Fast Running Blog

Weather permitting, I'd like to run from my house in the Avenues to Park City (actually, Kimball Junction) sometime in the next couple of weeks. I plan on following the same route I take on my bike--Up Emigration Canyon, down past Mountain Dell, then onto I-80 until Parley's Summit. From there, it's all frontage roads.

I have a question about running on I-80, though. On a bike it's perfectly legal and plenty safe (thanks to the wide shoulders and rumble strips), and I assume the same applies to running. At any rate, I'm not worried about safety or legality. I am confused about which side of the road to run on, however. I've gotten used to running against traffic (as opposed to cycling with it), but it still seems like it would be a better idea to run with traffic on the freeway. Any advice from someone who's run I-80?

I did not know it was legal to ride a bike on a freeway in Utah. I do remember seeing "no bicycles or pedestrians" sign when getting on at some point. Has it changed?

I know it is legal to ride a bike on a freeway in Colorado, though, as I've seen signs indicating something to that effect when driving through it. But I did not see anybody actually doing it.

In Park City, we'd use I-80 between Mt. Dell and Park City and between Wanship and Park City. We'd use I-40 to get between Heber and Park City. In Salt Lake, I use I-80 to go anywhere west of Saltair (Tooele, Grantsville, etc.). There are no signs saying otherwise, and it's common practice among cyclists. I don't know if it's an actual rule, but the rule I go by is that if there are no frontage roads, the highway/freeway is fair game. UHP hasn't stopped me yet  :).

I don't know of any laws, but I would run facing traffic- if a car abruptly pulled into the shoulder, you could see it coming.

Although I have no idea why in the world anyone would want to run on the freeway.  I find running on roads with any amount of traffic bad enough- a freeway would be worse.  It's the last place I would ever run, baring running out of gas.  But more power to you if it works for you.

I'd run into traffic rather than with it and cross my fingers that no accidents occur as they're going by you ... if it does, you might end up on one of those break.com videos, if someone happens to be filming it, entitled 'Car Smokes Runner'.

don't forget your oxygen mask :).

I don't think pedestrians are allowed on the Interstate.  It's posted on many of the on ramps.  To be sure, I recommend you call the Utah Highway Patrol.  If you don't check, and it's not legal, I would be shocked if you weren't stopped by the Highway Patrol.  This would really mess up a nice long run.

Actually, I think Michael is right.  I had a friend who needed to get a run in one day while on a road trip, so started running down the road from a rest stop with the intention that his car-mates would pick him up when they passed him.  Highway Patrol nabbed him instead.

I agree that it would seem logical to run with traffic because that's what the bikers do. But I also see the point in the typical advice to run against traffic and prefer that generally.

Maybe there's a dirt trail of some kind that runs along the freeway or not too far from it. That would seem a much better solution.