CW39 Houston has been named the official media partner for the 2026 Chord Energy Houston Corporate 5K, lending television, digital and social media coverage to a race celebrating its 10th anniversary at Memorial Park. The three-day event, scheduled for October 20-22, has grown from a modest office run into one of the region's largest corporate wellness gatherings, bringing together thousands of Houston-area employees for a mix of fitness, teamwork and giving back.
The station's role will go beyond simple coverage. According to CW39 Houston, the partnership includes appearances on Htown Live, special feature content and interviews, along with an on-site presence throughout the three-day event. CW39 also plans to participate in select hospitality village activities and will serve as the official awards luncheon partner for the Houston Corporate 5K awards luncheon, where it will present the Fastest Company in Houston Award.
Humberto Hormaza, vice president and general manager of CW39 Houston, tied the partnership to the station's broader civic mission, saying the We Are Htown commitment supports Houston organizations and events. Adam Levinson, co-founder of the Houston Corporate 5K, said the event has become significant for Houston's business community, according to the station's report.
A Decade of Growth for Memorial Park's Signature Corporate Race
The race has come a long way since its 2017 debut. More than 52,000 participants have crossed the finish line over the event's first nine years, per Fleet Feet, which has helped establish the Houston Corporate 5K as one of the largest corporate athletic gatherings in the country. Last year's race set a record with 10,230 runners and walkers representing 244 Houston-area company teams, up from 230 companies in 2024.
That growth has translated into real dollars for the park itself. Since 2017, the race has raised more than $600,000 for the Memorial Park Conservancy, the nonprofit organization responsible for managing the 1,500-acre park, to support restoration, preservation and enhancement work, according to the Memorial Park Conservancy. The event unites Houston's business community around wellness, teamwork and community engagement while creating opportunities for networking, team building and civic involvement.
Course Details, Registration and What Runners Get
The 5K course runs along Memorial Park's Seymour Lieberman Trail, a well-known 3-mile crushed granite loop, starting at Eastern Glades. Post-race corporate hospitality and happy hour events will be held on the lawn at Clay Family Eastern Glades, per the Memorial Park Conservancy. Runners without a participating employer team can still enter by registering as individuals under the official Memorial Park Conservancy Team, according to Fleet Feet.
Registration for the 2026 race closes October 10, with general participant pricing set at $55 and company starter pack entry priced at $50 per employee, per RunSignup. Entrants receive an official tech shirt, race bib, gift bag and a drink voucher redeemable for a pint from Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Texas's oldest craft brewery, during the happy hour.
Competitive Bragging Rights on the Line
Beyond the charity angle, the race carries serious workplace bragging rights. Team ExxonMobil won the 2025 Fastest Company in Houston Award with an average top-10 employee finish time of 20:12, edging out runner-up Tenaris and third-place TechnipFMC, according to the Houston Corporate 5K. The award, which CW39 will help present at the 2026 awards luncheon, is calculated from the mean finish time of a company's ten fastest runners.
The event has changed sponsors over the years, having previously been branded the Hess Houston Corporate 5K under Hess Corporation before energy producer Chord Energy took over as title sponsor. Major energy companies headlining civic and athletic fundraisers is a familiar pattern in Houston, where corporate teams from across the energy sector routinely turn out for the race.
Memorial Park's Growing Role as an Event Venue
The Corporate 5K's expansion mirrors Memorial Park's broader emergence as a host site for major athletic and civic events. The park hosted the LPGA Chevron Championship golf tournament in April, as Hoodline previously reported, underscoring the municipal park's capacity to handle large, multi-day crowds. With the Corporate 5K's 10th anniversary approaching and CW39's multi-platform push now behind it, organizers will be watching whether company sign-ups climb past last year's record before registration closes on October 10.
