{"id":8045,"date":"2013-03-13T22:00:02","date_gmt":"2013-03-14T02:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=8045"},"modified":"2024-12-04T17:48:22","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T22:48:22","slug":"right-here-in-river-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=8045","title":{"rendered":"Right Here In River City"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>\"13<\/a>Linda Burton posting from Richmond, Virginia \u2013 <\/i>\u201cThe idle brain is the devil\u2019s playground,\u201d goes Meredith Wilson\u2019s song Ya Got Trouble<\/i>, <\/i>pointing out the dire things that might happen \u201cright here in River City\u201d if young folks don\u2019t have enough to do. That warning was a highlight of 1957\u2019s Broadway hit, The Music Man, <\/i>and here in this River City by the James, it has been heeded, because nobody, young or old, has reason to be idle here. Outside<\/i> magazine last year named Richmond the \u201cBest River City in America,\u201d probably because of the Class IV whitewater the James provides and the 500 acres of parkland that offer outstanding mountain biking and running trails. But when I looked into the \u201csports and recreation\u201d aspects of this capital city on the river, I found that Richmond residents have a variety of gung-ho goings on to choose from. Biking ranks high, to be sure, and has some \"13<\/a>interesting twists, like the Anthem Moonlight Ride<\/em> under a full moon, in costume; and the Grand Fondo<\/em>, an all-age, all-fitness ride that covers 100 miles of the Region\u2019s roads. The Muddy Buddy<\/em> sounds like the most fun; held at Pocahontas State Park in the rainy spring, it\u2019s a 6-mile race for two-person teams on bikes, and on feet; challenging terrain and mud pits make up the obstacle course. There\u2019ll be some serious biking in 2015 as Richmond hosts the World Road Cycling Championship<\/em>; it hasn\u2019t been held in the USA since 1986, when it took place in Colorado Springs. Planners are busy now with the infrastructure development for this amazing race. As to everything else going on in River City, you\u2019re going to need a long piece of paper to write it all down. <\/p>\n

\"13<\/a>Take your pick of trail runs on dirt or downtown races on paved ground. Over 40,000 come out every year to party and to play\u00a0as part of\u00a0Ukrop\u2019s 10K<\/em> along Monument Avenue; Discover Richmond<\/em> is a 10K walk past the city\u2019s historic sites. Dominion Riverrock<\/em> has the James River Scramble 10K trail run and the Urban Assault mountain-bike race, plus dogs competing in long-distance jumps, and a concert! The Maymont X-Country Festival<\/em> has trail runs for elementary through high-school teams; the big finale of the year is the Anthem Richmond Marathon<\/em>, and the American Family Fitness Half Marathon<\/em>, racing through scenic Richmond neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\"13<\/a>Folks are crazy for basketball here, and field hockey; the Colonial Athletic Association Men\u2019s Basketball Championship<\/em> just wound up at Richmond Coliseum, and the USA Field Hockey National Indoor Tournament<\/em> at the Richmond Convention Center. Steeplechase racing starts in April at Colonial Downs, the Virginia Derby<\/em> is in July. NASCAR racing runs April-September at the Richmond International Raceway; the 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series<\/em> and the 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series<\/em> will fill the stands.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re just not into competing, or watching others compete, there are the festivals, featuring varied cultures, held at varied venues, all throughout the year. No idle brains, no idle hands and feet!<\/p>\n