This Land Was Made for Runners

Happy 4th of July from RunMamas!

From California to the New York Island, this land was made for you and me…to run.

This 4th of July, RunMamas asked you to share your favorite American runs and you did.

So go ahead and have that extra helping of Aunt Marge’s potato salad at your annual 4th of July cook-out. You can rest assured you’ll have no shortage of great places to run it off tomorrow.

From hidden neighborhood gems to the biggest races and even some races happening on the fourth, here’s where YOU run in America.

Kaanapali Beach in Maui

Aloha spirit means the coordination of mind and heart within each person

And by the sounds of it, a run in the Aloha state is just the thing to get your heart and mind coordinated. Susi Watson, on a recent stop-over to her home state in the midst of huge transatlantic move, found a run on Kaanapali beach in Maui to be an excellent re-set. And it’s easy to see why from the photo she sent in.

Sunset Run, Hawaii

“A favorite from  Hawaii?” says runner Romelle of the state where she grew up, “That’s a very tough question because no matter where you are, it’s going to be a fabulous run!” But she recommends the beach of Ko’ Olina Beach Resort on the island of Oahu, as a good after work run. “It’s a great way to wind down after a hard days work,” she adds. “In the afternoon, the weather is much cooler and when you are running along the beach, the salty air, the fresh cool breeze, and the the sway of the coconut trees is enough to erase your problems. If you feel so inclined, you can take off your shoes and run on the sand.  Nothing like fine sand sifting between your toes as you build your calf muscles.  And after the run, you are rewarded with a stunning sunset and refreshing water to soak your tired feet.  And while you’re at it, you can grab yourself a glass of Mai Tai at the beach-side bar.  Oh, and BTW, not too many tourist know about this place, and not many runners run this route, so it’s a perfect place for solitude.  So hush….shh…. LOL!”

Boston Marathon, mile 25, by pingswept

America’s Oldest Marathon? The Boston Marathon, run annually since 1897, is in fact the WORLD’S oldest.

Held in a state whose name actually means “the people of the great hills”, it boasts probably the most famous marathon hill of all: Heartbreak. But the hype surrounding that dreaded climb doesn’t always prove to be true. Boston finisher Drew Gordon actually found it to be a relief. “I never thought ‘Heartbreak Hill’ would feel so good,” he says, “after enduring the sting of over-worked quad muscles from the intense downhill.”
If you’re looking for a Boston run that doesn’t involve the words ‘sting’ or ‘over-worked’, Fran suggests you “run along the Charles River! It’s a flat and beautiful run. Cross any one of the bridges over the river to the Cambridge side.”

The Fells by melikamp

Lori Bertin agrees and she also recommends a favorite from her old backyard of nearby Winchester, Massachusetts. Known by locals as simply ‘the Fells’, Middlesex Fell Reservation encompasses over 2000 acres of parkland and offers an abundance of trails over rocky hills, meadows, wetlands, oak and hickory forests.

America also boasts the world’s biggest marathon, New York City.

The ING New York City Marathon is now the largest marathon ever with 43,660 finishers in 2009.

NYC Marathon, Verrazano Bridge, by Martineric

The runner who put the ‘Y’ in NYC…

Drew ‘Gordy’ Gordon has a bit of advice he learned the hard way in New York.  ”When you decide on having your name on your shirt, so people can scream-out encouragement, make sure you either sew it or write it,” he warns. “I had vinyl letters, affixed with adhesive and after the first two miles, all the letters fell off, except for the ‘Y’ …I had to endure people screaming ”Y” to me for the next 24 miles.”

‘Y’ …absolutely the last thing you want anybody yelling at you in a marathon…

You can run all 72 of ‘Rocky’s Steps’ at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania actually means “Penn’s Woods” and Wayne, Pennsylvania resident Lori Bertin loves to run through the scenic woodlands of the Radnor Trail system, part of a network of hiking paths through woods, meadows and historic areas. In Philadelphia Bertin says local runners are fond of Kelly Drive and the Valley Forge Trail.

Another Philly find? “Forbidden Drive!” says Fran, “Who would think you could run in such a beautiful, wooded area in Philadelphia?”

Coastal run, Pacifica

Strike it rich in the Golden State

In California, (a state named for a mythical island ‘laden with gold and strewn with pearls, inhabited only by brave, beautiful women’) the days of the gold rush may be in the distant past but it’s still a treasure trove of beautiful places to run.

The state boasts an exhaustive (and potentially exhausting!) slate of breathtaking and historic races, but the trails you told us about were some hidden gems in your own backyards.

Northern Californian Romelle offers this lovely description of  her local running pick. “California is such a huge state, but I can tell you my favorite place to run in the small coastal town of Pacifica,

Santa Barbara coastline

CA,” she says. “It’s an 9-mile (out/back) run along the beach prominade and leads you to a wonderful trail run up the hill with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean.  It winds you down to some cute, beach-side shops and then on a switchback on asphalt up to another hill along the infamous Highway 1 and back down again to Linda Mar beach, where you can also mingle with surfers.  You have a mixture of sand, dirt, and asphalt and trails that will always keep you entertained.”

Marin County resident Drew Gordon loves the 10-mile loop that starts in his own driveway. “I start at my house in Belvedere, head into Tiburon and follow Paradise Drive along the Bay.  It’s like a country road with few cars, undulating topography and sweeping views of the bay looking East,” says Gordon.

A little further down the coast Southern Californian Karen Falat gets to commune with marine life on her morning run. “I live in Santa Barbara so I run a bike trail by my house,” she explains. “Strap on some shoes and I am outta here and transported to the beautiful SB coastline. It’s hilly so it’s a crazy workout but if I let myself drift I can see dolphins on the hoizon. Not too shabby.”

Chautauqua Park with Flatirons by Laura Scudder

Sometimes called the Switzerland of America, Colorado’s Rocky Mountains have more than a thousand peaks that top 10,000 feet

Runner and co-author of Run Like a Mother Dimity McDowell Davis offers this favorite race in her home state. “I’d nominate the 1/3 Marathon in Crested Butte, which goes from Gothic to Crested

Beckie Mostello and family

Butte, CO, she says,  ”It’s about 8ish miles, and the scenery is lovely (CB is known for their wildflowers) and the course is downhill after about mile 3.”

And Beckie Mostello of www.bornfit.com: shares her own centennial state tip: “I like to run in the trails in Chautauqua Park at the base of the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado.http://www.chautauqua.com/”

Sanibel Island, Florida

Running on Sunshine

Looking for a rave run in the Sunshine State? Former Floridian Peggy Peel says “Sanibel Island is a great place to run.  The whole island is covered with biking/jogging trails.” 50 percent nature preserve, Sanibel Island, Florida is crisscrossed by over 25 miles of bike paths, that also offer access to beaches and opportunities to spot wildlife including an incredibly colorful bird population.

View from the La Luz Trail, by Siebrand

Under a spell in New Mexico

Bryan Gomez pointed us to the land of enchantment’s La Luz Trail Run in the far northeast heights of Albuquerque. “It starts at the base of the mountain and goes all the way to the top,” Gomez told us. Yup, all the way to the top: that’s a 9 mile climb up to an elevation 10,678 feet with a 12% grade. No wonder Trail Magazine has called it one of the most grueling races in North America.

Two favorite 4th of July races from the state with an Olympic running pedigree.

“I live in Tracktown USA, Eugene, OR, home of the U.S. Olympic trials, birthplace of Nike, and all around great city.  Every 4th of July, we have the Butte to Butte,” says 6-time Butte to Butte runner Gloria Speasl. ” It brings out runners of all types.  Running it is a right of passage in this area.  The 10K starts with a mile uphill!  The last 100 yards or so is beyond steep.  The race ends with another gradual, but very long hill…it feels like the finish line will never come.  The entire course is lined by people cheering you on, you’ll be offered donuts and cold beer along the course, you’ll likely see firefighters in full turnouts running while carrying the flag.  It’s amazing because running is such a huge part of our cities identity that this race really reflects that as the whole town gets involved.”

Sauvie Island, Oregon, by Matvyei

Portland runner and co-author of Run Like a Mother, Sarah Bowen Shea has her own favorite Oregon holiday race. “There’s a great half marathon just outside of Portland held annually on July 4th called Foot Traffic Flat Half.” Bowen-Shea explains. “They bill themselves as ‘flattest half west of Mississippi’. It’s on Sauvie Island, a small, flat island in the Columbia River just north of Portland. Dotted with small farms and pumpkin patches. It’s a lot of fun to run the race then go blueberry picking with family right afterward, which I’ve done.”

Minnesota sunset

From the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, a race to start your Fourth off with a bang

Minnesota, means “water that reflects the sky” in the Dakota language and with over 90,000 miles of shoreline it’s easy to see where the state got its name and what makes it appealing to runners.

Runner Lisa Koeppen brings us a race from the shores of Lake Minnetonka. “A great race on July 4 is the annual Excelsior Firecracker Run 10K,” Koeppen told us. “The race starts and ends in the beautiful Excelsior Commons on the shores of Lake Minnetonka.  Finishers get tshirts and popscicles.  The course is gorgeous, some flat, some hills, lots of scenery of the lake and lovely homes.  It’s a fantastic start to the 4th of July festivities!”

And once the festivities are over, you can start planning your runs for the next year. With so many amazing trails to choose from, this RunMama better start saving air miles.

Happy 4th! And if you have a favorite not included here, please tell us about it in the comments.

[The fun facts about state names were found in Greetings from the 50 States, How They Got Their Names, by Sheila Keenan]