If you ran your first race this past year, congratulations!
We are speaking directly to you, the first time race participant. There were SO MANY OF YOU at the Servus Calgary Marathon this past May, and we know there are even more of you who might have completed your first race somewhere around the globe this fall race season (TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, Marathon Beneva de Québec, TCS New York City Marathon, Canmore Rocky Mountain Half …the list goes on!)
You’ve crossed the finish line, you’ve recovered (or at least starting to)…so now what?
Here are 5 things you can do next to keep the good running vibes going all winter long.
1. SET YOUR NEXT GOAL
We are shamelessly going to plug that registration is open for the 2025 Servus Calgary Marathon! This year we will have 5 distances available (full marathon, half marathon, 10 km, 5 km and a kids race), plus we are bringing back the Diaper Dash which was a huge hit in its inaugural year. In addition to the variety of distances, we also like to mention that you can walk, run or use your adaptive device in any event.
After reflecting on your first race this year, what would you like to do differently in 2025? Maybe you choose to upgrade from a 5 km to a 10 km, or perhaps work on your running technique, refine your race strategy, recover from an injury, or shave a couple minutes off your finishing time. No goal is too small, and we are here to help! Whether you need training plans, connections to local run crews, a coach, or nutrition tips, you’ve come to the right place.
Set a goal to give yourself something you can work towards during the cold winter months!
2. VOLUNTEER
We encourage every participant to also volunteer because the truth is, you can’t participate in races without volunteers so it’s important to both give and receive. Volunteering is a wonderful way to get more involved in the running community, meet new people, contribute to the sport, learn new things and as you will discover, it’s really fun! While we’d love to get to know you at a Run Calgary event, there are dozens of local races throughout the year that would also appreciate your time.
If you’re interested in staying in the loop for Run Calgary volunteer opportunities, set up your volunteer profile here and opt in to receive notifications when roles open up.
3. CHECK OUT A NEW RUN CREW
There is no community more welcoming and enthusiastic than a group of runners. Going to an organized run crew for the first time, particularly if you are alone, can be intimidating no matter who you are, but run crew leaders and long time runners know that because they too were new once. Also they more than likely started the crew to get more people running so go on and just show up, you never know you might meet!
An ever growing list can be found here and don’t forget to fill in the form if you don’t see your crew listed!
4. CHEER
“If you’re ever losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” Kathrine Switzer – Woman’s Marathoning Pioneer.
If you need a little run-inspo to get moving, go out and cheer. There’s really nothing that makes a runner itch to run and race more than being the person on the sidelines watching a bunch of other people crush their goals. Pro tip: make a funny cheer sign and get all the smiles!
5. RECRUIT A BUDDY
Like most things in life, running is more fun when the miles are shared. We know you’re excited about all the wonderful changes in your life since you discovered the joy of moving, so we invite you to inspire someone in your life who will surely benefit from it too!
We want to hear from you! How has discovering running changed your life? Email us at marketing@calgarymarathon.com to be featured in an upcoming blog!
