by jim brennan

Created on: July 30, 2009

Two Top Spots, Two Divergent Venues to Run in St. Louis

I spent three weeks in St. Louis on business and followed my usual travel routine by finding some good running venues so that I could maintain my daily exercise program. I was staying downtown so I wanted something convenient for when I just wanted to lace up and go, however I always like to have an alternate route to keep from getting bored, preferably a rural venue with a lot of open air and foliage. It didn't take long to settle on the historic St. Louis waterfront and Forest Park as my two choices.

If you are a runner it is advisable to do some research before you get to your destination. There are many fine resources on the Internet that will provide bike and hiking trails, recreation areas and local park systems. There are also searchable websites like runtheplanet.com and mapmyrun.com that provide routes recommended by runners.

Whenever I travel to a new destination my first move upon arrival is to strike up a conversation with someone working in or around the hotel, preferably a local with an appreciation for the outdoors. Not everyone is a runner so I've always been successful talking in general terms about outdoor activities, hiking paths or walking routes. Coming off as an obsessed, maniacal runner will turn off about 90 percent of the population whereas most people can relate to being outside exercising opposed to confined in a hotel room.

I stayed downtown at a hotel across the street from Busch Stadium which was just a short walk, or jog to the waterfront. The area is an appealing urban setting with the new ballpark and Kiener Plaza as you approach the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial where the famous Gateway Arch is located. Once you enter the park run under the Gateway and go either right or left towards the river and descend the stairs to the sidewalk along Leonor K Sullivan Blvd. Running under the gateway arch is majestic. It is a rising 630' stainless steel faade that makes it difficult to keep your eyes off of and you can feel the power of the structure when running between the huge triangular legs which also stand 630' apart.

Run north, which is upstream along the river, under the famous Eads bridge and past the casino boat and you will see a large sign for the start of the Riverfront trail. The paved bike trail runs along the river for about ten miles but you can adjust the distance to suit yourself. If you run to the west side of the flood control wall you will be roughly

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