United States

Cincinnati, OH

Includes Routes in Newport, Kentucky just across the river

Ohio’s largest metropolitan area, Cincinnati is situated on the north side of the Ohio River and across the border from Kentucky. Downtown Cincinnati is marked by Fountain Square, at the heart of the Central Business District. Kroger, Macy’s, The E.W. Scripps Company, Fifth Third Bank and Proctor & Gamble are all headquartered downtown. The city’s setting and historical importance make for a great scene for running in Cincinnati, with extensive riverfront paths, excellent parks, and lovely neighborhoods.

The best place to run in Cincinnati is along the miles of riverfront running paths, using the numerous bridges to connect to paths across the river in Covington and Newport, Kentucky. Other Cincinnati running highlights include extensive Eden Park, Devou Park, and the University of Cincinnati campus. We also love running around Otto Arlmleder Park, on the Mill Creek Greenway, and further north, the extensive Winton Woods. There are also some lovely residential neighborhoods for running in Cincinnati. For a longer distance run, one good option is the Little Miami Scenic Trail, which follows the outline of the Little Miami river for up to 78 miles northeast to Springfield.

There is a reasonably good bus system in Cincinnati, but anything outside of downtown will generally require a car.

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Some of our favorite runs in Cincinnati, OH

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Summers are warm to hot and humid, with decent rainfall in each month. Winters are cold and can be snowy. On average, Cincinnati receives 22.1 inches of snowfall. Thunderstorms are common in the warmer months, and tornadoes, while infrequent, are not unknown. Make sure to be prepared for the weather.

Cincinnati’s downtown area is focused near the Ohio River. Most of the hotels are in the central business district clustered around fountain square. Eden Park, Stadium, Friendship Park, and Bridge runs are all accessible from downtown hotels. A few hotels are located near University of Cincinnati. The University of Cincinnati route is accessible from all the hotels in the University area.

 

See our overview map for store locations. Green icons have group runs. Click on it for location, directions, details on group runs.

Stores

Bob Roncker’s Running Spot Multiple Locations: Newport, Glendale, O’Bryonville, Loveland.

Fleet Feet Sports Monday Night Pub Run, relaxing run followed by great drinks, socializing, and food

Tri-State Running Company Multiple Locations: Edgewood and Mariemont

Mojo Running West Chester, OH

Groups

Frontrunners of Cincinnati Meet three times a week for non-competitive social runs.

Running Club of Greater Cincinnati Located in Oakley Center and Blue Ash

Looking for road or trail races in this area? Find them on RaceRaves, the best online race calendar and reviews community for runners!

Find races in Cincinnati, OH

Cincinnati has running events seemingly all week long. There’s almost always something.
Events Calendars #1. Events Calendar #2

Some of the major events are:

Flying Pig Marathon. First Sunday in May. The third largest first-time marathon in the United States!  Also a half marathon, 10K, and 5K.

Hudepohl September. 14K or 7K Brewery Run kicks off Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, the largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Munich.

Hyde Park Blast. June. 4 Mile Run/Walk. Big event, race weekend, etc.

Heart Mini Half &15K March. Largest Road race in Cincinnati

W&S Thanksgiving Day 10 K Popular Thanksgiving Day race.

Queen Bee Half Marathon October. Also a 4 miler