Maps and Running

Maps and Running

I have always loved maps.  Geography was a favorite of mine and I loved making the maps that showed facts about the country.  I loved drawing maps even though my renderings were never very neat.  I am always amazed when I read of the map illiteracy of so many people.

My love of maps may explained my obsession with Google maps and all the mash ups But maps are also integral to runners.  Many if not most runners want to see a map of a race course, all the better if the map also has an elevation chart.  Therefore, it is no surprise that a number of mash ups have been made that explicitly address running.

Some of the ones I have investigated follow:

One of the earliest and easiest to use is Gmap pedometer: This app allows you to map any course you choose and determine mileage.



Map my run has a lot of nice features and allows you to save your run and view other runs.  

Walk, Jog , Run is an interesting site but I found it a little buggy and hard to work with.  Worked to build a run, only to have it disappear on save.   But it is worth a look.

Favorite Run also allows you to plot a run and save it.  It also has a run log feature which I have not used but looks interesting.  

If you run with a GPS device (like Forerunner) that allows downloads this site would be useful:  


Also useful if you have a GPS is Run Outside

A new favorite of mine is Wayfaring.

This site allows you to map a route and add "waypoints", notes, and tags. I did one on the Philadelphia Marathon. Didn't get it exactly right but I explained why in a note.

Finally there is Frappr. This google hack allows group members to plot themselves on a map. Contributors can add their photo and comments. This one is great fun.

I have created two maps: the Dead Runners Society and the Bryn Mawr Runners Club

Let me know if you find any of these useful.