A street guide to running in San Antonio
By Paul Baltutis
Note: Fitness and Health previously published Parts I and II of this feature, which reviews and updates 18 different running courses in San Antonio covered in Dennis M. Keating’s book, Running in San Antonio (1983). This article features run/walk courses in the Greater San Antonio area, highlights helpful Internet resources, lists reference books on the subject and describes some San Antonio area parks which were not previously featured.
Run/walk courses
From Joe Sulak of Peak Fitness, Northwest Antonio/Helotes
Start in Old Town Helotes at Soler’s Tri Sports. Head north on Old Bandara Rd. for about 1/2 mile, turn right on Scenic Loop. Continue for about 4.5 miles until you reach Babcock at the top of the hill. Turn around at the top, and enjoy the downhill back to the parking lot.
Run distance: 10 miles
Difficulty: 6 (long hill at mile 4.5)
Shoulder: Yes
Scenic: One of the most scenic runs
Shade: 1.5 miles of shade through Grey Forest
Water: Bring your own
Surface: Road
From Carroll Voss of Fleet Feet, Alamo Heights, Olmos Park and Terrell Hills area
This run is found on map #19 at www.78209.com with their running maps.
Start at the Alamo Heights Fleet Feet store; go west down Alamo Heights Blvd. for a downhill warm up. Mile two puts you on Contour, a nice flat stretch of road. At mile 5.6, stop for water at the Olmos Park Fire Station. Then climb the Olmos Dam, and then there’s a long downhill until you reach the hardest uphill yet on Terrell. A flat 2-mile finish makes it 8.2 miles. This run is a strength-builder and calorie-burner.
Run distance: 8.2 miles
Difficulty: 7+ 5 climbs, 4 downhill areas
Shoulder: Half/half with wide streets
Scenic: Tree-lined beauty
Shade: Plenty, except for the part at Olmos Dam
Water: Three dependable stops; bring your own as well.
Surface: Asphalt, very smooth
From John Purnell of Runaway Club, Southside
From Mission San José take Mission Road to Napier Road. Go east on Napier until you intersect with Mission Parkway. Follow Mission Parkway south to Espada Park; turn around at the Espada Dam. Return on same route to Mission San Jose. (More miles can be added to this course if you continue on the Mission hike/bike trail.)
Run distance 3.1 miles
Difficulty: 2 (90 percent flat)
Shoulder: Yes
Scenic: Yes. Combines the Missions with the San Antonio River
Shade: Minimal
Water: Bring your own
Surface: Asphalt road
From Paul Baltutis, Soler’s Sports in Alamo Heights
Here’s part of my Sunday morning loop in the Westside/SeaWorld area.
Start at the SeaWorld parking lot on Military Dr. Go .3 miles east on Military, then take a left on Ray Ellison. Proceed 1.6 Miles, and make a right on Wiseman. Go north .8 Miles on Wiseman across 151, and make a right on Rogers Rd. Go 1.7 miles south on Rogers, and turn right back onto Military Drive. Travel .8 of a mile back to the SeaWorld parking lot. Use this core loop to branch off for longer runs in the surrounding area.
Run Distance: 5.2 Miles
Difficulty: 6 (several rolling hills)
Shoulder: Two-lane road with median
Scenic: Yes. Nice area.
Water: At Fire Station on Rogers Road
Shade: Early morning and late evening
Surface: Mostly new roads, asphalt
Internet resources
The Internet has literally and figuratively opened up new avenues for San Antonio runners to find new routes or chart out new courses based on some mapping programs. Here are some Web sites that have local run/walk courses or that will help you create your own courses.
www.runtheplanet.com
www.usatf.org/routes
www.maps.sanantonio.gov
www.earth.google.com
www.gmap-pedometer.com
Books
Besides Keating’s book, other periodicals that track San Antonio courses are:
• Running Through Texas by Robert M. McCorkle
• San Antonio by Foot by Diane Capito and Mark Willis.
Parks –
Government Canyon
The long awaited opening of Government Canyon State Natural Area occurred in the summer of 2005. The park features a multitude of interconnecting trails. Trails are technical and probably require trail shoes. The park is located at 12861 Galm Road. Phone (210) 688-9055 for park hours.
O.P. Schnabel
This park offers a mix of dirt and paved trails. The 2-3 miles of trails inside the park connect outside the park with additional trails on Leon Creek. Visit www.sanantonio.gov/sapar/schnabelhis.asp
Paul Baltutis is the manager of Soler’s Sports in Alamo Heights. He is a certified marathon coach with Team in Training. He can be reached at pbaltutis@satx.rr.com or at (210) 930-3148.
Start with Part 1 of the series Where to Run in San Antonio, Texas.
Then read Part 2 of the series Where to Run in San Antonio, Texas.
