I’ll be in Madison, WI Sunday through Friday. I will be taking my running shoes but won’t be able to take my bike. I’ll be staying at the Madison Concourse Hotel. Any suggestions on where to run? I’m skipping my long run over the weekend so I can do it in Madison. That will leave me with a morning to get in a 16 miler. I would also consider running trails if there isn’t anything that great in Madison. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
try the bike path around lake mendota. it’s roughly 13 miles and you can easily find it because it runs directly in front on Monona Terrace (i.e. next to the water). also, for a post run meal, go to the Great Dane…killer beer and great food.
There’s plenty of great running in our little town. If you stay in the downtown area, the best would be the Lake Monona bike trail. Head counterclockwise around the lake and follow the trail when you get to the south end as it connects to the capital city trail.
Should I plan on carrying my own water or are there fountains along the trails? Thanks for the good info.
Plan on your own water. There MAY be a fountain or two, but I always carry my own and never look for them.
That path actually runs around lake monona, not Mendota. And, unless you have a map or know where you are going, you are certain to get lost on the South side of the lake. i would stop into a bike store and look at a map (free at most) and figure out the names of the roads you want to stay on - much is residential.
For a shorter run, run out to picnic point on the university grounds. There is also a loop through the Arboretum that is 10k - to which you can add whatever you want.
For longer stuff, there are also some nice multi-use paths (bike, run, ped) where you can run forever, e.g. you could run from downtown to the Southwest bike path and take that to the Capital City Trail and take that out to the military Ridge Trail that begins near Verona. That will go for a long, long way. Pretty, farms out near Verona. Or better yet, drive to the tralhead at Verona and run West from Verona on the crushed limestone. It should be very peaceful.
The trailhead at Verona sounds nice. Thanks for the information.