Cycling & running events in Parkersburg, 2026

Parkersburg-Vienna Training Notes

Running: Parkersburg runners keep it simple and local. The route runs 5 miles to the Parkersburg city limits. Locals use that paved stretch for Z2, strides, and easy shakeouts from the Ohio Valley Rowing Club access. The full loop covers 44 km with 18 m of gain. The shorter option runs 16 km with 2 m of gain. River City Runners and Walkers Club anchors the scene, and the Kid Series keeps families around the races.

Cycling: Parkersburg-Vienna riders get paved trail, rail trail, and singletrack without making a production of it. The Parkersburg Ohio River Trail handles easy spins along the Ohio River. The McDonough Trail gives locals a 3-mile loop through forests and duck marshes with up to 430 feet of elevation gain per loop. Mountwood Park has 4 miles of singletrack, and The Challenge at Mountwood is the anchor event. North Bend Rail Trail stretches 72 miles, so base miles can turn into a choose-your-own-adventure type of ride. The climbs sit on McDonough and Mountwood, with serious hills and grades up to 20%.

Season: Spring is the cleanest target for both sports because The Challenge at Mountwood lands then and the trails feel worth the drive. May brings the Red White and Boom 5K Color Run, and June stacks Kicks4Kids 5K Run/Walk with the Chick-Fil-A 10k Road Race and Two-Mile run/walk. August belongs to the Parkersburg News and Sentinel Half Marathon and Two Mile Race, so runners build intervals and longer steady work through summer. Locals ride early in summer when the Z2 feels better. November shifts the scene toward the 48th Annual Parkersburg Turkey Trot, and winter turns training into maintenance miles, park laps, and shorter spins.