A Runner's Guide to St. Louis

It's that time of year again...Summer time which means traveling!  So I'm inviting you to St. Louis.  St. Louis is a great place to visit!  Whether you're here on business or pleasure, I wanted to give you a glimpse into the type of amenities St. Louis has to offer..Runners.  Next week, I'll highlight many of the great places you can bring the family.

Wish you could take all this valuable info with you?  Now you can!  Here's a printable version just for you!

Best Running Locations:
I traveled for 5 years for work, all over the country and I was always having to ask locals where I could go running (safely).  Sometimes answers were hard to come by.  So I want to be your St. Louis tour guide, show you some of my favorite trails and places to run.

1. Grant's Trail: 8 miles one way-Flat
Nestled between two major interstates, Grant's Trail is an easy to get to, all paved trail.  It leads you by Grant's Farm ,amazing Clydesdales and some charming little towns like Kirkwood.  It's extremely safe but closes a half hour after dusk.  I can't tell you how many miles I've logged on this trail.  I live on it so I walk out my back door and off we go.  E and I love it!  We think you will too!


2. Forest Park - 6 miles around - Minor Hills
Original site of the 1904 Worlds Fair, Forest Park sits dead center of the St. Louis Metro area, just a short drive west from Downtown down I-64.  Forest Park features an amazing zoo (which you'll learn more about later) as well as paddle boating, Art Museum, and more.  Best part though is the 6 mile Dual path around all of this fun!  You can easily bike, blade or run it.  Expect some minor hills but it's nothing you can't tackle.  It's a great place to get in some miles.  There are plenty of places to park and water fountains well placed throughout.  This is another one of my favorite places to run, it's open and expansive and just a great place to be. 

3. Castlewood State Park -

If you're looking for some trail running or mountain biking, Castlewood is the place.  There are a number of trails to choose from in various lengths.  It runs along the Meramec River so there is even some waterfront loops.  This is a great area if you're looking for hills.  I can't say enough about Castlewood, if you're a nature buff, I highly recommend you make a little time to check it out.

Ok, those are a few of my favorites.  There are literally tons more so I'm want to introduce you my favorite running store. Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Big River Running.  Their website is filled with running resources.   They are locally owned and operated by some amazing guys.  They host multiple running clinics, workshops and races.  They have three locations in the St. Louis area and if you come down and run Grant's Trail you'll be really close to one of the cutest running stores ever.  I should probably just write them a check every month.  They feed my addiction for everything running with cute clothes, great shoe selection and enough running stories to keep you motivated and inspired for a long time.  Every time I go in, they hang out with E while I do some shopping. 

We are also lucky to have a couple Fleet Feet locations and numerous bike shops.

Big Shark | Maplewood Bike Shop | Sunset Cyclery

Ok, on to a couple great St. Louis hotels for the fitness minded type:

1. Downtown Westin: It sits right next to Busch Stadium and just like Westins all over the country, their gym great. How can you not love a hotel that has a program like ready, Set Run Westin? It's a program providing running routes around the hotel so you can get a self-guided tour of the area.  I love this concept!  I have used these recommended routes in tons of cities, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Fran, and a slew of other places.  If you come during baseball or hockey season, you might also catch a few out of town athletes.  Rumor has it they like to stay here. 

2. Chase Park Plaza: Remember Forest Park?  We just talked about it. If you stay at the Chase, you can run to the park, around it and run back.  That's how close you are.  It's a beautiful hotel with so much history and character.  It also has an amazing pool which is a place to "be seen" in St. Louis on the weekends.  They too boast an amazing gym complete with group classes.  Sante` is a fitness junkies dream when you're traveling.  Oh, and the Chase even has a movie theater for something to do on rainy days!

Are you thinking about heading to the "Lou"?  Let me know and I'll be sure to help you figure out exactly what you should be seeing and doing.  I love this town and want you to love it too!  Stay tuned next week for amazing places to take the family!