Race to the Cave Half Marathon

Race to the Cave Half Marathon is an annual road race held at Cathedral Caverns State Park in Woodville, Alabama, organized by Running Lane Events. The course starts on rural roads through a scenic valley in the shadow of the Appalachian foothills, passing farmland, a small Baptist church, and a historic cemetery before a series of rolling hills on paved country roads. The signature finish sends runners 1.2 miles through Cathedral Caverns, known for one of the largest cave entrances in the country, ending with a dark underground turnaround lit by glow sticks before the final stretch to the line. Race to the Cave Half Marathon is part of a two-day weekend that also includes a 10K and a 5K, plus Half Marathon + 5K and 10K + 5K Challenge combinations for runners who want an extra finisher medal. All finishers receive a medal and a post-race pulled pork barbecue meal, and Half Marathon and 10K finishers also get a long-sleeve technical shirt. The race has run since at least 2021 and returns every year in late February or early March; because GPS devices lose signal inside the cave, official timing is handled by a professional chip-timing company rather than watch data.