By Priscilla Lister
SDUN Columnist

Put on your jogging shoes and explore the past and present of Uptown.

San Diego Jogging Tours launched in April to offer tours that “combine exercise with the opportunity to see great things and learn great things along the way,” said William Lopez, co-founder with David Knepp of his new company.

So far the fledgling firm has four tours available seven days a week: a four-mile jog through Old Town, a six-mile tour through Coronado, an eight-miler through downtown and the 10-mile route through Uptown. They’re all led by trained jogging guides who share the history and stories of various sites along the routes.

Lopez is principal of Alternative Strategies, a marketing and PR firm in Bankers Hill, but wanted to start a second business with a partner, he said. He joined with Knepp, a local chiropractor, to form this new enterprise.

“About six months ago I was watching the ‘Today’ show when one of the anchors participated in a jogging tour in New York City. That guy in New York had jogging tours in five other cities – all cold cities,” Lopez said. “When I was in Chicago, I took one of his tours and thought we have such great weather, I wanted to do it here.”

Lopez, 36, and Knepp, 38, envision the primary source of their new business coming from out-of-town guests. They market to hotel concierges, but also “know that large numbers of visitors are here to see friends and families, so we’re getting the word out so locals might want to do these activities with their visitors,” Lopez said.

“It’s funny, but I have been raised here most of my life and I learned things on this tour I never knew,” said Phil Collum, 40, of the Uptown tour. “It was really cool.”

Collum, a Chula Vista police officer who lives in University Heights, said while he likes running, he’s not a long distance runner by any stretch of the imagination.

“I was concerned about the 10-mile length, but I’ll tell you what, the guide set a … I won’t say easy but a far milder pace than I anticipated,” he said. “Combined with the activity of the tour to be able to learn about areas we were going by, it was fantastic – a pleasant, mild run that was really enjoyable.”

The Uptown jogging tour goes through Balboa Park, over seven footbridges, including those at Quince Street, Spruce Street and Vermont Street, through Hillcrest, past the zoo as well as Balboa Park’s cactus and rose gardens, and then by San Diego High School, Balboa Stadium and the Marston House.

Joggers learn about Kate Sessions, the landscape architect who is considered the “mother of Balboa Park” and whose statue stands just west of Cabrillo Bridge; about George Hill purchasing the land in 1871 that would become Hillcrest; about the “Orchid Design” awarded to the Vermont Street footbridge when its new version was opened in 1994; about the Hillcrest’s farmers’ market; about many of the museums in Balboa Park, often called the second largest collection of cultural institutions next to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.; about Spreckels Organ Pavilion and its construction in 1914 for the Panama-California Exposition; and about Balboa Stadium, built in 1914 and the home of the San Diego Chargers from 1961-66 (and the site of the only Beatles concert in San Diego – in 1964).

“I live in Mission Hills, and I feel kind of silly saying it – I walk my dog, I know Hillcrest – but this tour took me on bridges and through neighborhoods I had never seen,” said Allison Andrews, 26, a fashion consultant and media relations manager. “I didn’t even know these bridges were in my backyard – that was my favorite part.”

She said she also discovered the Moreton Bay fig tree in Balboa Park that was planted in 1915 for the exposition.

“It made me appreciate the Uptown area for its diverse architecture, historic values, that urban-suburban home life that I dig,” she said.

Andrews said she is not a runner. “But because there’s so much going on and you’re not trying to talk since the tour guide is doing all the talking, you’re distracted and being with a group of people keeps you motivated,” she said.

Collum said he would recommend the jogging tours to anyone.

“You go with a fun group of people and get some exercise at the same time,” he said.

Lopez and Knepp planned the routes so they all start in parking lots with free parking. Joggers are greeted and led by tour guides who are visible in bright yellow shirts, all trained to communicate the history, facts and tidbits of various points on each tour.

The two shorter tours (Old Town and Coronado) start every day at 8 a.m., while the two longer tours (downtown and Uptown) begin at 7 a.m. “

Our research shows that joggers are early to rise and we want to give that business traveler enough time to do the tour and conduct business after that,” Lopez said.

If all goes well, the next tour route will be La Jolla, he said.

“Our routes need to have enough scenery and information and also be in locations that can be supported by hotels and out-of-towners,” he explained.

The Uptown jogging tour is rated “moderately difficult” and costs $50. For more information, go to sandiegojoggingtours.com.
Click here for Uptown map