RUNNING

There’s a lot of climbing in this city, so get ready for some hills.

A TOP-TO-BOTTOM TOUR OF THE CITY: Start at the Common, the city’s sprawling park just north of downtown. There are newly installed water fountains there. Then cruise to the top of Citadel Hill for the view, and down the harbourside of the hill along Duke or Carmichael Streets to the waterfront. You’ll get a nice view of the Grand Parade and Murphy’s Cable Wharf. Run all the way to Bishop’s Landing, back up Morris Street to Barrington Street, then to the Grand Parade and home to the Common.

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A great, easy to figure out MID-DISTANCE RUN to start anywhere you are in the city proper, and head to Point Pleasant Park, loop it once or twice and back to where you started. The park is gorgeous, and serves as the tip of the peninsula that makes up the Halifax area. The payoff is the ocean view and the beautiful trail section along the Northwest Arm.

A good LONG DISTANCE RUN is either the Bluenose Marathon’s half route – it’s a complete tour of the peninsula – or doing an out-and-back out on Purcell’s Cove or the Rails-to-Trails trail that heads out to the Bike and Bean café and bike shop (5401 St. Margarets Bay Rd.).

Locals are also spoiled with sweeping oceanside and inland forest trails for TRAIL RUNNING of varying difficulty. Within a 10-minute drive, you can run granite spines with the ocean in the distance and can stop to pick blueberries. It’s a trail runner’s paradise.

For more routes and help getting around the city, or a great group run, connect with Halifax’s welcoming run clubs and crews. Check out the Run Nova Scotia database for more info: