Cycling & running events in Lansing-East Lansing, 2026

Lansing-East Lansing Training Notes

Running: Locals build most runs around the Lansing River Trail, MSU River Trail, and MSU Campus pathways. The Lansing River Trail gives you nearly 20 miles of paved trail with varied experiences, and it keeps base miles simple between Downtown, Old Town, REO Town, Potter Park Zoo, and Rotary Park. East Lansing Run Club meets at Valley Court Park on Wednesday evenings at 6PM and Saturday mornings at 8AM for casual, at your own pace, 5k group runs. Capital City River Run, Golden Harvest Half Marathon & 5k/10k - Lansing, Lansing Half Marathon, Trail Town 10K & 5K, and Lansing Turkey Trot anchor the calendar.

Cycling: Locals ride easygoing bike paths like the Lansing River Trail and Hawk Meadow Trail, then head toward the Delta Mills Trail and Capital City Bird Sanctuary Loop for a bigger effort. Capital City Cycling Club, TNR Cycling Club, Great Rides Lansing, and Tri-County Bicycle Association keep the group-ride side active. The typical loop runs 3 km with 140 m of climbing. The climbs sit mostly east, with rolling hills that won't beat you up with elevation, plus Burchfield Park singletrack for harder days.

Season: Fall treats Lansing-East Lansing best, and locals usually point the key running races there. Summer brings steady Z2 on shaded park trails, short intervals on MSU Campus pathways, and the 2026 DALMAC - Dick Allen Lansing to MACkinaw Bicycle Tour as the end-of-summer anchor event for riders. Winter changes the texture more than the habit. The MSU River Trail and MSU Campus pathways stay clear and accessible in winter months, so runners keep weekday miles moving, while cyclists shift toward cleared pavement, careful spins, and the kind of base miles that make spring crit, gran fondo, cyclocross, and singletrack plans feel close again.