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Woody’s adds 10 km race, electric chip

Central Alberta’s prime marathon race is opening the starting line to a whole new breed of runners — the beginner.

Central Alberta’s prime marathon race is opening the starting line to a whole new breed of runners — the beginner.

Organizers of Woody’s RV World Marathon and Half Marathon have added a 10-km race to the May 22 event, plus electronic chip timing.

Darlene Henderson, race director, and co-chair Jason Hazlett, are excited about seeing a wealth of additional runners lace up for the 13th annual race.

“We felt there were people in the community and outside of it who were interested in the event, but didn’t want to do the 21.1 km run or the 42.2 km run,” said Henderson.

Hazlett suggested adding a 10 km race to the rest of the organizing committee and its main sponsor, Woody’s RV World, and together they thought it was a great idea.

After all, lots of recreational runners are doing between two to five km at a time and because there are no 10 km races in Central Alberta, they are heading off to races in Edmonton or Calgary, Hazlett said.

“They can come enjoy a local run at the entry level,” said Hazlett.

Ultimately, they might want to do the half-marathon or marathon, which will help the event to grow, he added.

The event has seen its numbers remain steady in recent years. Its record year was in 2008 when about 1,400 runners took off at the starting line. Last year, the race involved just under 1,300 participants.

Red Deer is competing with other races in Calgary and Edmonton at the same time, Hazlett added.

Henderson said the 10-km race will be capped at 300 runners this year. The new race was announced last week, so as of yet there aren’t many runners signed up, but that’s expected to change. Just under 300 individuals have registered for the half marathon or marathon as of Friday.

Organizers also decided on electronic chip timing instead of manual timing.

“People have been asking us for years to do electronic timing,” said Henderson.

All participants will receive an electronic chip timing device as part of their race package presented to them a couple of days before May 22. The recyclable computer chip, programmed with the runner’s information, is worn around the runner’s ankle.

That chip activates once the runner crosses the starting line, so the amount of time it takes to reach the starting line doesn’t count in the overall time.

The runners return them at the end.

Hazlett said the results will come in quicker this way. Plus, the timing crew will find their task much easier.

For more information, go online at www.reddeermarathon.org.

Registration for the 10-km run is $50. Fees for the marathon and half marathon vary, with early registration deadline slated for March 22.

Entrants will receive bamboo moisture wicking T-shirts as part of the event’s objective to be more environmentally friendly.

ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com