If you’re a beginning runner or walker and thinking about doing the Statesman Capitol 10,000 on March 25th, you still have time to enter. And if you’re considering whether you should even bother running, this is the perfect race for newbies. Still, you’re probably thinking: “It sounds like a long way to run, isn’t it?”

Yes and no. The Cap 10,000 is 6.2 miles long (10 kilometers), but this isn’t necessarily just a race about hard-core competition. Instead, many participants in the field of 18-20,000 are going to walk and jog or just walk the entire course.

If you aren’t in great running or walking shape, don’t despair. This is a race for you. Especially if this will be your first race of any sort, you’ll have plenty of company. Runners and walkers come from different backgrounds, levels of ability, sizes, shapes and goals, so you’ll see all sorts of folks in downtown Austin doing the Cap 10,000.

The first thing you need to do ASAP is enter. To do that, go to www.statesman.com/cap10k/.

Here are some reasons why you should enter the Capitol 10,000 today:

O Goal setting. This 10-K will give you an obtainable goal of completing a meaningful race. You still have a few weeks left to improve your fitness.

O Motivation. Completing the Cap 10,000 is the perfect motivation to fire up your fitness and build for some other spring races such as the Ash Dash 5-K (April 7), Texas Round-up (April 28), the Schlotzsky’s Bun Run 5-K (April 29) or the Chuy’s Hot to Trot 5-K on May 5.

O Earn a finisher’s T-shirt. Undoubtedly for years, you’ve seen all the cool Capitol 10,000 T-shirts runners wear all over Austin. You might even be a little bit envious and would love to earn one, too. Here’s your chance to do just that.

O Camaraderie. The Cap 10,000 will be a giant outdoor party which flows north on Congress Avenue and up and over some big hills before winding up on Auditorium Shores. You’ll have plenty of company every step of the way—guaranteed.

O Get a little crazy. The Cap 10 is our annual rite of spring and lots of folks use it as a good excuse to go wild and dress up in all sorts of weird costumes. If that’s your thing, go for it.

O Competition. Chances are at this stage, you don’t consider yourself highly competitive. Not a problem. Competition in road races can be intense among some racers, but that’s not you. OK, fine. Compete with yourself. Try to get the most out of yourself. If that means running a steady 10-12 minute mile pace, awesome. If that means walking the race, terrific. Set an achievable goal and make it happen.

Don’t miss the 35th annual Austin Statesman Capitol 10,000 on March 25th.