The great urbanist Jane Jacobs once said you need to walk a city’s streets to see its soul. The same is true of urban running.
I enjoy the adrenaline hit provided by running in a city. There’s so much to love…
It’s a feast for the eyes. There’s the energy of city life. The concentration of landmarks. People watching (and dodging!). Beautifully manicured parks and riverside walks. The freedom to roam pedestrianised city centres. Discovering new neighbourhoods. The fact that no two cities are alike. The romance of city culture. It’s undeniable convenience. And so much more!
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Running in a city is very personal. It provides so many wonderful moments, but what you see depends on what you look for.
In this article, I’ll share my love affair with urban running, both in my hometown and when away with work or on holiday. I’ll tackle what I think makes a city great for urban running, or not. Plus, I’ll also offer some tips for anyone considering running in built-up areas more, especially when it comes to navigating somewhere new or finding escape routes from crowded streets.
A Love Letter to Urban Running – See a Different Side of City Life
There are many virtues of rural isolation but I love living near a city.
My own running journey owes a great deal of debt to the convenience of urban running.
Despite having easy access to some great off-road trails, it’s often more practical to run around the city on a daily basis. Doubly so in the winter months, when the streets are well-lit.
But it’s the fun that fuels my own joy of running.
I like to think of urban running as a puzzle to piece together or a maze of giant proportions. Zooming in and out of alleyways. Finding fun nooks on a run. Running to landmarks in the distance. Discovering new bakeries and coffee shops.
But, a city is more than its buildings. It’s people that bring the drama.
Urban running is great for people watching!
Cities have different rhythms throughout the day, played out by different characters. For example, take morning runs: it’s not unusual to encounter a fascinating collision of pleasure seekers leaving a nightclub, eager professionals flocking into the city, anglers trying to catch their breakfast, mixing with dog walkers and other early morning runners hitting the streets. All sharing the same space for a brief while. You can’t be the social nature of cities.
I also love that no two cities are the same. Compact or sprawling. High rise or quaint time-capsules. Concrete jungles or green spaces. Car-free havens or melting pots of different modes of transport. Cities that never sleep or embrace a slower pace. Flat or full of ups and downs. This variation keeps my running habit alive.
I prefer to run in the city first thing in the morning, when it feels like I have it to myself. Densely populated cities can deprive runners of their usual goals – speed and space. Running out of peak hours gifts them back
Take my adopted hometown of York, for example. York is a relatively compact city of 200,000 or so residents, but has over 10,000,000 tourists every year. The pavements are narrow and space is tight unless you’re an early bird. Early morning is also the only feasible time you can run its city walls.
I’m the same on holiday, finding peaceful off-peak times the ideal way to visit must-see landmarks without another soul in the sight (e.g. my recent running tour in Oslo).
Urban running is really urban exploring. For me, there’s no better way to get around and discover a new city. I mean really get under its skin, just like a local. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stumbled upon new neighbourhoods lined with artisan shops and great-looking cafés to return to later in the day. The kind of places you’ll rarely find in guide books.
You’ll also cover more ground than walking, allowing you to take more in.
Key Ingredients of the Best Cities for Running
In my opinion, the best cities for running have a few key characteristics in common.
The best cities for running offer:
- Safety
- Green spaces
- Pedestrian-first, likely car-free
- Public art and sculptures
- Playful interventions
- River paths and crossing points
- Vantage points
- Heritage and modern architecture
- Dedicated running routes
- Good coffee shops
As a result, they tend to have strong, year-round running cultures.
Applying that same criteria a few cities jump out as my favourite built-up places to run. They include:
- Paris and Seville, for their parks and boulevards
- Miami Beach, for its boardwalk
- Southbank in London, for its landmark-lined river route
- York, for its views on top of the City Walls
- New York, for the Highline elevated park
- Porto and Lisbon, for their hills and street art
- Newcastle, for its bridges and coastal routes
All of the above are a big open playground for runners, where very little is off-limits.
How Urban Running Keeps My Hometown Interesting
In addition to the fitness and fun, running can be an education.
A novel way to learn more about the local landmarks that line your route.
For me, running in York city centre is a mini history lesson.
You can enjoy the pleasure of proximity to some of the best Roman, Georgian and Medieval architecture in the world. Weave in and out of the Snickleway shortcuts. Run along 3.7m of the intact city walls. Step foot in the shadows of one the world’s most magnificent cathedrals, a vision of heaven on earth crafted in stained glass and stone. Conquer the steps of Clifford’s Tower for a totally unique view of the city. All within less than one mile of each other.
York boasts two thousand years of rich history, much of which is still preserved to this day.
It’s also a place of social and industrial innovation, fairness and artistic expression – a city that constantly innovates, provokes, stimulates and informs. This collision of past and present is weaved into the fabric of everyday life here and a big reason behind its enduring appeal.
It also makes for a varied backdrop to my almost-daily runs.
Top tip: Read the Joy Runs guide for creating your own history run tour
Tips for Urban Running – Some Dos & Don’ts
Tip 1: Plot key landmarks in advance
If you’re running somewhere new for the first time, it pays to have a vague idea of where you’re going – and how to get back!
Running apps like Strava, MapMyRun, or even a glance of Google Maps can assist. You’ll get an idea of how the city knits together, landmarks to look out for (e.g. statues, waterways, parks) as well as sketchy neighborhoods to avoid.
Grid-based city like New York, Toronto, Barcelona, San Francisco and Rome are all far easier to navigate. However, the joy of good city run is in the unexpected, which means taking the odd detour or scenic route to uncover hidden treasures that a city has to offer.
Tip 2: Take Part in a Joy Run Theme
Joy Runs are a fun way to slow down and find more joy in the everyday.
Every week the community is set a new running challenge to run their way and reflect on. Slowing down will also allow you to soak up the full culture and beauty of a place. In doing so, you’ll learn to re-love running in your home city and see it from a different perspective each time.
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Tip 3: Consider taking a running tour
Running tours are a unique way to explore a new city while getting exercise at the same time.
From short city runs to multi-day trail runs, they offer a different perspective on a destination’s landmarks, hidden gems and local culture, all while keeping up a good pace. A more authentic travel experience on fast forward.
Tip 4: Stay Alert for Moving Obstacles
With so much visual stimulation, it’s easy to get caught up in an Awe Run, however it pays to continuously scan the landscape for possible dangers. Think sudden movements from car doors, leisurely penetrations, cyclists, geese, and the like.
I also lower the volume on my earphones or running without music (a.k.a. rawdogging on a run) altogether in city centres to stay fully mindful of my surroundings and avoid possible collisions. Running on high alert hones your instincts and reflexes.
Tip 5: Offer Right of Way to Others
The increasing pedestrianisation of city centres is a beautiful thing. The movement to dethrone the car as the king of the city gives far more freedom to pedestrians, walkers and cyclists to roam and mix.
Shared-use spaces can cause some friction between impatient cyclists or runners and penetrations whose attention might be elsewhere. It’s safe to assume (and almost an unwritten rule) that others won’t move and it’s your responsibility to swerve around them.
Most importantly, have fun! Exploring a city on foot as a runner can reignite your sense of adventure, offering a new perspective on your home town or a fast-track to an insider’s view of somewhere you’re visiting.