Cincinnati, Ohio is known for a lot of things including 3-way chili, its Oktoberfest celebration, and a thriving tech startup scene.
It’s also known for its hills.
For runners, hills are essential. Running hills builds leg strength, increases runner stamina, and leads to faster race times. Hills are even featured in the city’s annual marathon, The Flying Pig.
Maybe you like hills, though, and maybe you don’t. Here’s a quick guide for the best runs in town.
Big Hills: Ault Park, Hyde Park, Cincinnati
Running Ault Park is a Cincinnati tradition. Technically located in the Mount Lookout neighborhood, it’s on the backside of Hyde Park’s eastern border, Delta Avenue.
With ample parking and a spacious 224 acres, Ault Park offers an abundance of trails and paths for all runner types — beginner to advanced.
However, it’s the hills of Ault Park which make it so great.
Ault Park sits atop a hill, which bestows huge, panoramic views of the Little Miami River and Lunken Airport to area runners. It also gives runners a chance to run said hills.
Observatory Avenue, which leads into the park, offers a sizable up-and-down on a 6-8% grade; and ample sidewalk for safety. The real prize for hill training, though, is Heekin Avenue.
Heekin Avenue is the steepest way down from Ault Park, leading runners from its lookout point to Eastern Avenue below. The 0.6 mile paved road reaches a grade of 11.9% and is enough to challenge runners and walkers of all types.
Take the run down, then run it right back up. It doesn’t get tougher than that.
Small Hills: Sharon Woods Running Trail, Sharonville
Nestled away in suburban neighborhood of Sharonville is Sharon Woods, which is part of the Cincinnati Great Parks system.
Sharon Woods is a built around Sharon Lake and features activities for children and adults, including a playground system, a parcours course, and 18 holes of golf.
For runners, the prize is the Sharon Woods Running Trail system.
Registering 2.6 miles in length, the Sharon Woods trail loosely follows its namesake lake’s border, offering a combination of steady, slow hills in a forest-like setting.
Take one, two, or 5 laps on this city-maintained trail. You’ll never hit a traffic light, you’ll never stop for traffic. And, as a bonus, on warm Cincinnati days, the trees of Sharon Woods provide excellent cover and protection from the heat.
Ample parking is available off Kemper Road, just east of the main park entrance.
No Hills: Loveland Bike Trail, Loveland
The Loveland Bike Trail is a former rail trail stretching more than 70 miles, passing through historic Newtown, Milford, Loveland, and Lebanon, among others.
Today, the path is paved, well-maintained, and a hotspot for bikers and runners alike.
There are plenty of terrific reasons to run the Loveland Bike Trail.
First, it’s the longest, uninterrupted stretch of flat running in all of the Queen City. Run anywhere else, you’re going to hit hills. Run the Loveland Bike Trail, you’re going to run flat.
Running flat can be helpful when you’re training for a flat-course marathon; or, when you’re looking to mix it up a bit from your regular routine. You may also be tired of running hills from time to time.
The second reason to love the trail is that its shaded and slightly breezy, which can be helpful through the high humidity and heat of summer. You’ll run longer, with less exertion, on the Loveland Bike Trail.
Third, the path is specially designed for runners and bikers. Because there are no cars and no traffic lights, it’s easy for runners to find a rhythm on the trail and maintain it. You can’t do that with city running.
Pick Your Running Favorite Spot
Cincinnati is a running town and there are plenty of places to run hills — or to avoid hills entirely. I prefer to mix the three spots listed here so that my runs stay fresh and exciting.