Minneapolis is the Perfect Spot for Runners

When people think of The Twin Cities, I’m sure that running is not at the forefront of their minds. With ice cold winters, you’d think most runners would throw their shoes away. Nope. Minnesotans are tough. They’ve also developed a crazy amount of great running and bike trails that have convinced me that Minneapolis is the perfect spot for runners.

Perfect, you say?

Okay, almost perfect, but that doesn’t sound as good in a blog title.

I can’t talk about running in Minnesota without discussing the less than ideal winter running you must endure. We’ll get into that later.

I love to run. When I moved to the Twin Cities 2 years ago, running here was one of the first things I googled about my new home. I have now spent those 2 years logging many miles on these streets and trails, experiencing the running culture, and accomplishing my best races. I now vote that Minneapolis is the perfect spot for runners.

I’m assuming you’re a runner if you are reading this post, so now I’ll share with you, fellow runner, why you’ll love the Twin Cities.

At the end, I’ll share some of the best running trails for you to check out.

River Parkway running/bike path

The Twin Cities have many, many miles of trails and running paths

I like to be able to put on my running shoes and start my run from my front door. That’s easy to do here. Most streets have sidewalks, but we also have hundreds of miles of bike/run paths. I have lived in 3 different parts of the Twin Cities, and I have always been able to leave my home, run to a bike/run path nearby, and log plenty of miles.

Minneapolis is known to be one of the most bike friendly cities in the United States. The city has converted some of its out of use railroad structure into bikeways – Minneapolis now has 118 miles of on-street bikeways and 92 miles of off-street bikeways. In 2015, it was the first US city to be added to the Worldwide Index of Bike Friendly Cities.   If you have bike trails, you also have running trails.

Many of the views are beautiful

Have you heard that Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes? Well, there are trails around a lot of those lakes. You can do a Chain of Lakes Trail that takes you past 5 beautiful lakes and gets you 13 miles. There are smaller lakes with short loops around them like Lake Como; it’s easy to plan runs that get you a great water view here in the Twin Cities.

We also have the Mississippi River with a run/bike path on each side of it. You can run next to the river, not have to worry about traffic, and get a great view. Occasionally, you’ll even spot a bald eagle.

Afton State Park

Plenty of Running Clubs

If you like to be social while running, I’m positive you can find a Running Club that’s perfect for you. Here’s a list of great running clubs, but I recommend googling the part of town you live in to see if any running clubs exist nearby. Everyone is Minnesota Nice, so they’ll welcome you in the club right away. Most groups offer weekly night runs, but some offer long runs on the weekend too.

I have personally run with the following running groups and recommend trying them:

Minnesota Distance Running Association/MDRA is also awesome. From the name, you can tell it’s more for long distance runners. It’s excellent if you’re training for a marathon or ultra but equally excellent if you just love doing long runs with good company. To officially join MDRA, it’s $25 per year. They also offer training plans/groups. Their group, The Polar Bears, does long Saturday runs that you can join in on for free. As the name implies, they excel at running in the cold 🙂

Mill City Running is one of the most popular running clubs in the area. They meet every Wednesday evening, hold other workouts/long runs, and offer a race team if you want to tap into your competitive side.

Running Trails are plowed in the winter

I swear that Minneapolis takes better care of its running/bike trails in the winter than the roads. Most running paths are paved all winter long, and they’re really on top of it. Only once did I have to slog through snow, but it was right after an overnight snow storm – and the path was plowed by the end of my long run.

Read Next: Running while Traveling – How and Why You Should Do It, The Best Taylor Swift Songs to Run to, or You Don’t Need Expensive Running Gear to be a Runner.

Running through the winter makes you stronger

I did say we had to discuss the winter running, didn’t I? But I’m giving it a positive spin.

Yes, running in the Minnesota winter can absolutely suck.

Every once in a while, you’ll have to cancel a run due to the weather. The temperature with wind chill literally reached -50F in 2019 during the polar vortex. For your own health and safety, you shouldn’t run in that.

Most days, though, you can run through the suck, and you will be stronger because of it.

I wrote a whole post with advice on how to run in the cold – Lessons from a Minnesota Winter. And there are ways to make it less awful. Once you learn to embrace the cold a bit, you can still manage to accomplish your weekly miles.

I trained for a February New Orleans Marathon during my first Minnesota winter. I ran my 20 mile run in -12F, and I was SO slow; my mile pace on long runs was around 11 minutes no matter how hard I tried to speed up. Somehow, though, I managed to run a 3:45 marathon in New Orleans (my fastest ever). That’s an 8:35 min/mile average. At first, it just seemed like a miracle, but I now give credit to the brutal winter running. My body adapted to such harsh runs that it felt glorious to run in 60 degrees.

Post-Hot Dash Race: Beer, hot dish, fire pits, and food

Race all year long

If you’re competitive or need a race to hold yourself accountable on your running, you can definitely find one nearby. Races of all distances exist.

To name a few:

The Twin Cities Marathon happens every fall and draws tons of participants; I’ve heard many good things.

The Hypodermic Half is held in the middle of winter, and many crazy people run it.

If you want to do the most Minnesotan race, try the Hot Dash 5K or 10 miler- they serve you Minnesota Hot Dish at the end (for those non-Minnesotans, Hot Dish is basically a casserole).

While this doesn’t happen in The Twin Cities, I can’t talk about races in MN without bringing up Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth (2.5 hours from Minneapolis). This race is famous around the world and runs along Lake Superior the entire time. It’s beautiful but hilly. I did it in 2019, and it kicked my butt (read about my experience here).

Trail Runners will be happy here too

If you prefer dirt trails to roads, you can find those here in the Twin Cities.

Theodore Wirth Park is beautiful and has 12 miles of off-road trails for your running pleasure. Some of the loops are really fun, and you can run them multiple times in a row.

Afton State Park isn’t technically in the Twin Cities, but it’s only a 30 minute drive away. It has 20 miles of trail for your running pleasure; be prepared for some hills.

The Three Rivers Park District offers a bunch of trails.

The Loopet Loppet is an awesome ultra trail race held at Theodore Wirth Park. It lasts 12 hours, and you see how many times you can run a 5 mile loop. The food and support were incredible and helped me accomplish my longest run ever – 40 miles. Read about my experience here.

Loopet Loppet at Theodore Wirth Park

How fit are the Twin Cities?

Minneapolis – St. Paul topped the list of fittest cities in 2017. The report examined a bunch of health indicators like rates of asthma, diabetes and heart disease, obesity, smoking, availability of farmer’s markets, and investment in parks and playgrounds.

A lot of runners, including me, like to mix up our running routine with other workouts. The Twin Cities has everything you need – yoga studios, Cross Fit, climbing gyms, the November Project, and more.

People here like to be outdoors, even in the winter. In the cold, you can find people cross country skiing, snowboarding, fat tire biking, ice skating, and yes, even running.

Have I convinced you that Minneapolis is the perfect spot for runners?

If so, here are some awesome options for where you can start running:

Hidden Falls Regional Park has 6.7 miles of paved trail.

Chain of Lakes Regional Park provides 13 miles of paved trail around 5 beautiful lakes.

Summit Avenue in St. Paul is a favorite of runners. It has the longest stretch of Victorian Homes in this country and a big sidewalk.

West and East River Parkways run up and down the Mississippi River and are awesome for long or short loops over the bridges. Take a little detour on the running path and see Minnehaha Falls.

Minneapolis – St. Paul is somewhere that can enhance your running. Whether you live here or are visiting, I hope you have the chance to tie those shoes and see the city by foot.

Pin this for later!