With it's mild summers and exciting features, Duluth is a popular place during the summer for runners. When most people think of running and Duluth the first thing that will come to mind is Grandma's Marathon.
The marathon starts in Two Harbors and goes along a scenic route which provides views of Lake Superior, and is a beautiful route to run. Grandma's marathon isn't the only time you will see groups running.
Duluth provides many different terrains to run. However the most popular place to run in Duluth is the Lakewalk. Any time of the day in the summer people can be seen running along the Lakewalk that starts in Canal Park and continues along Lake Superior. Starting a long run in Canal Park could be costly as street and lot parking fees are in effect.
However there are other places to park, one being off of Superior street. Most runners also avoid the area by the lift bridge during the early evening hours since families tend to gather and watch the ships enter the harbor.
There are many routes to run in the Duluth, thanks to a popular app finding these routes along with many other features related to running and other activities such as biking, walking, or rollerblading its easy to see these different routes.
MapMyRun shows different routes that Duluthians run. The initial app is free to install and provides many features for users, one being a map showing the most popular routes in Duluth. To get the full benefits of the app, what they call MVP features, users have to upgrade for a monthly or annual fee. The benefits include audio coaching, leader boards and heart rate analysis.
This app can also be found on desktops by going to MapMyRun.com this is an easier way to view the maps. Along with seeing the routes MapMyRun also shows elevation change and miles of the routes that people have made.
After a long winter in Duluth people want to be outside, even in some of the winter months runners of this city will be seen on the sidewalks or trails.
“Its not a surprise to see so many people walking and running on the Lakewalk,” said Duluthian Sarah Andersen.“It was a long winter and there is only so many times you can run on a treadmill. This summer hasn’t been the greatest either, but I’ll take running in a little rain over cold temps and snow.”
Duluth is one of those cities that provides different terrain and scenery. For one thing just across the lift bridge is a wonderful beach that leads to Park Point. So if you’re one for a west coast vibe and likes running on the sand, what better way to do it next to Lake Superior. If you still want to run next to the beach and down to Park Point, there is a place to do just that along Minnesota Avenue. With this in mind the Park Point 5-mile run is Friday at 6:30 p.m. there is also a 2-mile walk you can register for here.
If not the beach, then try running on the trails. Duluth provides many trails through the woods that provides hills and other obstacles for runners looking for that type of environment. Chester Park and Spirit Mountain have trails with elevation change and beautiful scenery. If wanting to know the exact measures plot the route on MapMyRun and it will show the elevation change and miles.
The Munger Trail is also a great paved path to run down. Starting in West Duluth off of Grand Avenue the trail goes all the way to Hinckley.
There are endless possibilities in Duluth. With so many great places to run outside, its no wonder why Duluth was voted best outdoors town in America.