Running in Portland

My sister is graduating college in May and I%26#39;d like to take her on a long weekend trip (3-4 days) to celebrate! My sister is an avid runner (and I%26#39;m an avid fan of trying to be an avid runner, haha). I thought a good way to structure the trip would be to plan a 3-6 mile run each day that would show us the different sides of Portland (a nature run one day, a run through the city another, a run through a fun neighborhood, etc). Can anyone recommend any good trails/paths/routes?

Also, can anyone offer advice as to whether this would work logistically? Having never been to Portland before, I don%26#39;t know if we would need to switch hotels every night in order to see different things every day or if there are some areas of Portland that are ';central';.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!!

Running in Portland

Portland is a small city, so I can%26#39;t imagine that in any case you%26#39;d want to change hotels. Just pick one in the downtown core, and use either the streetcar, MAX, or buses if you need to get somewhere.

As to different runs..... Definitely Forest Park for the nature deal. For downtown, maybe a waterfront loop through Tom McCall, crossing the Hawthorne Bridge to the Eastside Esplanade, then back across the Steel Bridge. You could extend this one as far south along the river as you%26#39;d want on the east side. Another popular run is up Terwilliger.

Sounds like a fun trip (though I%26#39;d rather do it on a bicycle).

Running in Portland

eimajb18,

Is your sister in college in Portland?

Portland is a pretty good place to run. Forest Park would be good, but hilly. The East Bank Esplanade is a good place. Heritage Trail in Camas is very nice and flat. Check the City of Portland Parks website.

I would try and get out of the city - try places like Sauvie%26#39;s Island, Hagg Lake, lots of parks around Portland.

The stairs at Mt Tabor are a challenge in the city. Irvington, Alameda and Eastmoreland have the best homes and are pretty flat for running.

Enjoy you runs!

What sort of runner is your sister (other than avid): recreational, competitive, particular events?

Portland is a wonderful city with lots of places to just run. But if you or she are interested in the shrine of competitive running, you need to come to Eugene, ';Track Town, USA.';

And May is the perfect time to visit. Here are the events scheduled at the University of Oregon%26#39;s historic Hayward Field in May:

May 3 -- Eugene Marathon

May 9 -- U of O Twilight Meet

May 16-17 -- Pac-10 Conference Track %26amp; Field Championships

May 29-30 -- NCAA Track %26amp; Field Regionals

Lots of trails to run on here also...including Pre%26#39;s Trail in Alton Baker Park; Oregon Track Club%26#39;s running trail in Amazon Park; Rexius Trail; and miles of riverside bike paths.

When my husband worked in downtown Portland, the route including the Steel Bridge that mistltoe wrote about is what my husband did every day at lunch. He loved the scenery and said it was a good run.

Though it is outside the main part of the city, there are always lots of runners on the fitness trail at Glendoveer Golf Course. Though, you would probably have to do a couple of laps.

www.pdxrunner.com/index.php鈥?/a>

The link can probably point you to lots of other spots as well.

We%26#39;re not getting much feedback from eimajb18, are we?

Sorry I am jumping in here a little late. I used to travel to Portland about once a month for almost two years and I was a big time runner back then. I would always plan my trip to get in on the weekend so I could get off the beaten trail to find some good running spots.

My two favorites:

1) The Leif Erikson Trail is on the west side of town and you will have some great overlooks of the city and Mt Hood. It is a dirt trail and can be muddy at times, but is a great run!

2) Take a drive and go down to Eugene and run Pre%26#39;s Trail. I followed Pre%26#39;s career and to have the opportunity to follow his footsteps was a true inspiration to me. If you can get in and take a lap around Hayward Field, that is pretty cool as well.