Running in Lower Manhattan

Manhattan is actually a wonderful place to run while seeing some cool sights.

1) Battery park is a great place to run, can get a bit crowded on weekends with tourists and street performers all over. Battery park is connected on both sides to jogging and cycling paths. The east side path goes through the South St Seaport and continues along the east river all the way to the North end of the island. Going along the West path offers very neat views and connects to a variety of other parks along the way. certainly recomended over the East side path.

2)Brooklyn Bridge run is fun and popular. Starting at the bridge its just over a mile to cross the bridge alone and another mile or so to prospect park. Probably about 5 miles total. Little bike lane to the park as well. Not a bad run, the bridge is a substantial hill.

3) No, south does no = downhill and north uphill. Youl encounter hills both ways and all races in CP do a loop. Going south on the east side has a large downhill at 70th st (cat hill) The west side is rolling hills the whole way. The North end of the park is a big vally, so either direction you go, you will encounter a large hill. If a CP race goes through here youl go down a big hill then back up another regardless of what way you go.

4) Yes, in central park. Many teams practice mid week there. Not sure what masters teams (student) but I see alot of em. Niketown also has group runs from the store at various times.

Have fun, running is the best way to really see Manhattan. Street running is not really as bad as people say

1. Map of the paths along the rivers.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/edc/pdf/greenway_mapside.pdf

2. A lot of people just run over the Brooklyn bridge, then turn around and come back. Best if done earlier in the morning. I'm not sure about other Brooklyn running.

3. I don't think that is true.

4. Don't know. Could check some of the bigger clubs, like Central Park Track Club.

As a native of the Upper West Side, I'm not the best person to offer advice re. running spots in lower Manhattan. However, if you ever find yourself near Columbia University (i.e., Harlem), Morningside Park is the absolute BEST place to run. For optimal performance, it is best to run at dusk bedecked with diamonds and other expensive jewels. I have set many PR's there.

As a native of the Upper East Side, I'm not the best person to offer advice re. running spots in lower Manhattan, either. However, if you ever find yourself near The NY College of Podiatric Medicine (i.e., Harlem), Marcus Garvey Park is another great place to run at dusk bedecked with diamonds and other expensive jewels as well. I have set many of my shorter PR's there and one could easily combine a loop with Morningside Park for a 5K PR. A command of the english language is totally optional.

As a native of the Upper East Side, I'm not the best person to offer advice re. running spots in lower Manhattan, either. However, if you ever find yourself near The NY College of Podiatric Medicine (i.e., Harlem), Marcus Garvey Park is another great place to run at dusk bedecked with diamonds and other expensive jewels as well. I have set many of my shorter PR's there and one could easily combine a loop with Morningside Park for a 5K PR. A command of the english language is totally optional.

Thanks to all.

Oh, yeah. If you decide to run in Central Park as previous posters have suggested, make sure you hit the upper loop section (i.e., the one traversing the 102 St. cutoff). It offers some absolutely stunning scenery. Please note the residents who live in/near that section of the city are baseball fanatics. DO NOT be alarmed if you find yourself being chased through that section of the park by hooded person(s) with baseball bat(s). It is likely just a bunch of locals inviting you to join them in their innocent game.

actually, I am female and I run alone in Morningside, Marcus Garvey, and Northern Central Park all the time. I have never been harassed or felt unsafe at all in any of them. This is not the 1970's. It actually is quite beautiful in those locales, with some really amazing cliffs/topography/stonework.

You must be one of those pussy white dudes chugging along with the masses down the same lower central park route every day.

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4. Any masters racing teams have mid-week training sessions...even if in mid-town?

Thursdays 7pm, 72nd transverse and west in CP at Webster Statue, Central Park TC workout.

sykes wrote:

actually, I am female and I run alone in Morningside, Marcus Garvey, and Northern Central Park all the time.

Ha ha ha! Yeah- I'm sure you are female, at least from a morphological point of view.

I used to ran in these areas frequently (moved out of NYC in mid 2000). Just saying, there's a lot of action there to keep you on your toes.

You've never been approached by someone with a baseball bat in upper Central Park? I have- my male companion received a clubbing in the knees before we both relinquished our wallets and sent the man on his way. If you've never been victimized or harassed, then you haven't experienced the joys of running in Harlem.

Yes, I have seen "action" there, like people obviously shooting up in the trails of the north woods, but usually they are just minding their own business. I tend to simply tune out catcalls or verbal jeering, but more often than not, people in Harlem are just encouraging you to run faster when they do say anything. I have lived in NYC my whole life, grew up as a pretty white girl (morphologically speaking) in Harlem and have had no real trouble.

I've run nearly every day since 1995 and have never felt remotely threatened on the upper loop. Likely because I stick to primetime.

I also don't run with a wallet.

sykes wrote:

Yes, I have seen "action" there, like people obviously shooting up in the trails of the north woods, but usually they are just minding their own business. I tend to simply tune out catcalls or verbal jeering, but more often than not, people in Harlem are just encouraging you to run faster when they do say anything. I have lived in NYC my whole life, grew up as a pretty white girl (morphologically speaking) in Harlem and have had no real trouble.

OK, then. Try running in Fort Tryon Park or Inwood Hill Park in Washington Heights near Columbia-Presbyterian Medical School. As a pretty white girl, you'll find lots of doting fans in those parks. If you ever have the nerve to give either one of them a try, let me know. I can give you a few of my own tried-and-true tips.

The Toy Hammer wrote:

I've run nearly every day since 1995 and have never felt remotely threatened on the upper loop.

I don't believe you.

The Toy Hammer wrote:

I also don't run with a wallet.

I don't either- I handed over what little cash I had on me at the time which appeared to placate my attacker. If you run in NYC, always carry cash on your person for this purpose alone.

Amazing how quickly a lower Manhattan thread can morph into an upper Manhattan thread.

I tease - enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend in ALL of Manhattan.