Running Through Lincoln

by Jesse Starita 

Whether you’re a marathoner or training for your first race, Lincoln has something for every runner. And with over 180 miles of public trails and races throughout the year, there’s no such thing as running offseason. So, let’s lace ’em up and take a run through Lincoln!

Let’s start in spring. The Spring Forward Run on Saturday, March 22nd is an excellent opportunity to get into your stride. As the first official race of 2025, Spring Forward offers a challenging 10-mile route, a 5K, 1 mile, and Kids Grand Prix for runners ages 5-12. This race is an excellent tune-up for another destination on our running tour — the Lincoln Marathon.

Our next run is for those with younger legs. As the Midwest’s largest children’s run, the Mayor’s Run has been a pacesetter on Lincoln’s running landscape since the late 1980s. The 1-mile course, which encircles the Nebraska State Capitol, is open to any sixth-grade or younger child. Parents, grandparents, siblings, or adult sponsors can accompany younger runners. The Mayor’s Run always falls on the Saturday before the Lincoln Marathon, which will be May 3rd this year.  

The momentum from the Mayor’s Run carries right over to the big boy: the Lincoln Marathon on May 4th. Nothing compares to the morning of the Lincoln Marathon. Thousands of runners sandwich into the starting area on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. Some are there to chase course records — others just hope to finish. Yet all are encouraged by the stream of support that greets them. Kids waving homemade signs, bands blaring music, volunteers passing out wax paper cups of Gatorade, and strangers giving out high fives and the occasional adult beverage. Cheers to the Lincoln Track Club for organizing a great race and a spectacle that brings our entire community together to celebrate our shared humanity.

Our next race is as unique as the neighborhood it celebrates. The Havelock Charity Run on June 7th offers a 3K and a 10K, featuring a jaunt through Mahoney Park. The run starts on historic Havelock Avenue and ends in beautiful Havelock Park. Want to run as a team? Pinnacle Bank will donate $100 to the charity of your choice if your team completes the course. Want to run as a family? A few years ago, I ran the 10K, and my wife and daughter ran the 3K, making the Havelock Charity Run something the whole family could do. And their commemorative t-shirts are second to none.  

Since we’ve been pounding the pavement, let’s reward our joints with some gravel. The Gravel Worlds Land Ho Run on August 22 offers a goliath 25K (16 miles) and a more modest 10K. The runs traverse a hilly backcountry landscape with 1,100 and 400 feet of elevation gain for the 25K and 10K, respectively. These races are a newer wrinkle to Garmin Gravel Worlds, an annual cycling event that brings riders worldwide to take on the rugged, beautiful gravel roads of southeast Nebraska. 

Like Gravel Worlds, the next run takes us out of town to a Lincoln gem. Each fall, the rolling green hills of Pioneers Park host countless high school cross-country meets. But on the morning of September 21, the Buffalo Run will stampede through the park for a 5-mile run that is challenging and beautiful. Lincoln running legend Ann Ringlein organizes this annual outing, which, at 48 years and counting, is the oldest continuous race hosted in Lincoln. 

Did you know Lincoln hosts the largest annual race in Nebraska? The Good Life Halfsy, which routinely draws 6,000 runners, has become a marquee event every fall. The Halfsy is organized by Pink Gorilla Events, a running and event production company hosting popular races like the Leprechaun Chase and Market to Market Relay. The net-downhill course starts at Seacrest Field, meanders along Normal Boulevard, and crescendos with a raucous finish-line party at the Railyard. Make sure to register early for the October Good Life Halfsy.

If smaller runs suit you better, try the Woods Park Twilight Running Festival on November 1. The run bills itself as community-centered, with racing for all abilities and ages. The races include three different 5K categories: kids, community (non-competitive), and competitive. This is a cross-country-style race where runners do multiple laps of the same course on the grass at Woods Park in central Lincoln.  

While other runs are held during the cooler months, this runner prefers the solitude of Lincoln’s fantastic network of trails. There’s no better place to escape it all than Wilderness Park. As its name implies, the park is a natural area straddling the Salt Creek floodplain. At 1,400 acres, Wilderness Park is Lincoln’s largest park and features 17 dazzling miles of dirt trails for runners, bikers, and horseback riders alike. One of the best entry points is through a new bridge that connects Wilderness Park to another refuge for runners — the Rock Island Trail.

The Rock Island Trail extends from UNL’s City Campus at 19th and Vine Streets to Densmore Park in southwest Lincoln. I love the number of Lincoln landmarks this trail encompasses: the Telegraph District, Lincoln High School, Sunken Gardens, Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Antelope Park, Bishop Heights Park, and Tierra Park, before merging with the Jamaica North Trail that skirts Wilderness Park.  

So, what are you waiting for? Lincoln is a great place to put your best foot forward and hit the ground running. Try Lincoln Track Club (lincolnrun.org) or Pink Gorilla Events (pinkgorillaevents.com) if you need more inspiration and information. Now get out there and have a run!