This year, we’ve made the decision to move our J. A. Edwards Race 2 Cure presented by FFVA Mutual to a virtual race. While we’re sad that we won’t be able to see everyone in person this year, a virtual race comes with some perks.
The beauty of running in a virtual race is that you can run anywhere. And we mean ANYWHERE! As long as you have a way to time yourself you can choose any street, treadmill, or trail you want to run on. While most people will choose to run somewhere close to home, it’s fun to dream big now and then! Below are our top 8 locations we’d like to run our upcoming virtual race.
8) San Francisco, California
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With year-round beautiful weather, San Francisco is a no-brainer for our dream list. The temperature rarely gets past 83°F (which is a dream come true for us since we’re based in hot and humid Orlando, Florida). The Golden Gate Bridge is 1.7 miles long so if you run the length of it twice you’ll have completed a 5K!
7) Portland, Oregon
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Portland boasts over 200 miles of running trails to choose from. The downtown area is flatter if you want an easier run, but there’s plenty of uphill options if you were looking for a more challenging run!
6) Honolulu, Hawaii
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Hawaii should be on every dream list for any topic because, well, look at it! Who wouldn’t want to run in beautiful Honolulu? If you’re looking for a challenging run, you can try the 4-mile run around Diamond Head, a 300,000-year-old volcanic cone. It involves a few inclines so be prepared to get your heart rate up!
5) New York, New York
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Central Park in New York City has plenty of trails for you to choose from. Running the outer loop will take you a little over 6 miles while running shorter trails like the one around the Great Lawn will only take you 1/2 a mile. If you do go running in Central Park, be sure to watch out for bicyclists! Stay in the left-hand walking lanes and not the right-hand biking lanes!
4) Boston, Massachusetts
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Is there a runner’s dream list that doesn’t have Boston on it? It’s not like Boston is home to the most famous running competition or anything. If you’re like most of the general population and haven’t qualified for the Boston Marathon, then you’re still in luck because this is a great city for you to run in! The Boston Harborwalk alone will give you 43 miles along the city’s shoreline to run on.
3) Gatlinburg, Tennessee
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Next on our list, we’re headed to the Smoky Mountains. The Smoky Mountains National Park offers plenty of running trails for all experience levels. And, just maybe, you’ll catch a glimpse of one of the park’s 1,500 black bears!
2) Albuquerque, New Mexico
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Get your sunscreen ready, because our next stop is the desert! Run next to the Rio Grande River or through the Sandia Mountains for some amazing views. If you go in October you can catch the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and run under all those beautiful balloons.
1) Orlando, Florida
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We’d be crazy not to mention our hometown! Orlando is home to theme parks, but also to tons of local and state parks that offer running trails. A quick 0.8 mile run around Lake Eola is always a crowd favorite!