Jaxon Riley has become voice of the Snickers Marathon

ALBANY — If you’re not from Albany, you’re standing near the finish line of the Snickers Marathon and Half Marathon, and you hear this distinct voice make some inane comment like, “I did all this for one beer and a free banana?” don’t worry.

It’s just Jaxon.

A Georgia Radio Hall of Fame nominee whose familiar voice has graced the radio and TV airwaves of Southwest Georgia for going on five decades, Jaxon Riley (nee Rodney Rouse) is the go-to emcee when it comes to events like the annual marathon. It’s a match, many marathoners claim, that fits the down-home vibe of the Snickers race, run Saturday for the 10th time.

“I thought some of the things he said were corny, and some of them left me scratching my head,” one runner laughed after finishing Saturday’s half-marathon. “But if you look around, you see that the crowd loves it. And when you get to the end of a 13-mile or 26-mile run, no matter how fast or slow you ran the race, it’s pretty cool to hear your name and city called out over the PA system.”

Of course, Riley will be the first to admit that he doesn’t always get the pronunciation of the runner’s name or hometown just right, but his enthusiasm more than makes up for any such glitches.

“It’s funny, but they have this chip system where the runner comes in, and when he passes this electronic device a little ways from the finish line, the runner’s name and hometown comes across this computer screen,” Riley said. “People think it’s magical, they think I’m a genius and know everyone’s name and hometown just on sight.

“But I love doing this. I love coming out and seeing the community support for this event. There are so many people around here who have nothing but negative things to say about our community, but if you come out here and see all the work of the staff and the volunteers at this event, you realize that people do love Albany.”

The height-challenged Riley cut a striking figure at Saturday’s race, decked out in a tuxedo, complete with red bow tie.

“It’s the 10th anniversary,” he said. “I’m doing my part to make it special.”

Riley said he’s stored up a great many memories from his 10 years as voice of the Snickers Marathon and Half Marathon.

“The weather’s been a factor over the years,” he said. “They had to move the race one year because of flooding (of the Flint River), and there was the year that the area was under a tornado warning and watch. That gave all the runners a cool story to tell: ‘I ran a marathon in a tornado.’

“Still, maybe the coolest thing about this whole race is that so many people now use it to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Man, that puts our community right up there on the national stage.”