Based on personal experiences and where I've lived.
Best: Utah. They have bike lanes on almost every road so even just running from the suburbs you're set. Trails/canel systems, and plenty of straight/flat bike paths to explore w/ not much traffic. The variety is unmatched. Track accessible as well.
Colorado: much like Utah see above.
Florida: actually nice when I lived there. Great flat/straight bike paths like Baldwin, tracks are easy to get on. Wide sidewalks that go for miles, cool trails like Nocatee.
The worst:
Georgia. Georgia is great for running but if you're looking for performance running this isn't ideal. Mostly hilly terrain with no straight/flat options (if you'r running marathons/intervals/etc). Hardly any sidewalks or they stop every 100m. Bike paths here have way to many curves/over-crowded, and slippery moist bridges through out so running fast is sporadic. Tracks are hard to get on and always locked up.
Yikes, you are a complete wimp.
You favor straight/flat bike paths as the big plus, and wide sidewalks? Do you have a disability? Come man, start on a pair.
Hills pay there bills boy, don't be a wimp. You must be under 30, biggest bunch of entitled clowns. This country is in trouble when your age group comes into positions of power.
Run in San Clemente along the wide and protected paved trail and through Dana Point and its hills and you wouldn't be calling anyone a wimp ...I rather like not having to worry about car traffic
Based on weather, Alaska has got to be one of the 10 worst states for runners.
Nooooo way I strongly disagree. I might honestly put Alaska as a contender for the #1 spot. The entire state is just waiting for people to run through it.
Trails sprout up in the most unexpected places and form such a vast network that you often won’t see a soul, much less a crowd. You never have to battle auto traffic. There is never heat or humidity. Come snow and darkness you can just bundle up and the crunch of your footsteps will feel surreal amidst the quiet air.
Sure winter sucks, but that is why most runners nordic ski instead. The true suckiest season is spring breakup in April with its eternal mush and piercing winds. But oh man, the summer… Alaska has the power to instill in you a more intense love of the sport than you ever thought possible. It’s only a slight jaunt, all by foot, into the mountains and beyond the tree line, and suddenly you’ll be surrounded by lush open swathes of meadowgrass and fireweed. Your legs have free rein. You’ll find yourself naturally tracking the contour lines for some time, guided by only sun path and terrain, and then find yourself wanting to claw up some little-traversed peak and bound along the succeeding ridgeline to the next and next, in some near-addictive cycle. Just one more summit, just one more view. The world simultaneously expands and shrinks and the massive perspectival angles set all the worries of society in their frivolous place. Eventually after months, years of exploring you’ll discover that there’s a little book of wilderness that you’re growing particularly fond toward, enough to nearly call it your own, and as every footstep and scent is memorized you’ll hit the trail again and again and remind yourself why you love going through these motions. And did I mention midnight sun…? Those mountains are really some of the only places left on Earth where individuals can feel truly free.
source: I live here
Beautiful description that I recommend getting published (seriously). Our differing opinions of Alaska highlight why these rankings are impossible. Everyone has different preferences. Whereas you love Alaska, I would be miserable there. I love Arizona, and you would probably hate it here. Different strokes for different folks.
Feel like Arizona would be highly contingent on Flag/Prescott (good) or greater Phoenix/Tucson (less good)
No reason not to include NH if you're gonna throw VT and ME in there. Nice rail trails and such, great summer and fall. Hell, Connecticut/Jersey/upstate NY/Michigan have some sweet rail trails as well and fairly big scenes for post-collegiate and casual running. Minnesota has a huge running culture
If I had to ride for anything not included, I'd say North Carolina. Their big population centers (Triangle, Charlotte, Winston) are generally fine-to-great for running and then you also have Asheville and Boone. I tend to prefer heat over cold + snow because at least you can get outside most days in the heat...just need to be up early
Iowa > Nebraska/Dakotas. Hawaii probably low-key sucks for running based on humidity and the fact I can think of only one runner of note (Pierce Murphy) to ever come from there. Arkansas is likely bottom 10. Nevada seems not amazing. West Virginia is so beautiful but has zero running infrastructure - alas
Olympians and American record holders Duncan McDonald and Henry Marsh are from HI.
You favor straight/flat bike paths as the big plus, and wide sidewalks? Do you have a disability? Come man, start on a pair.
Hills pay there bills boy, don't be a wimp. You must be under 30, biggest bunch of entitled clowns. This country is in trouble when your age group comes into positions of power.
Run in San Clemente along the wide and protected paved trail and through Dana Point and its hills and you wouldn't be calling anyone a wimp ...I rather like not having to worry about car traffic
No way that Minnesota is that bad. Your only bone of contention is the weather. To be sure weather is something you have to care about in Minnesota. But if you are into different kinds of running Minnesota has a lot to offer. Tons of competitive clubs throughout the state. If trail running is your jam the northern part of the states have more than you can ever want with the superior hiking trail and many others criss crossing the northern part of the state. If you want to run on urban trails, Minneapolis is a model for integrating a park system into an urban landscape successfully. If you want competition there are world class races that aren't a total drag to get into. We have quality facilities dotted about the state because we have a good system of colleges and because we have to occasionally deal with the aforementioned weather. I run 9 months a year and if there is quality snow get off my feet with a little Nordic Skiing. I don't want to live anywhere else.
I’ve been to a ton of states thanks to my work travels. Here’s my list:
Best:
1. California 2. Colorado 3. Minnesota 4. Oregon 5. Maine 6. Vermont 7. Massachusetts 8. Pennsylvania 9. New York 10. Rhode Island (it’s like a tiny combination of Massachusetts and Maine)
Worst:
1. Louisiana (by a wide margin) 2. South Carolina 3. Texas 4. Florida 5. Mississippi 6. West Virginia 7. Arizona 8. Missouri 9. Indiana 10. Delaware
Based on places I've lived, here are my favorites based on accessibility to tracks, clubs and racing scene.
Massachusetts- I personally prefer the South Shore. A lot of trails and dirt roads. Close enough to drive into Boston to race. Cape Cod has some good races as well. A lot clubs and the grand prix series bring in decent competition. However, it's hard to find a public track to train on.
Oregon- Portland area is great. A lot of public tracks, Duniway, where most folks go in the SW. Wildwood and Leif Erickson are great trails. And plenty of trails to run if you go to the Mt.Hood area or over towards the shore around Seaside and Astoria. A lot of clubs and the race scene is pretty good but has gone downhill a bit in the last 5-10 years. I like the club XC series the lizards put on.
Maryland- Baltimore County and Harford County actually have amazing trails with the Gunpowder and Patapsco state parks. You got the NCR trail as well which is a little softer on your legs and nice to get fast paced long run in on. Decent clubs and races.
Virginia- lived in the VA beach area for a while and loved it. But the weather was pretty dreadful in the summer. Mostly did all my running around First Landing State Park which was great. The Tidewater Striders put on some good races and the VA Beach Marathon weekend has some good races.
New York- obviously the running scene is huge. It's a bit too much for me though with lotteries and races selling out 6 months advance. Central Park is OK in my opinion. I can see why some people may love it and could be #1 but it's just OK for me.
So overall, I think I've lived in pretty good running states and pretty lucky I've never lived in any Midwestern states, although I'm sure there are some hidden gems out there.
MA sucks the balls of a thousand headless turkey carcasses, festering in the sun. The OP must work for the board of tourism or some stupid shiz like that. Awful place for literally every reason possible.
I get what you’re saying about New Mexico being great weather-wise. So many sunny days in a year. It never gets old.
I used to live outside of Taos (down the road from Taos Ski Valley), and would hear that Frank Shorter ran that road with Pre back in the day. But it just felt like nobody bothered to run in that area.
I once saw a human while I was out for a run in Arroyo Seco (town down the hill from TSV). I saw his bike first — on its side, on the side of the road. Then, he came up from a ditch, still pulling his pants up. Which told me, he wasn’t expecting to see another soul that day either. Maybe he liked having the whole place to himself, but to me, i just felt out of place when running there. I eventually stopped bothering and didn’t pick running back up till I got to Colorado.
Anyway, if anyone can explain to me being happy as a runner in New Mexico, I genuinely want to know, because I so totally missed the boat. Where you run, what you like about it, . . . ?
No way that Minnesota is that bad. Your only bone of contention is the weather. To be sure weather is something you have to care about in Minnesota. But if you are into different kinds of running Minnesota has a lot to offer. Tons of competitive clubs throughout the state. If trail running is your jam the northern part of the states have more than you can ever want with the superior hiking trail and many others criss crossing the northern part of the state. If you want to run on urban trails, Minneapolis is a model for integrating a park system into an urban landscape successfully. If you want competition there are world class races that aren't a total drag to get into. We have quality facilities dotted about the state because we have a good system of colleges and because we have to occasionally deal with the aforementioned weather. I run 9 months a year and if there is quality snow get off my feet with a little Nordic Skiing. I don't want to live anywhere else.
You sound like the typical Minnesotan that has never left the state and raves about it because you have no point of comparison. FWIW I was born here and spent ages 18-33 in several other states for college, grad school, and work.
Having to drive to the northern part of the state to get some quality trails and/or vert in is ridiculous and a non-starter for most people that work and have a family. Have you seen what a lot of places in CO have to offer? And literally every big city has paved trails running through then and they all start to look and function the same after a while. And there are cities where those trails are usable year-round.
World class races? We have some decent tier-2 races but the biggest benefit is being driving distance (or a short flight away) from Chicago if you are talking about actual "world class" races.
Half your post is completely irrelevant to running. You can feel free to stop the circlejerk anytime. God bless you.
You left out a ton of the pros that Minnestoa has and your comment about very little train running makes me feel like you've made zero effort to get out of the city. The effort and attention given to providing opportunities to runners and bikers in Minnesota are head and shoulders above many of the other states people are listing as their favorites. The weather can make running in the winter terrible for people who don't want to bundle up or buy a headlamp and I agree that would keep it out of some Top 10's but your representation of it is pretty ignorant.
It seems strange to do this by state. There are lots of cities/regions that are great running spots but are surrounded by spots i can imagine wouldnt be so great.
Wyoming in the late spring/summer/fall is unbeaten. The winters almost cancel this out however. Massively underrated altitude training state. If you live in the south closer to Laramie/Rawlins/Casper you could commute down to Denver/Boulder/Loveland/FOCO area for racing.
Montana similar situation, but fewer track racing opportunities
Colorado
Utah
New Mexico
Arizona only really been to GC and Flag but absolutely great running in the north.
Massachusetts I can agree with due to racing opportunities but other than that nothing special
ME/VT/NH are all similar to Mass, beautiful and arguably nicer training locations but less racing opportunities.
Nebraska is honestly underrated. Miles and miles of nice dirt roads, almost zero running culture and few racing opportunities however.
You can look up which states sponsor trails/parks and running/walking paths. California/Indiana/Massachusetts/Michigan/Tennessee/Illinois/Pennsylvania/Connecticut/Colorado/Washington/Oregon/Utah/Wisconsin all have state sponsored programs for it. The rest fit it under a general budget for recreational initiatives. You can vote for it in most states
Montana gotta be up there. Endless dirt roads with tons of managable elevation. In the western half of the state you can easily go from 5-6000 feet to 2-3k. Loads of trails and killer racing scene if youre willing to get your hands dirty. Mild winters by Midwestern standards and cool summers by southern summers. Only bummer is a couple weeks of smoke
3 main categories in my opinion are weather, variety of terrain, and culture.
Top ten states to be a runner in my opinion are:
1. Massachusetts
2. Utah
3. Colorado
4. Arizona
5. California
6. Oregon
7. Washington
8. Vermont
9. Maine
10. Virgina
Top ten worst states to be a runner:
1. Louisiana
2. Mississippi
3. Alabama
4. Texas
5. Florida
6. South Carolina
7. Oklahoma
8. Ohio
9. Iowa
10. Kansas
Florida #5 worst? Some of the best elites in the nation descend upon Tallahassee in the winter time for training blocks. You have some of the best trail systems in the nation.
Florida #5 worst? Some of the best elites in the nation descend upon Tallahassee in the winter time for training blocks. You have some of the best trail systems in the nation.
Florida is just a swamp that people have drained much of it so they can cover it in concrete. No matter the time of the year it will be hot and humid, flat, good luck doing a hill workout. Contrast that to a state some in this thread would put in the bottom ten, west Virginia. Once you get past the populace of that state, it is a very good state to run in for much of the year. Mild winters, hills and some decent trails to run on. Oh and lastly the national park in west Virginia is actually worth visiting as opposed to the swamp in Florida they call a national park.
