Race preview: Woody’s RV World Marathon

Woody’s RV World Marathon is now in its 17th year and provides small race charm with big race organization. Taking place in Red Deer, the event has repeatedly been ranked among Alberta’s best races.

The event will take place this May long weekend and we reached out to it’s organizers to ask a few questions.

CR: So, Woody’s RV. We’ve gotta ask, what’s with the name?

That’s the name of our sponsor ‘Woody’s RV World’, but it is also an accurate description of our race as the majority of it is through the woods alongside the river. Woody Paylor, the owner of Woody’s RV World is also a great supporter of Athletics and has been supporting this race right from the beginning both as a sponsor and a competitor.

 CR: What can participants expect from your event?

During the run participants can expect to enjoy a scenic run through Red Deer’s amazing trail system. Along the way there will be fun and festive water stations, musical bands and heart-warming spectator fan support. Once you cross the finish line, runners’ will be treated to a ‘Woody’s Egger’ which is a breakfast bun of sorts along with other fresh fruits & snacks. After the race, participants walk away with a great souvenir metal and also have access to all their race photos free of charge.

CR: What draws people in and what keeps them coming back?

Our race is made up of a myriad of runners.  We know that people have different motives for running, and our race covers them all. We’ve got the speedy elites, who are inspiring to watch; competitive runners chasing their own personal bests; and runners dedicating their race to lost loved ones or to people in their lives who can’t run for themselves.  Regardless, everyone is there to be a part of something fun and who risk seeing how far they can possibly go, regardless of their age, gender or body shape.

They come back in large part because of the camaraderie experienced on race day.  Our runners are fanatics for hard work regardless of the motives for running and Red Deer is a city where we come together and celebrate each other on race day. We do this because we know deep down how good it really feels to work so hard.

It also doesn’t hurt that we’ve got the most porta-potties per capita compared to other races.

CR: Your event has been branded as Alberta’s River Run? Can you tell us a bit about that?

Our course is like some of our runners: a little curvy and damn beautiful!

A majority of the race is along the Red Deer River.  There is something really serene and majestic about running beside a river.  Listening to the sound of water rushing by can lull a person into forgetting that they’re even running.  Being along the river during our race will give the participant the opportunity to appreciate the reverence of nature. You probably won’t be stopping to fish during the race, but if you’re lucky you may spot a beaver, geese, ducks, deer or even a moose!

CR: You’ve been doing this for 17 years now. How has the event changed and evolved in that time?

This year we are introducing our first ever kids marathon. We encourage the kids to run 41K prior to the race, then on race day they’ll run the last kilometer of the course.

We’ve also introduced the Marathon Relay where a team of two will each run half of the course. We incorporated this as a way to showcase the back half of our marathon which is incredibly beautiful and most half marathoners don’t get to see it.

The 10K is now in its 4th year and sells out very quickly. We always say the hottest ticket in the month of May in Red Deer is a bib in our 10K.

CR: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us and all the very best with your event this weekend!