Cycling & running events in Columbia, 2026

Soda City Training Notes

Running: Columbia gives runners easy base miles from the rivers to the woods. Locals lean on the Three Rivers Greenway, the Columbia Canal Trail, and the Cayce and West Columbia greenways when they want smooth paths and river views. The Saluda Riverwalk runs about 6 miles end to end, and the Cayce Riverwalk by Black Rooster connects to Timmerman Trail for a 12-mile move. Harbison State Forest gives trail runners a big outer loop around 10 or 11 miles, with more mileage inside. Columbia Running Club keeps the scene connected, and the Governor's Cup Road Race, Sandhills Trail Race Series, and Koala Bottle Harbison Half Marathon & 5K are anchor events.

Cycling: Columbia gives riders a split personality in a good way: river paths for easy spins, Harbison for singletrack, and Saluda for gravel. Columbia Cycling Club runs Saturday A, B, and C rides, with the A group covering 50 miles at 16-20 mph. Tri-City Cyclers roll every Tuesday and Thursday from 808 Knox Abbot Rd. at 6:00 p.m. for a 35-mile road ride. Cycle Center, Cola Town Bike Collective, Outspokin' Bicycles, Dialed Bicycles, Summit Cycles, and Streetmeatcola keep group rides moving. Harbison State Forest has 32 miles of mountain biking trails. The climbs sit north in the Upland Piedmont and on hilly dirt like Harbison and Fats. Tico's Gravel Grinder 10k and Tour de Columbia Race Series give the calendar some bite.

Season: Spring and fall are the money months, with March-May and September-November giving runners and cyclists the cleanest shot at intervals, long rides, and Z2 without overthinking the forecast. Summer gets hot and humid, and Columbia averages 72 days above 90°F, so locals shift runs, beer-pace rides, and riverwalk spins early. Winter stays cool to mild, and the city still averages 55 nights below freezing. Columbia Cycling Club's Saturday A ride stays consistently populated through winter, while the B and C groups are more of a March-through-October thing, and runners keep using Harbison, Saluda Riverwalk, and downtown when cold snaps pass.