About cycling & running in TuscaloosaTuscaloosa Training Notes
Running: Runners get easy miles on the Tuscaloosa Riverwalk, Randall Parkway Trail, and the Richard L. Platt Memorial Levee Trail. Locals use the levee in Northport when they want it less crowded than the Riverwalk, and Sokol trails work when dirt feels better than pavement. Fleet Feet Tuscaloosa keeps the week honest with Run With Us and a free Saturday Group Run at 6:00 am. Local race calendars usually point toward Brooks x Fleet Feet Tuscaloosa Big Run, Tuscaloosa Oktoberfest 5K, QRF 5K - Miles for Mental Health, and the Tuscaloosa Runners' Championship.
Cycling: Cyclists get a good ride in fast because Tuscaloosa has 85 cycle routes tracked across 2,568 km. The shortest tracked route is 3 km with 32 m elevation. Druid City Bicycle Club, VeloCity Cycles, Tuscaloosa Cycling Club, Major Taylor Cycling Club of Alabama, and West Alabama Mountain Bike Association all give you wheels to follow. Gravel riders use Duncanville, Old Lock 15, and Frog Ridge, while climbers find the good bit of climbing on Dry Creek Hill, Old Lock 15, and the Duncanville: Gravel 6 route with 4,900 ft of climbing.
Season: September and October treat both sports best, and most riders get out then for good reason. Summer gets so ridiculously hot and humid that locals move runs inside, start early, or keep the work to Z2 before the sun takes over. Cyclists still ride, but the city makes you earn every interval with sweat, bottles, and a real change of clothes. Winter lasts from mid-December to late-February, and runners get cooler air while cyclists come prepared with bright headlights when it gets dark early.
