Are you a stickler for detail when you run? Do you like to know how your splits for your first, third and fifth quarter mile compare to your second, fourth and sixth quarter mile? Then the carefully measured and mapped (in quarter-mile increments) Al Buehler Cross Country Trail at Duke University needs to be part of your training mix.
The loop trail is just under three miles, hilly miles that circle the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Course. It’s also a popular trail, beloved by Durhamites running, walking, pushing strollers, walking dogs. It’s width helps to accommodate all that traffic, and its popularity is welcome by folks skittish about navigating lightly traveled off-the-beaten-path paths.
The trail may be short, but the speedy crushed gravel surface and hills make this a prime training spot for local runners, regardless of whether they’re doing speed work or simply out for an enjoyable run.
Getting there from downtown Chapel Hill
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Difficulty: moderate
Distance: 15 minutes from downtown Chapel Hill
Length: 2.9 miles
Time to complete: 20 to 50 minutes
Address: 3001 Cameron Blvd.
City: Durham
State: N.C.
Zip: 27705
Latitude: 35.5960
Longitude: 78.56866