(Woody's RV World Marathon)

By Alessia Proietti

Sunday, May 22: May Long...We Run

Woody’s RV World Marathon takes place this weekend

May 19, 2022 | 11:14 AM

Don’t forget! The Woody’s RV World Marathon is taking place this weekend in Red Deer.

“The thing I’m probably most looking forward to is having everybody get back to racing. We’re an early season run so for a lot of people this is going to be their first race back and for a lot of people, two years,” said Curtis Marquart, Race Director & Treasurer.

This year titled “May Long…We Run”, race day is on Sunday May 22 at École Camille J. Lerouge School (5530 42a Ave).

READ: Woody’s RV World Marathon coming back to Red Deer in May

Marquart says over 1100 runners have already registered for the May long race, roughly 100 more than their last run in 2019.

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Although participants can change their choice of run at any time, he confirms so far around 170 racers have registered for the full marathon (42.2 km), 370 each for the half marathon (21.1 km) and 10 km run, and a few others for the 5 km and kids runs.

For the 3 km Friendship Run the day before, on Saturday, May 21, no registration or payment is needed. At the same location at 9 a.m., racers can have a practice run together with food and beverages served upon their return.

“It’s just a way of getting everybody together to celebrate the last few months of hard work and training and more of a social atmosphere,” he said.

Marquart states about one third of the racers are from Red Deer. With others from Edmonton and Calgary, he says the main bulk of racers are from central Alberta, including Sylvan Lake and Lacombe. Some runners are from just a bit farther away, including Saskatchewan, Newfoundland & Labrador, Yellowknife, and the United Kingdom.

While too early to total the donations raised for the Red Deer Hospice Society, Marqaurt says roughly $1,000 has been accumulated so far.

Volunteers are still needed for the event, however, Marquart says he is very pleased with how the community has come together for the run.

“It’s been really nice,” he said. “We’re finding that we’re having a lot of businesses and community partners that are really wanting to be involved.“

Race package pickups will be at the same location (5530 42a Ave) on May 20 from 4 – 8 p.m. and May 21 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. They will also be available on race day, May 22, from 7 a.m.

The full and half marathons will begin at 8 a.m., while the 10 km and 5 km runs start at 8:15 a.m. The kids run will begin at 10:30 a.m.

The forecast for this Sunday is expected to be 16°C and sunny (as of May 19, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada).