Bill Rodgers’s favorite places to run in NE

I was prepared to write a testament to the glories of running in New England, but as I faced the dual challenges of an unrelenting winter and its effects on an aging body, I reflected on my older daughter’s recent comment: “We must be insane to live here!’’ I have to admit that after 46 years of running through the daily, and sometimes hourly, surprises that New England weather presents, I wonder myself why I don’t just retire and go jogging in Florida. How boring would that be? The truth is that despite the challenges of traffic, climate and terrain, for a runner, New England is the place to be. I’ve had the good fortune to both train and compete in every inhabitable continent over the years and for me, there’s no place that compares to this for great running. Most of the 125,000 plus miles I’ve run in those 46 years were put on in New England (time to trade me in!). So here’s a list of some of my favorite places to run, see the incredible beauty of the place we call home and to create memories we can reflect on when time and the weather will finally win.

–By Bill Rodgers and Elise Rodgers

Farm Pond Loop in Sherborn

I lived in Sherborn for about twenty-three years and have logged many miles on the rolling roads of the town. The lanes are beautiful and shady and the scenery ranges from fields to farms to forests. In any season the place is so varied and interesting that it often helped make the sometimes long miles of training there much more enjoyable. My favorite course we called the Farm Pond Loop. You can park anywhere in the center of town and head East on Route 16 for about a mile until you reach Lake Street. The road then winds through the woods and farms with beautiful views of the water of Farm Pond. Circling Farm Pond and back to town is a 9 to 10 mile run. Friends from Arizona. once described this course as “a religious experience’’. I’d have to agree.

Boston Common

I started running when I was fifteen and one of my favorite experiences then was to run around my neighborhood of Newington Connecticut in December with my brother and my friends and look at all the Christmas lights and decorations. It was this memory that started the Bill Rodgers Jingle Bell Run years ago with the intent to look at the Christmas lights of Boston, especially Boston Common, have some fun and maybe raise some money for a good cause.. We started with just a few friends and would go jog around the Common to see the lights and sing carols and in few short years, our numbers grew into the many hundreds but the joyful spirit still remained the same. I still love to run around the Common and see the lights of the city, the greenery, the Swan Boats. I don’t know the exact distance around the park, but I do know it encompasses fifty acres. Perfect for an easy and uplifiting scenic run.

New Hampshire Seacoast

Until recently, I didn’t even know New Hampshire had a seacoast. In eighteen beautiful miles between Massachusetts and Maine, it provides not only fantastic ocean views and breezes, winding un-crowded paths and walkways, but even a few public “pitstop’’ places, (in summer anyway); an invaluable asset for a long training run. You can park at either end of this course: Odiorne Park in Portsmouth on the Northern end or North Hampton Beach toward the Southern end. Little Boars Head in North Hampton has sweeping views across the Atlantic out to the Isles of Shoals as you ascend the high cliff walkway above the ocean. You can run any distance out and back on the eighteen mile stretch and soak in the beauty with the ocean air.

Mount Washington Hotel/Bretton Woods New Hampshire

A list of great New England running would be sorely lacking if it did not include any of the fantastic trails we have. One of my favorite things about New England is its abundance of nature. A stunning example of this is the Mount Washington area in New Hampshire; where the trees seem to go on forever. Of course, the skyline isn’t bad either – a spectacular vista of snow-capped mountains seems, to me, the very definition of “scenic’’. I have had the pleasure of running some of these trails, ones that began at the very backdoor of the Mt. Washington Hotel and wound their way into the expansive greenery of the mountainside. This trail features some excellent sights, including a rushing river, high stone cliffs and quiet moss-covered vales. My brother, Charlie, used to call it “The Lord of the Rings’’ run which always seemed appropriate. There is no real set distance to these trails so you can make your loop as long or short as you like – just be sure not to get lost!

Lake Champlain, Vermont

I was first introduced to this area via the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon and it’s been a favorite of mine ever since. The course starts in Battery Park, in Burlington which is a great, friendly city and runs up the Vermont side of Lake Champlain. It’s a beautiful route, having views of both the Green mountains of Vermont and the Adirondacks of New York State. Lake Champlain itself is also quite a sight, especially in the summer when people come out in droves to relax, walk and run along it’s edge. You can go as far as you like, even to Canada if you’re feeling ambitious! All in all it’s a great spot for sightseeing, meeting new people and of course, running.

Ocean Avenue Loop, Newport, RI

I’ve made several visits to Newport and I always follow some version of the Ocean State Marathon course which starts going south along Bellevue Avenue. This is an interesting course, not only because of the nearness of the ocean but also because of the rows of unbelievable mansions lining the street. From there I take Ocean Avenue along the coast, which is wonderful in the summer because it supplies a steady cool breeze, and keep going past the Benton Point State Park onto Castle Hill Avenue and finally, Harrison Avenue. Harrison Avenue will bring you back to Bellevue for a solid 9 1/2 mile loop of very enjoyable running. This might seem like a lengthier jog, but the terrain here is so flat and smooth that it’s a real pleasure to do.

Bar Harbor, Maine/Acadia National Park

Running camps are a great way to explore new training territory and that’s how I discovered this awesome place to run. Bar Harbor Maine and Acadia National Park contain 127 miles of trails with 57 miles of gravel roads originally designed for horse-drawn carriages. This affords a great off-road experience without the usual sprained ankles that often come with the rockier hiking trails. If you’re anything like me though, you’ll want to bring some friends with a good sense of direction or a really good GPS system. It’s not quite as beautiful when you’re hopelessly lost.

Bushnell Park, Connecticut

Running is one of the best ways to explore any city. You get a feel for the layout, the people, the architecture and the culture of the place. In Hartford, where I was born, is a jewel of a park that is within sight of Mark Twain’s mansion where my great-grandfather worked as his gardener. Obviously I’m rather connected to this place! I re-discovered this connection through my association with the Hartford Marathon which begins at Bushnell Park. A few times around the 1.27-mile loop provides a pleasant little training run.

Jamaica Pond/The Emerald Necklace, Boston

Contrary to popular belief Jamaica Pond is nowhere near Jamaica and “The Emerald Necklace’’ is not a Dharma station. It is, however, a great place to run. Hardly a day went by in the 70’s and 80’s when I did not run some variation of this course. My training partners and I would start at my old store at Cleveland Circle, wind our way through the Chestnut Hill neighborhoods and through the Greenway designed by Frederick Law Olmsted until we reached Jamaica Pond. The 1.7 mile loop around the pond is filled with a never-ending stream of walkers, runners and those out just enjoying the day. Thanks to Olmsted’s environmentally-forward thinking, we have a true oasis in the middle of our city, one that everyone, runner and otherwise, can enjoy forever.

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

My experience here began with an invitation from Joan Benoit Samuelson to run the Beach to Beacon 10K. It’s a great road race with a fantastic course that I enjoy running in training as well. The route begins near Crescent Beach State Park in Cape Elizabeth and moves toward Fort Williams before finally finishing at the Portland Head Lighthouse. The rolling course varies from oceanfront to shaded neighborhoods to the spectacular lighthouse on the bluff. It’s only too bad that the training runs don’t end the same way as the race itself: with a big, New England clambake.