Running Times...

Running Away:  Richmond, Virginia

Once the ‘Capital of the Confederacy,’ Virginia’s capital city embraces both history and the future. This is especially true when it comes to running--training runs and lots of racing options head past historical monuments, as well as lots of friendly locals who support the modern running scene.

Thanks to a very strong running community that centers around the Richmond Road Runners Club, the Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers, several popular running shops, and an active racing schedule, residents and visitors alike praise today’s Richmond running scene. But this hasn’t always been the case.

City running revolved around the popular Richmond Marathon throughout the 80s and early-90s, but declining participation and the loss of sponsorship led to seriously low numbers for the marathon and waning interest in local running in general. Richmond runners were often forced to head to the Washington, D.C. and Tidewater areas for quality races and contact with like-minded runners.

“By the mid-90s the local running scene was really on the decline,” says Thom Suddeth, owner of the city’s Roadrunner Running Store since 1983. Suddeth’s shop is located in the historic Carytown shopping district of Richmond and is the oldest running store in the city.

The situation Suddeth depicts changed in the late-90s, thanks to the work of the Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers and lots of local runners. They gained new sponsorship for the fall marathon, as well as aggressively marketing a new spring 10k that the Sports Backers created in 2000.

“When we lost the sponsorship, we wanted to use the opportunity to build on tradition and focus on creating an event built by runners for runners,” says Gordon Fette, president of the Richmond Road Runners Club during this period. “With the support of a new corporate sponsor and the marketing ability and organization skills of the Richmond Sports Backers, the marathon and other races have grown exponentially since then. The running community owes a tremendous debt to the Richmond Sports Backers for bringing the community together.”

The SunTrust Richmond Marathon, down to 474 marathoners in 1997, now consistently tops 2,500 runners and has become known as ‘America’s Friendliest Marathon.’ The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k welcomed a record crowd of 6,531 this past spring, with runners passing by the city’s varied monuments to Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Arthur Ashe, and others. Both races are also drawing top pros. “I can directly link the resurgence of these two events to the renewed interest in local running,” says Suddeth.

Along with luring record numbers of runners, both races have become known in running circles for drawing enthusiastic crowds of friendly locals. Groups gather on porches and sidewalks to cheer runners, with several residents along Monument Avenue hosting parties featuring catered food, live music, and more! Both events have become a celebration of running and it’s common for a crowd member to convert to a participant after experiencing the unique atmosphere along Monument Avenue.

The success of these two races has led to a revival of running in Richmond. The great runs have always been available, but now there are more runners than ever actually pounding the pavement (and dirt)!

Now in it’s 24th year, the Richmond Road Runners Club has also welcomed lots of converts (and visitors who’ve heard about the club). “We’ve had a resurgence in interest from runners of all levels, with races, group runs, and membership levels better than ever,” says current Road Runners president Danny Ennis.

It all starts with Monument Avenue and what surely has to be one of America’s prettiest urban runs. As with the 10k (and part of the marathon), the run leads past statues of Lee, Jackson, Ashe, and several other historical figures (like J.E.B. Stuart of Civil War fame and Matthew Maury, the father of oceanography). A run starting from the statue of Lee atop his horse Traveller can be as long as six miles out-and-back. The early part of the run is marked by the various statues and many large and historic homes. After about two miles, the run provides a few rolling hills.

Of course, there are many other great runs in the city limits and out in the surrounding countryside. The runner-friendly downtown area includes a classic loop around Belle Island. It’s especially bustling during weekday lunches, when runners head across the James River on a suspended footbridge to a dirt one-mile loop that includes views of urban whitewater, an old Civil War prison camp, and steep mountain biking or quad-burning running side trails.

Other interesting urban runs growing in popularity include the 1.25-mile ‘Canal Walk’ past old riverfront warehouses, running atop the flood wall on the south side of the James (a three-mile loop from downtown), and heading up and down the steep streets of historic Shockoe Slip, Shockoe Bottom, and Church Hill (where Patrick Henry uttered the immortal words, “Give me liberty or give me death!”). There are also two excellent 1/4-mile tracks in the city, including the bustling Sports Backers Stadium and a school tracks at the University of Richmond.

Runners looking for a bit more liberty head to the nearby countryside, where Civil War battlefields, parks, and a hilly cemetery make for more peaceful running (at least now!). Local favorites: include Richmond National Battlefield Park’s Fort Harrison (roads and trails), 7,600-acre Pocahontas State Park (more than 20 miles of quiet roads and trails), and Hollywood Cemetery (riverfront running by the graves of several presidents--including the president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis).

The successful local running scene centers around the Richmond Road Runners Club and there are several organized runs every day of the week (outlined on their excellent website). Visitors and locals alike can easily find a like-minded person or group for running company.

Along with the marathon (celebrating its 25th anniversary on November 9th this year) and the 10k (March 29th in 2003), other popular Richmond racing options include: the Frostbite 15k (January), the Battlefield Half Marathon (Labor Day weekend), the Capital City 10k (October), and the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 10k, all of which are part of the Richmond Road Runners Club ‘Grand Prix’ series of 12 local Richmond races (there are more than 30 local races each year).

Thus, whether it’s a training run on one of many great routes or a race where history and friendly crowds await, Richmond is a city with a great running history and future. It’s enough to make Robert E. Lee trade in his horse for running shoes.

Resources:

Richmond Road Runners Club (for training runs and many races): (804) 360-2672 (race hotline and more); www.rrrc.org

Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers (for the SunTrust Richmond Marathon and the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k): (804) 285-9495; www.sportsbackers.org

Road Runner Running Store (for local runs, info, and gear): (804) 353-8365; www.roadrunnerstore.com

Richmond Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau: (888) RICHMOND; www.richmondva.org