news-record.com

Welcome to The Shorties, the 2011 edition.

We're celebrating people, places and races with five awards -- Best Place to Go for a Run, Best Event, Best New Event, Most Inspirational Runner and Everyday Person Who Made the Best Contribution to the Running Community.

So off we go, and what better way to begin than with finding a place to run:

One thing's for sure in the Triad: It's hard not to find a great place for a run, no matter the distance you'd like to cover. While we're picking one as a winner, the truth is there's no "loser" in this category.

We'll start with tips of the cap to Forsyth County's Salem Lake, nominated by High Point's Robin Lindsay. And to hill workouts at Pilot Mountain, nominated by Greensboro ultra runner Bobby Christiansen (although we'll take his word for it regarding the 1,000 feet of elevation change on these two-mile repeats).

Also to Jamestown, which earned this excellent nomination from resident Mark Scott: 

• We have an active running group of all abilities.
• We have beautiful brick pavers and sidewalks that give completely flat runs.
• We have sidewalks with hills that lead to a VERY low traffic area near Grandover.
• We have low-traffic neighborhoods with street lights.
• We have a YMCA for indoor running on track or treadmills.
• We have the miles of paved greenway.
• We have miles of non-paved paths along the greenway.
• We have high school meets at our greenway.
• We have multiple 5Ks for such a small community.
• We have an avid runner on our Town Council (Lynn Montgomery).
• We likely have a larger percentage of runners per capita than any community in the Piedmont.
• We have a low loose-dog population.
• We have a route from Jamestown that can send you through three cities in only three miles. (Impress your friends by saying you ran your "tri-city tromp" from Jamestown to High Point to Greensboro and back to Jamestown!)  

And the 2011 Shorty for Best Place to Go for a Run goes to the greenway and trails system in Greensboro.

The city features more than 90 miles of trails and greenways, so you've got your choice of surface. You can find these routes in neighborhoods and parks and around lakes Brandt, Townsend and Higgins. They've even got their own website, GreensboroTrails.org, which features plenty of information, including maps; Twitter feed (@gsotrails); and Facebook page (search "Greensboro Trails").

Charlotte Matheny likes the Nat Greene Trail from Old Battleground to the Lake Brandt Marina and back. "There are several good hills, beautiful scenery and wildlife and bathrooms and water fountain for a break at the marina," Matheny says.

Jeff Walters likes more than one: " I’m tied between two favorite runs… Laurel Bluff / Reedy Fork 7.5-mile loop or what we call the Big Loop around the lake. Big Loop / Owls Roost / Nat Greene / Piedmont / Big Loop."

Given the number of people we see out for runs on these trails and greenways, we're sure there's a favorite for you, too.