About cycling & running in AmesAmes Base Miles
Running: Locals run Ames through Iowa State University, Brookside Park, River Valley Park, and Ada Hayden Heritage Park. The Iowa State University campus route works well when you want landmarks and steady base miles. Reactor Woods, Hope Run Loop, Bike Path/Stuart Smith Park, and Vet Med/Squaw Creek Park give runners trails that range from 2.5 miles to 6.5 miles. Ames runners use the parks, campus, and race calendar as the local meet-up scene. Ames Midnight Madness Road Race feels like the anchor event. The Bill Bergan 5k on the Fourth, Ames Turkey Trot, and Iowa Trail Run Series: A Midsummer Night's Run keep the legs honest.
Cycling: Locals ride gravel first when they talk Ames. Ames Velo gives the town its community-based cycling club, and Iowa Valley Bicycle Club (IVBC of Marshalltown) has been around since 1974. The gravel route from Plaza Lp runs 8 mi. The route runs 3 mi from 530th Ave, with that big loop down to Huxley, across to Cambridge, on to Maxwell, up north to Hickory Park, then back over to Ames. McFarland Park puts the climbing talk on prairie, double track, and gravel instead of named hills. Ames Velo Crushed Rock Classic is the local anchor race.
Season: July brings the warmest month, and locals shift runs and rides toward shade, campus loops, and earlier starts. Summer miles around Reiman Gardens, Brookside Park, Ada Hayden Heritage Park, and McFarland Park feel right when Z2 is the plan. The route runs 9 mi from S 530th Ave to 260th St. January brings the coldest month, and winter changes the feel for both sports. Runners lean harder on campus, parks, and road races when footing allows. Cyclists turn gravel days into base miles, cyclocross legs, or patient indoor work.
