There seems to be a dichotomy among people when it comes to running. There are those who love it, those who hate it, and not much of an in-between. As a former high school cross country and track runner, you can safely assume that I’m part of the people-who-really-love-running group. The seemingly mundane pastime does a lot more for me than keeping me active. For example, I usually make sure I eat well and go to sleep at a reasonable hour with the intention of getting in a good run most mornings. It keeps me happy, and social, and motivated. Knowing that running has this kind of importance in my life, I was a little nervous about coming to Rutgers and leaving behind all of my cherished hometown running routes. To put this in perspective, my town is home to a state park with miles upon miles of trails. I never thought I’d find running routes to match at Rutgers, but I did! Read about where to run on each campus below, then lace up your sneakers and get to exploring!
Cook/Douglass
I lived on this campus last year and had a go-to running route that was filled with … animals! Run by the beautiful Passion Puddle to catch a view of some geese, take a detour down College Farm Road to check on the goats, and finally, cross over Ryders Lane and make a quick loop around the Tov Manor apartment complex near Sears to meet some friendly cats.
Picture of a real cat taken on an actual run last year.
If you’re looking for a less animal-packed route, head down Commercial Avenue until you get to Boyd Park. You can run right along the Raritan River here. There’s also a path next to the Raritan that leads from Boyd Park to College Ave, but I wouldn’t recommend it for solo runs.
Busch
Busch is such a sprawling campus that there’s no lack of good places to run. One of my favorite routes to take last year consisted of a large loop from the student center, to the football stadium, and right across Rues Lane into Johnson Park. The nicest thing about Johnson Park is that you can take a mid-run break to visit the petting zoo! There’s also an abundance of (working!) water fountains in this park. Be prepared for the hill on the way back up to the stadium!
Maybe just walk up this.
College Ave
I live on College Avenue this year, and I love running around this campus. Right at the end of College Ave is Buccleuch Park, which has a well-maintained perimeter path, which is perfect for running.
If you run straight through Buccleuch Park following the direction of College Avenue, you will eventually reach the Landing Lane bridge. On the other side of the bridge is Johnson Park, but perpendicular to it is the Towpath! The Towpath is my #1 favorite place to run a Rutgers. It separates the canal from the Raritan River and goes on for miles. When the canal is high, getting to the Towpath can be a bit of a hassle, but it usually just adds a bit more adventure to the run.
I normally put at least one foot in the canal every time I run here, but it’s a-okay. Wet feet are better than sad, non-running feet.
Do yourself a favor and try to get to the Towpath to see the leaves change colors! It’s a sight worth seeing and a place worth being.
Livingston
Livingston is home to the Ecological Preserve, which has a handful of trails that vary in length. I’ve run here a few times, and I can only recommend one thing: have a picture of the trail map on your phone. I’ve gotten lost in the Ecological Preserve for a larger chunk of time than I’d like to admit to on multiple occasions. Nonetheless, the trails are great place to get in a workout.
I’ll just leave this here.
Well, that covers all of my favorite places to run on campus. Don’t forget about Rutgers’ very own Big Chill 5k on December 5th and the Unite Half Marathon in April. I’ll see you at the starting line!
Rutgers Big Chill 2014