2021 Memorial Day Veterans 10K & 5K Race

- Registration For the 2021 Memorial Day Veteran Race (VIP 5k, VIP 10k, and Virtual 10k/5k) Has CLOSED! -

- Race Deadline is April 15th - No additional runners can be taken after the April 15th deadline.

We have exciting news, the City of Punta Gorda has issued a permit for a live, physical events for the Memorial Day Veterans 5K & 10K Race!  Our committee, made-up of runners and Veterans, has been working hard to re-envision the hometown racing experience and we genuinely want to provide a one-of-a-kind race experience that complies with all safety regulations and standards brought about by the Covid-19 virus.

That said, there will be some big changes for the 2021 Memorial Day Veterans 10K & 5K Race including: 

The VIP Memorial Day Veterans 10K & 5K Race — The VIP race is a live, physical race limited to 300 runners only! Enjoy the comradery, patriotism, and military flair that everyone has grown to love from the Memorial Day Veterans 10K & 5K Race!

VIP HIGHLIGHTS: 

• Limited Race Spots 
• Packet Pick-Up at the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda, FL 
• New Race Theme
• New Race Route 
• Military Fly Over by the SWFL Warbirds
• Prepackaged finisher meal provided by one of our local restaurants.
• Finisher water & beer provided by Peace River Distributing, Inc.  
• Proceeds for the race directly help our local veterans in need (a portion of all proceeds will be donated to Veteran Suicide Prevention).
• Theme Specific Finisher Medal & Gender-Specific Tech Race Shirt 
• Age Group Awards & Overall Male & Female Awards
• Each VIP Runner will be entered to win a NordicTrack Interactive Treadmill with 1 yr of IFIT Interactive Personal Training (Treadmill drawing will only happen if the VIP race is sold out! Tell all your friends and family to get signed up!)

The Virtual Memorial Day Veterans 10K & 5K Race — The virtual race is open to an unlimited number of runners locally and worldwide! Run anywhere, anytime convenient for you. Support our Veterans and receive a race packet with a shirt and finisher’s medal in the mail. The registration fee includes the shipping cost of each race packet.

The Cause and Race Theme - Our Veterans have sacrificed so much for this country, fallen on hard times, and are now dealing with the physical, mental, and financial stress of the COVID-19 virus. They need us now more than ever. That is why this year’s theme is honoring our Vietnam Veterans and we will concentrate on Veteran suicide prevention. (Did you know that according to the US Department of Veterans, on average 20 veterans a day,  take their own life through suicide. One life lost is too many!) 

Additional Information -  Detailed instructions about packet pick-up location, time, and all race day information will be emailed to all participants of the VIP 5K & 10K two weeks prior to the physical race. If you should need to update your email address, please contact registration. There will be no day-of-race registration for this event! Pre-registered runners (those that registered in May 2020) are registered for the Virtual Memorial Day Veterans 10k/5k Race, unless they have contacted registration before January 1, 2021, to be upgraded to the VIP Experience. Virtual race packets, with shirts and medals, will be mailed in May 2021 before Memorial Day.