Registration is open today for any Cape Elizabeth resident who wants to sign up for the 2022 TD Beach to Beacon road race. 

Organizers of the annual 10K road race have announced two registration dates. Cape Elizabeth residents have exclusive rights to register on Tuesday before organizers open it up to the general public on Wednesday.

This year’s race marks a return to an in-person format after a virtual model was used in 2021 and the event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. 

“This is the big comeback year, after two years,” said David Backer, president of the Beach to Beacon board.

Backer said organizers decided to return to an in-person event due to the prevalence of the vaccine and encouraging data around COVID-19. 

“We felt it was time and we could do it safely,” he said. “Because of vaccinations, the world is in a better place today than it was a year ago.”

This year, however, runners will be required to provide proof of vaccination or provide documentation of a medical exemption, Backer said.

As in previous years, this summer’s race, scheduled for Aug. 6, will run the usual course in Cape Elizabeth, beginning on Route 77 near the entrance to Crescent Beach State Park and finishing at Fort Williams Park.

Backer said about 4,000 people have already registered in pre-registration events, but after this week, he suspected the total number of registered runners will top 8,000, which was typical for the race prior to the pandemic.

“I think there’s good demand and there are a lot of people, I think, who will be happy to run,” he said.

In a typical year, organizers award more than $90,000 in prize money to the top finishers and place winners in various categories for men and women. 

TD Bank also donates $30,000 to a designated beneficiary each year, and this year the bank will donate to The Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness. Based in Portland, the organization works to promote disability awareness and sensitivity in Maine schools.