Cycling & running events in Anniston, 2026

Anniston-Oxford Training Notes

Running: Locals run the Chief Ladiga Trail when they want steady base miles without cars. The trail runs 1 miles and links Michael Tucker Park with schools, Zinn Park, and other local parks. The route covers 02 km and gains +116 m, so it works as a clean anchor effort. Downtown Anniston carries the Canyon Climb 8K, Publix Woodstock 5K, Greg Stone Memorial Pancake 5K, and YMCA and Anniston Orthopaedics Spring 5K Run/Walk. Anniston Runners Club keeps the calendar moving, and Piper’s Playhouse gives that small local scene feel.

Cycling: Northeast Alabama Bicycle Association is the hub for riders around Anniston. NEABA supports the Chief Ladiga Trail, McClellan Bike Trails, Cheaha Challenge Gran Fondo, Sunny King Criterium, and the Noble Street Festival. Locals can glide down the road on skinny tires, cruise the greenway trail, or hit sweet singletrack. Chief Ladiga Trail gives Z2 miles from Anniston toward Weaver, Jacksonville, Piedmont, and the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia. The Chief Ladiga Trail has 3 mi on gravel, and Bain's Gap to Moorman Lookout gives a very steep gravel climb up to the ridge. Mount Cheaha gives the gran fondo its real bite.

Season: May is the big month for race energy here. Anniston Runners Club has May events like Run to the “MAX” for Mental Health, 2026 Making Tracks 5K, 5K Glow Run/Walk “Glow &Go,” Cotton Row Run, and The Dough Dash 5K Run. Summer changes the rhythm instead of killing it. In the Heat of the Night starts at 6 PM, so trail runners get their work after the worst heat. Winter has a simple marker. Half Naked Half Marathon lands in January, while riders still have Chief Ladiga Trail miles, McClellan Bike Trails, and gravel climbs for steady work.