FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – After years of preparation, Active Southern West Virginia is gearing up to host a large scale running race.
The New River Gorge Rim to Rim has been in the works since 2019.
Hundreds of racers will begin their miles-long journey on Fayette Station Road. They’re going to start at the top of the New River Gorge, run down the road, cross the river and come back up the other side.
It’s being put on by Active Southern West Virginia. Executive Director Melanie Seiler says it’ll highlight the newly designated National Park.
“It’s an awesome opportunity to highlight our National Park,” Seiler said. “Get people out and active, both locals and tourists to appreciate our venues and spend money in our small towns.”
The New River Gorge Rim to Rim is going to be a 10 kilometer race put on this Saturday, May 15, with roughly 400 racers participating from both in and out of state.
“There’s about 280 racers from West Virginia, so we feel like this is a local’s race. A lot of those people registered in 2019, so there’s a lot of anticipation building for this.”
All the money earned from the registrations goes right back to Active Southern West Virginia, most notably towards their youth programs.
“We do kid’s run clubs before and after school. Right now we have seven schools participating this spring, and this will help to fund these free run clubs for the fall also.”
The race will result in some road closures. Fayette Station Road, starting at the intersection of Lansing Loop, will be closed this Saturday from 6:00am to 10:00am.
Some areas of Chestnut Burg Road will be reduced to one lane from 7:30am to 10:00am. Anyone driving in those areas Saturday morning should expect some delays.
