Rochester Is the Best Running City You’ve Never Thought to Visit

Culture
The skyline of Rochester, New York, at sunset

A Q&A WITH FLEET FEET SPORTS OWNER ELLEN BRENNER

A woman talking on a microphone to a crowd

Ellen Brenner met David Boutiller (Boots) in the late 90s. Back then, Brenner says that Boots was “the stud runner in town.” He was a professional duathlete and the founder of a little mountain-bike club, comprised solely of men. At the time, Brenner was just getting interested in triathlons and so, along with a couple of girlfriends, she went to Boots's ride one night. The rest is history.

To make a long story short, Boots and Brenner tied the knot, opened a Fleet Feet Sports, and set out to prove to every Rochester dweller that their city was a place worth exploring on foot. And for good reason.

Rochester is, without doubt, underrated. Sure, the winter weather is miserable, but thanks to Brenner and Boots, there are now enough winter endurance events to keep you high on aerobic endorphins through even the darkest winter months … and then through every one of Rochester’s distinct seasons.

We sat down with Brenner, on the set of Run This Town, to find out what, exactly, about Rochester is so great.

Watch the Rochester episode of Run This Town now.

What is it about Rochester that draws you?

It’s a family town. When I moved here from Long Island after college in 1993, I wanted to be somewhere that had a New York City feel without the speed. Rochester has it. It’s overflowing with cultural, tech, and sporting activities, it has incredible landscape, and it also has a fascinating history.

Speaking of history, why is it called the Flower City?

Well, funny story: Originally it was the F-L-O-U-R city because flour mills lined the Genesee River in the downtown area. But, as life went on, and industry changed at the turn of the century, the city got into F-L-O-W-E-R-S. Lilacs, specifically.

Highland Park—one of the many parks we run through—is known for a lilac festival held there every May.

How is the city designed?

Sometimes people say Rochester is a city of suburbs. The highway system is very efficient; it only takes 10 to 15 minutes to get around. Interestingly, if you live on the east side of town, rarely will you go to the west side. The Genesee River divides it.

We have four quadrants. Park Avenue, the most popular area, sits in the Southeast quadrant. The Southeast and Southwest quadrants host the most nightlife and cultural happenings. But there is so much to see everywhere.

How do you showcase Rochester’s diversity in your training programs?

We take our long-distance running groups to different places. We do the same thing with our races to purposefully get participants out and about, so they can see what this city has to offer. Even people that live here don’t know all that our great city has to offer. (Click here to learn about some of the area’s top parks for running.)

In addition to teaching people about the city, you and Boots represent running in this town. How did that happen?

Thanks. I’d like to believe we do. When we first opened Fleet Feet Sports in 2004, things were completely different. We only hosted eight races back then. Now we host 40 races and also help out with another 40 to 50 each year. Additionally, we added trail events, multi-sport events, snowshoeing events, and more. Plus, we created a space for beginners and advanced runners to all get together and run.

We always tell people you need to be able to play through every season of the year. And you have to be hardy to be a runner all year here. We help people slowly build into that because, at first, running in the snow can be scary. It’s such a good strength builder, though, and there’s nothing more beautiful than running through fresh snow under a bright, sunny sky.