For the past 22 years, the painting of the Start Line on Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth has signaled the beginning of Race Week as thousands of runners and spectators gear up for the TD Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race. Given the cancellation of the 2020 race due to the ongoing pandemic, this longstanding tradition won’t be happening this year.

Instead, race organizers have announced what they hope will be a fun and unique way for the race community to come together, virtually, to celebrate the event.

Through its first-ever Start at Home social media campaign, the TD Beach to Beacon 10K invites individuals and families to create their own start line or other TD Beach to Beacon-related artwork using chalk, paints or whatever medium they choose, then take a photo and post it to the TD Beach to Beacon social media channels — Facebook, Instagram and Twitter — by Aug. 1, the date the race would have been held this year.

The TD Beach to Beacon 10K team will narrow the selections down to the three most creative entries and then let the community vote on the overall favorite. The photo with the most votes will be used as the cover images on the TD Beach to Beacon’s social channels for a week during August and posted on the race website.

Race organizers are planning additional events including the launch of a video celebrating the race on Aug. 1 (race day) along with other activities on social media during what would have been Race Week, beginning July 26 and throughout the month of August to keep runners, volunteers and the community engaged and connected.

For more information, visit https://www.beach2beacon.org/.

The anticipated date of the 2021 TD Beach to Beacon 10K is Aug. 7, 2021.