Woodbury Country Mile

More than 700 runners and walkers competed in and finished last year's Woodbury Chamber Country Mile Half Marathon & 5K, which takes participants on a tour of this small community situated just to the east of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, as part of what in 2008 will be the 30th annual Woodbury Days festival. The town (of the same name) welcomes about 25,000 attendees each year for this late-summer, weekend-long series of parades, live music and entertainment, with an auto show, carnival rides, a volleyball tournament and more.

The race's name -- the Woodbury Country Mile -- doesn't quite capture the distance runners travel along the way, as participants may choose from the half-marathon as well as a 5K Run/Walk. With paved surfaces throughout the route, this out-and-back loop course features a combination of hilly terrain and flat stretches, and takes runners along a mixture of major highways and through wooded park paths and trails, as well as along the banks of four of the town's lakes -- Colby Lake, Powers Lake, Markgrafs Lake and Wilmes Lake.

The half marathon starts at 7:00 AM and runners must finish their race in time for the grand parade, which usually takes place at 1:00 PM along Steepleview Road and Queens Drive, and ends on Courtly Road near Victoria.