The folks at Runner's World decided to rate the 25 best cities for running in the United States. How did they do it? According to them, they “tabulated the number of running clubs and races in the largest U.S. cities…. how much park area is available in each city for runners, how average precipitation levels and temps compared to the competition, and even how crime rates stacked up….”

Their system is quite impressive and is detailed on their website. Their annotated list provides runners with a “must run,” a favorite race, a celebrated place to eat, and where to get help in that city. Here's their list of the Top 25:

1. San Francisco, California

2. San Diego, California

3. New York City, New York

4. Chicago, Illinois

5. Washington, D.C.

6. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

7. Boulder, Colorado

8. Boston, Massachusetts

9. Denver, Colorado

10. Portland, Oregon

11. Austin, Texas

12. Seattle, Washington

13. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

14. Colorado Springs, Colorado

15. Dallas, Texas

16. Anchorage, Alaska

17. Raleigh, North Carolina

18. Salt Lake City, Utah

19. Honolulu, Hawaii

20. Atlanta, Georgia

21. Houston, Texas

22. Phoenix, Arizona

23. Madison, Wisconsin

24. Monterey, California

25. Fort Collins, Colorado