What route should you take when running across the country?

On my circumnavigation, I found that if I ran too fast, I was always going up hill. About half way through it occurred to me that if I slow down, the curvature of the earth would catch up to me, and I would always be running down hill. So, slow down a bit.

Downhill Runner wrote:

Forest Trump wrote:

Most people run from West to East. The prevailing wind is one reason. You have the sun in your back in the afternoon when it's hot it is another.

Using the spin of the Earth is cheating in my opinion.

On my circumnavigation, I found that if I ran too fast, I was always going up hill. About half way through it occurred to me that if I slow down, the curvature of the earth would catch up to me, and I would always be running down hill. So, slow down a bit.

You should try to run at night when the moon is in the sky in front of you. The gravity from the moon will pull you forward.

Ivanka wrote:

3. Most people don't think about it, because it doesn't have much effect on shorter distances, but the Earth is spinning at over 1,000 mph for west to east, so when you're up in the air between strides it's moving underneath you - a small amount each step but it adds up over a couple thousand miles like this. If you run west to east it'll work against you (you'll give up a little distance every stride) and you'll end up having to run an extra hundred miles or so. But going east to west it's like picking up a free 100 miles for nothing.

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!

Rollingstones wrote:

Get your kicks on route 66.

Good idea except it doesn't go coast to coast.

take the rail trail.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/great-american-rail-trail

Oregon to Maine in the Summer or San Fran to Carolinas in winter

South to north is the preferred method because the high latitude will cool you off as you overheat from the journey.

If you're this guy you do it in a straight line (although he doesn't run except when farmers are afoot).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7w986ni7_g

Run the distance wrote:

I am interested in running across the country but need to find the right route in order to do so. Wondering if anyone here has done it before, or knows a recommended route to take. I will probably have a support van with me for sleeping and such, but of course the physical route is the most important part.

What is your running experience?

How long do you think you will need?

What is your planned daily mileage?

Gates it is wrote:

Look up Rickey Gates -- he ran across the country in 2017.

Probably wouldn't be a good idea if you are concerned about speed, especially if you do a couple hundred miles of canoeing.

would you be willing to share your route?

The idea that the Earth's rotation affects running distances in the way described is not accurate. While it is true that the Earth rotates at about 1,000 mph at the equator, this rotation does not significantly impact a runner's distance or effort in the manner described. Here are the key points:
Coriolis Effect: The Earth's rotation does have an impact on large-scale motion, such as atmospheric currents (Coriolis effect), but this does not significantly affect human-scale activities like running.
Relative Motion: When running, both the runner and the ground they are on are moving together with the Earth's rotation. This means the runner's relative position on Earth does not change due to the rotation, whether running east or west.
Impact on Distance: The notion that running east to west or west to east would change the distance covered by hundreds of miles due to the Earth's rotation is incorrect. The distances on the Earth's surface are consistent regardless of the direction of travel.
Therefore, the claim that running in one direction would result in gaining or losing distance due to the Earth's rotation is a misconception.

Ok dude, if you're so sure about it, you run east to west...lol.