Cycling & running events in Buffalo, 2026

Buffalo-Cheektowaga Training Notes

Running: Locals put a lot of easy miles through Delaware Park, especially when the plan says Z2 and the legs say coffee after. Saturday Women's Run Club meets every Saturday at 9am at SPoT Coffee on Hertel Avenue, then runs 3 to 5 mile routes in Delaware Park. Middle Trail Running Company keeps that crew moving all year round and in all seasons. The Outer Harbor Greenway Trail gives about a mile of easy running. The Outer Harbor Trail runs four miles from Lighthouse Point Park to the Union Ship Canal. Buffalo Marathon Weekend, AIA Queen City Architecture 5K, Run 716, and Mind Over Miles - 24 Hour Challenge are the anchor race names locals know.

Cycling: Locals ride the Shoreline Trail when they want flat base miles with Niagara River and Lake Erie views. The Erie Canalway Trail runs 279 miles from Buffalo to Albany, so it always feels like there is more road ahead. The Buffalo Bicycling Club hosts weekly training events around the Buffalo-Niagara region from March through September, and its calendar has road courses, time trials, crits, fondos, and group rides. The Outer Harbor bike park covers pump track, skills loop, and tot track work. Gravel riders use Transit to Galleria Mall, SW of Cheek, Old rail line, and Stig park. The climbs are limited, but Ellicott Creek Trailway has elevation changes.

Season: March through September feels like the clean training block for cyclists because The Buffalo Bicycling Club is active every week. Summer puts races on the calendar, with Buffalo Subaru 4 Mile Chase in July and Run 716 in August. Locals keep running through the cold because Saturday Women's Run Club runs all year round and in all seasons. Winter shifts the vibe more than the map, so Delaware Park stays useful for steady miles while dirt, gravel, grass, mud, and rocks near the RR tracks become a different kind of bike choice. Bigger tires make more sense when the west-side mix gets sloppy.