Where do runners like to train? Popular running routes from around the world

What makes a runner’s heart beat faster? An abundance of trails and comfortable weather. And some of these places for running do exist, but the challenge is that they are scattered in different parts of the world. Together with the experts, we’ve selected the most inspiring running routes from around the world that will take your training to the next level and give you a great experience. Let’s go!

San Diego, USA

San Diego is considered one of the best California cities for runners. With perfect weather, year-round sunshine, and a huge variety of running trails, there’s little chance of missing a workout. In general, it has everything from clean parks to mountains and flat beaches. You can hike up the 10-kilometer trail on Mount Fortuna or run on the densely compacted sand on the coast of La Joya. And the giant local park Balboa has a total of 100 kilometers of trails of various levels of difficulty and many points for sports. This place is also famous for its zoo, so you won’t get bored during a training session.

San Diego

Kenya, East Africa

PRO-expert and Sportmaster PRO ambassador, Candidate Master of Sports

There is a running mecca for runners from all over the world – it’s Kenya. The place where the world’s strongest runners are born. At long distances – marathons, half-marathons – Kenyans win mostly. All the running elite come here to train. In addition to great popularity, the advantage of this location is the altitude – about 2000 meters above sea level.

One of the most famous training locations here is Iten.There are many stadiums and routes where runners train. Among them are the Tambach and Camarini stadiums, the Singore forest, and the Moiben road.

Kenya

Peniche, Portugal

Portugal has a beautiful coastline with incredible scenery that is perfect for runners. The small coastal town of Peniche is a convenient place to run 7-8 kilometers of outdoor running trails. The place also opens up to more experienced athletes who can run along the cliffs. There is also an outdoor gym along the route, which is very convenient.

Peniche

Kislovodsk, Russia

Runners travel not only abroad, but also to nearby warm places where they can train out of season. Kislovodsk National Park is one of the most popular running destinations among Russians. It is the largest urban park in Europe.

Daniil: Kislovodsk is a middle mountain, the altitude there is about 1000 meters. Therefore, here, as in the case of Kenya, athletes train in conditions of a slight oxygen deficit. They arrive some time before the start or have a training camp there. They train, return to Moscow, and perform better than if they had trained the same way, but at zero altitude.

Kislovodsk

Stockholm and Prague, Europe

PRO-expert and Sportmaster PRO ambassador, marathoner

Among European cities it is Stockholm, Prague. In the tourist season I recommend to meet the dawn in these places – run out early and enjoy a run without breaking through the crowd of tourists. If we talk about the beauty of places for jogging workouts, you can start with the Great Wall of China – it is a very impressive place. Of American cities, San Francisco is very popular – it has beautiful views with legendary bridges.

In Prague you can run in Stromovka Park, a former royal reserve. The route is both on dirt and asphalt. Not far from this place is another park Letna, where there are several observation platforms with a magnificent view of the city.

Stockholm

Where is it better to run – abroad or in Russia?

Each place has its own pros and cons. For example, European resorts are inaccessible for training in winter because of the snow, and in Africa there may be problems with access to the food that Europeans are used to and with hygiene. For the sake of training in the warmth, runners tend to travel to flat places. A fairly popular place for training in winter (both for Europeans and Russian athletes) is the Algarve province in Southern Portugal. Athletes settle in Albufeira, where there is a stadium, or in Monte Gordo, where you can train in the forest, but the stadium is also close, in the neighboring Vila Real di Santo António, where they run as part of warm-up.

Master of Sport in marathon running, founder of the Running Expert club.

In Eastern Europe there is also a good place at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level – Belmeken (Bulgaria) – an Olympic complex built in cooperation with the GDR. But it is known in rather narrow circles.