gaden, 34:47
3. Johanna Gretschel, 35:13
4. Sarah Jackson, 35:19
5. Jennifer Sanderson, 36;47
6. Jacalyn Overdier, 36:47
7. Monika Horoho, 38:03
8. Katy Cranfill, 38:15
9. Deanna Newhouse, 38:28
10. Gabriella Nolen, 38:35
