By Mike Mahon, President of the Friends of Red Mountain Park
Five years ago, Red Mountain Park was a leafy green spot on our city’s map, not yet open to the public and waiting to be explored. When pioneers from the Birmingham Track Club sponsored the inaugural Resolution Run in 2011, it was the first race event ever held at Red Mountain Park. 300 intrepid racers helped spread awareness of this red dirt jewel in many runners’ back yards.
What a difference five years makes! Red Mountain Park is now one of the largest urban parks in America, boasting more than 14 miles of pristine trails that are enjoyed by tens of thousands of runners each year. With ongoing support from the Birmingham Track Club, the Resolution Run has grown every year and become an annual celebration of the New Year at Red Mountain Park.
This year, the Fifth Annual Resolution Run will be the best yet! We expect the biggest crowd ever and have lengthened our long run to 20K, kept the 10K and 5K options, and added a 1 mile Family Fun Run so that everyone can participate. We’ve also planned a scavenger hunt along the courses for great prizes and will have local beer and food waiting for runners at the finish line.
The Resolution Run plays an important part in life at Red Mountain Park. 100% of the race fees go toward improvements at the park, thanks to our partners at the BTC, Trak Shak, and the community. Proceeds from recent Resolution Runs have been used to expand and improve the trail system, clearing several new miles and building bridges and benches along the way.
The trail system at Red Mountain Park features something for every runner, from beginner-friendly former railroad beds that are wide and flat to rooty dirt paths that will make your legs burn up steep hillsides. One of my favorite parts about the RMP trail system is that it’s always growing. We have 14 miles of trails today, but by next year we’ll have 17 miles, and 20 miles of trails are expected in 2017. Runners are early adopters at Red Mountain Park, and our crew has a lot of fun expanding into new territory for you to enjoy.
Red Mountain Park is a public-private partnership, open to the public seven days a week from dawn until dusk. In addition to the trail system, the park features:
- Adventure Area that draws visitors from around the world with a major zip line system, high ropes course, teambuilding course, climbing and rappelling tower with mega zip line, and even off road Segways.
- Remy’s Dog Park, the largest dog park in Alabama with three different areas for large dogs, small dogs, and special needs dogs.
- Historical mining sites that tell the story of the rise of the Magic City and showcase the lives of the people who made this red dirt their home.
- Primitive campground for groups on a beautiful ridgeline (but don’t worry -- if primitive camping isn’t your thing there are plans for “Glamping” in the future).
- Educational outreach that brought thousands of students and summer campers to the park in 2015 to play outside, live our history, learn about the environment, and more.
- Goats! Let’s be serious, people love goats. We have a herd of 150 of them feasting on privet and kudzu. They are reclaiming major acreage to be turned into beautiful fields and woods, while being environmentally friendly and cute at the same time.
- Treehouses, city overlooks, open fields, and so much more coming soon!
When you see Red Mountain Park today, you see the beginning of something special. Someone from the first Resolution Run in 2011 would not recognize Red Mountain Park today, and looking forward five more years, I can’t wait to see how it continues to grow. We aspire to be a self-sustaining, award-winning park in a city that we help redefine. And most of all, we want to be a place you’re proud to come back to often.
To end with a few Fun Facts, in the summer of 2015 we polled visitors and found that 50% of park guests were visiting for the first time. We also learned that 30% of park guests come multiple times a week … many of them runners! We’re glad to see so many new faces, and even happier to know that runners love the park and keep coming back. We hope to see you soon!
The Fifth Annual Resolution Run returns to Red Mountain Park on Saturday, January 2, 2016. The race will offer a 20K, 10K, 5K, and 1 Mile Fun Run (new!). Registration is now open. $20 in advance (dri-fit shirt, beer, and food included), and 100% of the registration fee goes to improvements at Red Mountain Park.
Directions to the park can be found here.
Red Mountain Park is a 1,500 acre public-private partnership open to the public seven days a week from dawn until dusk. The park includes 14 miles of trails, a destination Adventure Area, off leash dog park, historical mining sites, primitive campground, educational outreach, goats eating kudzu, and more! More information can be found at www.redmountainpark.org.