Annapolis has been named as one of the very best cities in the United States for runners, according to experts at Runners Need.
- Annapolis ranks 4th overall in the study to be named one of the best US cities for runners in 2021
- The city has more running events per capita than any other city in the country, it top trumps rival city Baltimore by over double
- Runners in Annapolis also have some of the best access to green spaces and public parks. The city ranks 9th in the US with over 89 per capita
- Annapolis runners are entitled to criticize their pollution rankings though! The city has some of the worst air quality in the US, it actually ranks behind Boston, Las Vegas, and Houston in this particular category.
As ‘Stay at Home’ rules continue to be relaxed and normal life starts to make a comeback, everyone is looking to get back into shape in any way possible. But whilst access to gyms may be slightly limited, access to the great outdoors is not.
In a recent report, one Chief Science Officer at the American Council on Exercise says that outdoor exercise is ‘essential’ and that it actually ‘yields benefits beyond what you would experience by completing that same workout indoors’.
Great news for runners and outdoor exercise lovers. That’s why Runners Need has pieced together a variety of data points from green space to traffic, and pollution to events.
The Best Places to Run in the US
The data crunching revealed that Santa Fe, Madison, St Petersburg, Annapolis, and Toledo rank as the top five cities for runners with great scores across the board.
The greenest cities in the study are Hartford, Buffalo, Honolulu, and Boston, based on the number of public gardens and parks available for outdoor exercise lovers to head for the most beautiful of backdrops.
Annapolis tops the charts to be crowned the most active city in the US based on events logged online. Orlando, Salt Lake City, and Milwaukee also rank towards the top of this category. El Paso, Fresno, and Wichita rank at the opposite end of the scale.
For those looking to breathe in the fresh air as they pound the pavement, Dallas, Concord, Salem, Portland, and Seattle rank as the top five cities with the cleanest air according to official government data.
The Worst Places to Run in the US
The top five worst cities for runners based on the factors include New York City, LA, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Memphis. These major cities all score poorly for green space, traffic, and pollution.
Cities in New York have some of the worst air quality with Albany, Buffalo, and NYC all featuring in the bottom three, with Carson City and Cleveland featuring to make the bottom five.
In terms of the worst access to green spaces, parks, and gardens Augusta, Charleston and Phoenix are the three worst in the US.
To rank cities and towns, the Runners Need study looked at factors such as air pollution, traffic, and the number of green spaces for runners to explore. The researchers also created an interactive tool for runners to see how their area compares.
Andrew Wood, Head of Marketing at Runners Need said, ’We love sharing the positivity of running. It is a universal language spoken by everyone, no matter the city, country, or continent. From veterans running marathons to rookies training for their first 5k, we love to get people into the running groove. We thoroughly believe that outdoor exercise like running offers an extra level of boost. We have released this US tool as a follow up to our UK tool which allows users such a fun and easy way to visualize how their city ranks as a running location.’
