Don Applyrs

Age: 44
Hometown: Brooklyn
Residence: Albany
Family: Wife, Dorcey, Mayor of Albany; daughters Nobel, 7 and Nile, 4
Sport: Running
Career: Educational Nonprofit
Volunteering: Metropolitan New Testament Mission Baptist Church in Albany, serves on nonprofit boards including Troy Saving Bank Charitable Foundation, Trinity Alliance of the Capital Region, and KIPP Capital Region Public Charter Schools. 

By Joanne E. McFadden

Don Applyrs, Ed.D. grew up playing baseball and remained physically active in his adult life, given his interest in health and wellness. However, it wasn’t until a decade ago that running captured his attention. He started out with the “Just Do It Sunday” challenge in the Nike Run Club app. “I was doing that for a few weeks and then started picking up a streak,” Don said. That continued for 18 weeks. After he spent almost three years working on and successfully defending his doctoral dissertation in 2018, he decided he needed a new challenge. This changed not only his life, but the lives of dozens of others.

He looked to his circle of friends, many of whom were running half and full marathons. “A month after my dissertation defense, I signed up for my first 13.1-miler, which was the Philly Half Marathon,” he said. A person’s first half marathon distance run, he notes, usually decides whether or not they do another – they either love it or hate it. Don was the former. 

In 2022 in what is one of his greatest personal running experiences, he completed the New York City Marathon. “You never forget your first,” Don said. “Not only was it my first marathon, but NYC, my home city, is also known to be one of the most challenging marathons of the world majors, so really accomplishing, completing the marathon after having trained in excess of 18 weeks was something that I had never done before or envisioned that I would.” His wife, daughters, sister and other family members were on hand when he crossed the finish line and got his medal, adding to the great memories of the race. “I thought, if I can do this, I can certainly do anything,” he said, noting that only one percent of the global population will ever complete a marathon. “Joining the one percent was a good moment.” (According to several online sources, the figure is closer to 0.01 percent.)

During his training runs through the streets of Albany, he became highly aware that New York’s capital city lacked a diverse running community like those he’d been exposed to through his friends in New York City. “I saw the absence here and the opportunity to create something in the City of Albany that would help develop diverse people in the sport of running,” Don said. Olivia Frempong, the founder of the Albany chapter of Black Girls Run provided part of the inspiration for the idea, too. 

He started posting about running on social media, tagging a few people he knew who were running in the community. Then, on the first Saturday of June in 2023, he invited people to meet at the Palace Theatre for a community group 5K run/walk. Five people showed up. “From there, Cap City was born,” Don said. 

Co-founder Markael Brace of Albany was one of the five. He had only been running about three miles a day. “Four max,” Markael said. That changed once he began running with Cap City. “We started running more mileage as a unit on Saturdays and we never left anybody behind,” he said. 

Central to Cap City’s mission is the power of numbers. “It’s easier to run in a group than it is to run by yourself,” Markael said. Twice a week, Cap City shows up to provide group runs. The Saturday 7:45am run/walks, now starting from Alias Coffee on North Pearl Street, attract from 20 to 30 people, while Wednesday 5:45pm meetups at the Common Roots Albany Outpost on Quackenbush Square have had close to 100 people. Participants range in age from the low 20s to mid-50s. The group’s motto is “to inspire the community to run by running in the community.” 

A key component of Cap City Runners is its inclusivity. “We’re building space in the community where, as we say, ‘All paces, faces and races, ages and stages are welcome,’” Don said. “We’ve been very intentional about ensuring that this is a space where anyone can see themselves, a space in the community where folks don’t have to feel intimidated.” 

Emily Heald of Troy aspired to run a half marathon and signed up for one. “I had followed Cap City, but hadn’t been brave enough to show up,” she said. She mustered the courage and went to a run in January 2025. “I’ve been hooked ever since,” she said. 

Don ran with her that first day. “They just do a good job of making sure that everyone who’s there, no matter where they’re at, is welcome,” Emily said. Cap City stresses that the group is indeed for everyone, including runners and walkers, regardless of current athletic skill. 

The group is diverse in experience and includes those who are just starting out all the way through seasoned members who have run several marathons. In this way, the group becomes an educational space, as people learn from each other. Don takes inspiration from other group members. “Everyone really provides a different aspect, not only in running, but in the application of the life lessons that running provides,” he said. “The greatest life lesson from running is that just like in real life, there are never going to be perfect conditions. Whether it’s in training or in life, you just have to commit to putting one foot in front of the other. Then, through perseverance, consistency, grit, and the willingness to show up every day leads to success.” This is one way that Don has taken Cap City beyond just a running/walking group into an experience with much broader application. 

In addition, friendships have formed around the passion for health and wellness, a key element that grounds Cap City’s mission. Emily said that she has built some of her favorite adult friendships there. “The sense of community and camaraderie that Don and the team have built around running and physical fitness – it’s powerful. It’s a family. It’s a support. It’s bigger than just running. Don has cultivated that in our community.”

Don seeks to show people what they can do, to gently lead them out of their comfort zones. Markael, one of Cap City’s co-founders, said that he doesn’t think he would be a distance runner if not for Don and his leadership. “Not at all,” he said. “I would have stayed in my comfort zone.” 

In Emily’s case, after she had finished four half marathons, Don found a scholarship for teachers providing sponsorship to run a marathon. “He shared it with me and said, ‘I think you could do this,’” she said. “He said, ‘Give it a shot.’” In October last year, Emily crossed the finish line at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon and called Don to convey the news. “Don has supported me through my entire running journey,” Emily said. “And he does that for so may people in terms of building them up and helping them believe in themselves. He’s able to meet them where they’re at and lift them up. He believed in me more than I believed in myself, and as a result, I’ve maximized my potential.”

“People are taking notice of the special community that we have here,” Don said. “Once you’ve experienced the Cap City vibes, you are immediately impacted by the love and support.” 

The larger running community has taken note of Cap City Runners. The group has partnered with different running entities including Fleet Feet of Albany. Brand reps from Nike, New Balance, Asics, Puma and Mizuno have sought to collaborate with the organization. 

Don has big plans for the organization. He sees it one day becoming its own nonprofit providing health and wellness programming for people at all levels, including seniors and children. He acknowledges that adverse health conditions are prevalent in underrepresented communities, and he seeks to change that for Albany’s residents. “We want to continue to elevate our ability to develop health and wellness through the sport of running and walking,” he said. 

Don said that while finishing the New York City Marathon was an extremely proud moment for him, to train and coach other runners over the past few years surpasses even that. “To see people go from being non-runners to completing the first marathon is probably the greatest running moment for me, to see how people can truly make the commitment and truly believe in something I have the vision for.” 

To learn more, visit capcityrunners.org.

Freelance writer Joanne McFadden of Charlton (mcfaddenfreelance@gmail.com) was a distance swimmer in college. She now swims in relay triathlons. In addition, she’s a distance walker with five marathons and seven half marathons under her belt. She’s married to Scott, a distance running afficionado who has an over 566-day running streak.