Running Route.

Ritter Park Running Path
Huntington, WV

I was born and raised in Huntington, WV a small city with a population a little around 50,000. The small nature of the city translates to many of the same people frequenting the same general spaces and attractions. One of the focal points of Huntington, the heart of the city really, is Ritter Park. Just a few blocks from downtown, Marshall University, many of the public schools, and the most populated residential neighborhoods, Ritter is a hub of activity. West Virginia is a unique state in that we experience four distinct seasons true to the thoughts of the seasons, and they are all enjoyed here in Ritter Park. In the winter, children (and not so young children) grab sleds and enjoy snow while in the spring, summer, and fall the running path is one of the most popular places in town. The path is exactly one mile that passes the playground area where nearly everyone remembers making their first friends and winds alongside one of Huntington's main avenues. It is canopied by old oak trees that make for necessary shade in the summertime and a beautiful orange and yellow backdrop in the autumn. The middle of the path is framed with a fountain--a premiere meeting place where all high schoolers take their prom and homecoming pictures and where young children dangle their feet after hoping "mischievous" youth put bubbles in it. Winding the third main corner, the path then follows the creek and hillside. West Virginia often takes heat from climatologists (punny right?) for its dependence on coal (and now, potentially, fracking). Images of mountaintop removal sites and 'dirty mines'  often flood media coverage and detract from the state's true beauty. This running path full of foliage and natural creations shows why the state is called "Wild and Wonderful."