I haven’t written a blog post about a new-to-me running spot in a while, because as I run more and more across Delmarva, there are fewer places I haven’t run within a close range of Salisbury (or they are part of the Tour de Salisbury and included in those posts). When I traveled to Philadelphia for a conference, of course I wanted to run there, but I also wanted to run somewhere fun on the way in Delaware that I hadn’t been.
I decided on the Michael N. Castle Trail. The St. Georges Trailhead was right off the highway (it’s near both Routes 13 and 1) and made for an easy stop. I ran there the night of Sept. 29, the day after the Dogfish Dash.
The trail is a little more than 12 miles long, and almost spans the width of Delaware at this point in New Castle County. I didn’t have too much time, so I decided to do a 5K. I tried for a fast one, with 3:00-run/30-second-walk intervals, and ended up completing the run in 32:34. I parked at the St. Georges Trailhead — one of the four parking areas listed on the Delaware Greenways website — where there were also restrooms available.
I ran just over 1.55 miles east on the paved trail and then turned around and headed back. I was racing against the light and ended up seeing a beautiful sunset on my way back. The part of the trail I was on was flat and had water views of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal the entire time.
I’m glad I stopped at this trail, and I hope to explore more of it on a future trip! It would be fun to run the entire trail — especially if I had a ride one-way.
The next day, after a day of the Digital Summit, I enjoyed a run in Philadelphia. I’ve run there several times before, including for the Philadelphia Marathon in 2021, but it’s always fun to explore on foot and there’s always more to see.
She Runs by the Seashore 