<p>I have two questions. First off, this one is geared more towards current students and stl natives. How safe is Forest Park? When I visited, I had no qualms about safety at all, but I love to run, especially in the early morning and later evening, and I was only in the park in the afternoon. Right now I live in (and run in) a nice, safe, gated community and I don't worry about running at, say, 4:30 in the morning, which I do quite frequently before work or school. So basically, when are the best times to be out in the park? Is it pretty much deserted in the morning, or would a 5 a.m. runner be able to feel safe? How nice are the running trails? Is there security? I know I probably will have to totally change my running schedule, but I'm just trying to be practical. </p>
<p>Secondly, I heard about a running club. Does anyone know exactly how this works or what the point is? Is it like group running? A sort of intramural x-country team? Marathon training? Any input is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I've run in Forest Park in the morning (but not at 4:30!) for over 15 years and have had no problems, nor do I know of anyone who has. In fact, in the morning (6AM or later) its common to see more women running in Forest Park than men. Although I'm sure incidents occur occasionally, I've never heard of anything major. Even at 5AM you'd probably be safe if you stick to the main trails. The only possible exception might be Kennedy Forest on the SW side of the park, which has trails that run through dense woods. But even there I've not heard of people having problems. Overall, the trails are great: an asphalt one for bikers and bladers, and a fine gravel trail for walkers and runners; in a few spots the two converge. Forest Park is patrolled by rangers in cars and a few on horseback, although I doubt that they patrol 24/7. As far as running organizations, check out the WUMS men's and women's cross country teams (both extramural and intramural) and the St. Louis Track Club (<a href="http://www.stlouistrackclub.com/)%5B/url%5D">http://www.stlouistrackclub.com/)</a>.</p>
<p>Correction--Not the WUMS teams, but rather the WUSTL (i.e.-undergrad) teams.</p>
<p>thanks! about how many trails are there? I've never gone running in a park before, so I'm kind of naive about this.</p>
<p>There's one main circumferential trail around the park, and several branches off if it, including some narrow dirt trails through Kennedy Forest, to provide some variety in distance and terrain. Although the branch trails can be confusing initially, its hard to get truly lost because they all eventually rejoin the main trail. The STL area has lots of other great places to run, including very challenging dirt trails (e.g. the Chubb trail off of I-44 in far west STL county), but you'll need a car to get there. Easiest and most enjoyable way to learn what the area has to offer is to have a few upperclass running buddies show you the ropes or join the STL Track Club.</p>