Red Deer Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K Road Race

The Red Deer Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K Road Race is Alberta's traditional season-opening road race, held each May in Red Deer on wooded paths along the Red Deer River. First run in 1999, the event has been sponsored from its inception by local RV dealer Woody's RV World and is often marketed locally as the Woody's RV World Marathon; the 2026 running marked its 26th edition. Start and finish are at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School, with the marathon, half marathon, and 10K courses winding through Red Deer's extensive river-valley trail system, described by race director Brad Meding as offering 'a more personal feel' than the province's bigger-city marathons -- 'you're not tripping over people for 42 kilometres.' Around 900 runners took part across the three distances in 2025, a field organizers say is still rebuilding toward pre-pandemic numbers. Finisher medals and event t-shirts are included, and a short kids' 1K fun run rounds out race weekend. The marathon has historically served as a Boston Marathon qualifier, though the 2026 edition ran a modified, non-qualifying course because of train bridge construction near the trail system; qualifier status for later editions depends on when that section reopens. Registration for all distances typically opens each November with tiered early-bird pricing.