Dozens of brave souls rang in the new year by plunging into the chilly waters of Corpus Christi Bay during the 10th annual Polar Bear Plunge and New Year's Run on Thursday. Corpus Christi kicks off 2026 with polar bear plunge an d run for ALS researchThe event drew participants of all ages, including 75-year-old John Madden, who decided to try something completely new for 2026."I do 5Ks and all kinds of stuff. I've never done this. Never jumped in the water in winter," Madden said.First-time participant Dolores Ponce joined friends at the bayfront event as part of their New Year's resolutions."We walk, but eventually we'll be running here, hopefully this year. This is one of our goals," Ponce said.The annual tradition serves a greater purpose beyond celebrating the new year. All proceeds from the event benefit the ALS Therapy Development Institute, which works to find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that causes slow degeneration of nerve cells controlling muscle movements.Event organizer Alissa Mejia, who lost her father to ALS, emphasized the critical need for continued research funding."There's not a cure. There still is not an effective treatment even, and it's a progressively fatal disease," Mejia said. "You progressively lose function and being able to move and even to speak and to eat things that are essential to beingto having your life and having quality of life, so it's really tough to watch people go through that."Over the past decade, the Corpus Christi Polar Bear Plunge has raised more than $150,000 for ALS research.Participants encouraged others to join future events, regardless of age or fitness level."I just want to encourage everyone, no matter what age you are to come out here and even if it doesn't start today, there is tomorrow, but you have to start," Ponce said.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today! ...read more read less