Where to shop for gear:
The big sporting goods chain stores in the area are Academy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sun and Ski Sports, and REI. Certainly, any of these should do just fine if you need a Clif Bar or a pair of socks.
Here's a list of full-service running specialty stores in the Houston area:
- Finish Strong Sports -- inside Loop 610 near Memorial Park at 6426 Washington Avenue
- On The Run -- in the Clear Lake area at 2427 Bay Area Boulevard
- Fleet Feet Sports -- inside Loop 610 at 2408 Rice Boulevard (Rice Village) and at 6590 Woodway (near Memorial Park/Galleria), in Katy at 23501 Cinco Ranch Boulevard, in The Woodlands at 1925 Hughes Landing and in Spring at 8312 Louetta Boulevard.
- Finish Line Sports -- in Sugar Land at 13895 Southwest Freeway (Sugar Creek)
- The Running Company -- operating Texas Running Company in Sugar Land at 15890 Southwest Freeway (Lake Pointe)
- Fit Tri Run -- in Galveston at 518 23rd Street
- Wild Pear Running -- in Pearland at 9330 Broadway Street
- Good Times Running Co. -- in Katy at 22764 Westheimer Parkway (Cinco Ranch)
Where to get your run in when you're inside Loop 610:
- Memorial Park -- 6501 Memorial Drive, near IH-610 and IH-10. As close as there is to an epicenter of the Houston running community. The 2.9-mile crushed gravel loop surrounding the golf course is extremely popular.
- Hermann Park / Rice University -- a 2-mile path surrounding the Hermann golf course has a connector trail to the university campus, where a 3 miles of pedestrian pathways along Main Street, Rice and Sunset Boulevards have joggers as a common sight. The Gorgeous Gael at 5555 Morningside is the meeting spot for the BON Running Club which traverses the Rice loop regularly.
- Buffalo Bayou Park / Eleanor Tinsley Park / Sam Houston Park -- greenbelt along Buffalo Bayou heading upstream from downtown Houston. Covering ground from Bagby Street to Shepherd Drive and back again will net you a seven-or-so-mile loop over rolling fields with some of the best views of the downtown skyline.
Where to get your run in when you're on the west side:
- Terry Hershey Park -- 15200 Memorial Drive, but in reality, this is basically the ribbon of greenbelt alongside Buffalo Bayou that stretches more than six miles from State Highway 6 to the Sam Houston Tollway/Beltway 8. Parking available where the hike/bike trail meets Highway 6, Memorial Mews, Dairy Ashford, and Beltway 8.
Other links that may be of interest:
- HARRA -- Houston Area Road Runners Assocation, the umbrella group for clubs and organizations and a Road Runners of America affiliate.
- Houston Airport System -- Latest updates about getting in and out of Bush/IAH or Hobby/HOU.
- Houston TranStar -- Current freeway conditions for those ready to race Houston traffic.
- Metro -- Operator of local bus and light rail service in this city
- Houston Press and Houstonia -- Two good sites to look up where/how you'll celebrate after your next great race in Houston.
- Fastlane Services (713-299-5154)
- RunHouston Timing (713-677-1910)
- Run Wild Sports Timing (832-317-7517)
- TheDriven (800-278-6021)
Page last reviewed 14 Nov 2017
