If you’re new around here, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re one of about 60,000 folks who moved to the Charlotte area last year. Welcome! And if you’re reading this, someone’s already tipped you to at least one of the great resources for runners around here. Good on them, and you.
If you’re a long-time reader, Charlotte native, running scene regular, etc., keep an eye out for new faces as they navigate their new hometown. For us, we know we’ll practice particular patience when explaining the whole Queens-Providence thing and other road name oddities. You can rabbit hole the heck out of that on the CLT subreddits, but we’re happiest just answering questions about where to run around Charlotte.
Here’s a short list, with loads of possibilities…
Mecklenburg County Greenways: This is fuzzy even for some Charlotte folks, but the local greenway system is actually under the County’s Parks and Recreation system. There are currently 84 miles of area greenways to enjoy, with more in various stages of production. Axios Charlotte’s Ashley Mahoney follows these developments closely. Charlotte Running Club and Little Sugar Creek Greenway parkrun host regular events on some of the most popular stretches of greenway.
Lots of local running events: The local Charlotte running calendar never really “stops,” but when it gets going… it really, really gets going. And it’s pretty much full gas through mid-November and the Novant Health Charlotte Marathon. There are plenty of must-do runs, like Around the Crown 10k, Charlotte RaceFest, or the SouthPark Turkey Trot, and there are so many other great local events, too – many of those benefitting Charlotte area nonprofits. Check out these area race calendars from Start2Finish and Charlotte Running Company.
Run club, anyone? More like, run club anywhere and everywhere. In just a couple of years, Charlotte’s local run club scene has turned into… well, an actual scene. There are now more than 80 run clubs, covering every day of the week – morning and night. There’s really something somewhere for just about every kind of runner; from big, event-style happenings like Mad Miles and Barn Burners, to more intimate, low-key joints like Bart’s Mart. The Charlotte Running Club does a helluva job keeping track of them all here.
Try some trails: The yin to that whole 60,000 newcomers’ yang is, of course, more traffic. The good news is, your running doesn’t have to be relegated to the streets and surrounding sidewalks. Living here means you’re close to some pretty accessible trail systems. There are local parks with more beginner-friendly loops, miles and miles of off-road opportunities at the Whitewater Center or Crowder’s Mountain State Park; just to name a few. There are regular meet-ups at Col. Francis Beatty Park and the Whitewater Center, if you’re looking for company.
Back to the track: The only way to run faster is to run faster. If that’s more your speed, that’s great, too. Arguably, Charlotte could use more public tracks; but that doesn’t mean you can’t find fast friends around here. Charlotte Running Company hosts Tempo Tuesday from their Riverwalk location, and The Track Project on Tuesday mornings at their Ballantyne location.
What are we missing here? And where would you suggest a new – or new to Charlotte – runner go first? Let us know, and we’ll share that, too!
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