Sarasota is known for its great weather, sandy beaches, recreation, cultural amenities, and Italianate architecture influenced by Ringling’s Cà d’Zan. Our guide to running in Sarasota highlights the beauty of Sarasota Bay and the barrier islands, several larger parks on the outskirts of the city, and a couple of routes in lovely Venice, which is 20 miles south.
The running highlight in Sarasota is the Ringling Causeway, with its spectacular views, and a nice jaunt to Lido Key. There’s great beach running on Siesta Key Beach. For water views and spectacular homes, we love Casey Key and Bay Shore Rd. For a quick 5k, run around the rowing lake at Nathan Benderson Park. For hills, the incline of the Ringling Causeway will get the heart rate going, or head to the unique Celery Fields. Just south of Sarasota, there’s the 11-mile Legacy Trail bike path, which runs into the 5-mile Venetian waterway trail at its southern end. Or, enjoy 15 miles of trails at Oscar Scherer State Park.
Sarasota features Florida’s famous sunny, warm weather, but it does get hot and humid in summer. There is a limited bus system in Sarasota and access to some good running right downtown, but anywhere outside that generally requires a car.
Sarasota has weather typical of southwestern Florida. It’s warm and sunny all year. The months from November through April are delightful for running, with average highs in the 70s (21-25C) and nightly temps in the low 50s (11C-13C) in winter. It’s also less humid and rainy. Summers are hot, wet, and humid. Average July high temperatures from May-October are in the 85-90F range, with high levels of humidity and near daily thunderstorms. Plan accordingly, re. hydration and possible deluges. Running in the early morning is best chance to avoid getting caught in a T-storm.