Cap 10K goes virtual in 2021, marking third consecutive year without in-person race

This year’s Statesman Capitol 10,000 will go virtual. Chris LeBlanc photo

The 2021 Statesman Capitol 10,000 is going virtual once again.

It will mark the third year in a row that the in-person race has been cancelled. A strong storm swept through on race day in 2019, forcing organizers to call it off, and the pandemic spurred cancellation of the popular spring event in 2020.

“Both in the interest of the health and safety of our participants and in anticipation of the city of Austin significantly modifying or canceling our large-scale in-person event, we are moving our 2021 Cap10K race to a virtual format,” said Jeff Simecek, Statesman Cap10K race director. “We are grateful for our running community’s continued understanding, as well as their support of our race and beneficiary, Marathon Kids.”

The race, the largest 10K in Texas and the sixth largest in the nation, was scheduled for April. 1. Now participants can run any of 10 different routes between April 11 and 30.

Contactless drive-through packet pickup is planned for April 9 and 10. That event will feature live music, giveaways and more. Packet mail delivery is also available for $11, which will cover the cost of postage.

The Cap10K’s training program, Austin’s Coffee House 10K Sunrise Coffee, is under way and features new training routes  and helps support local businesses.

Registration is $40 for adults. One dollar from every 2021 Cap10K registration goes to Marathon Kids, which helps elementary students run a cumulative marathon spread out during the school semester. Participants can also make an additional donation when registering, which the Statesman will match up to $10,000, at Cap10K.com. For more information go to Cap10K.com/virtualrace.