With wooded trails, paths along the Mississippi River, a multitude of city parks and plenty of large trees to provide much-needed shade during the summer, there are plenty of opportunities for running in Memphis.

Yes, Memphis faces an obesity problem. But there are plenty of people waging that war, and many times they can be found pounding the pavement or hitting the trails.

Here is a guide to running in Memphis from someone who has been doing just that for more than 20 years.

Shelby Farms Park: The idea of running in Memphis pretty much begins and ends at Shelby Farms Park. The nation's largest urban park is located in East Memphis. Shelby Farms is a runner's dream with a 10K cross-country course, a 5K paved trail, and a multitude of trails of varying lengths that pass through several wooded areas inside the park. There are also a number of shorter paved trails, the Wolf River trail system, the start of the Shelby Farms Greenline and so much more.

Shelby Farms Greenline: The Shelby Farms Greenline is a rails-to-trails project that connects Midtown Memphis to Shelby Farms Park along a 6.5-mile paved path. The trail runs from Tillman Street at Walnut Grove Road in Midtown near the Broad Avenue Arts District to Farm Road at Mullins Station Road at the northwest corner of Shelby Farms. The trail can be accessed at Tillman Street, Highland Street, High Point Terrace, Graham Street, Waring Road, Podesta Street, Sycamore View Road and Farm Road.

Mississippi River Greenbelt: The Mississippi Greenbelt Park is a 105-acre park on Mud Island fronting the Mississippi River.

The tree-lined park features a 1.5-mile trail, and is just across the street from the beautiful Harbor Town neighborhood, worth a run in its own right.

Tom Lee Park/Bluffwalk: Tom Lee Park fronts the Mississippi River on the west side of Riverside Drive in Downtown Memphis. The park features sidewalks around its perimeter, and is connected to the Bluffwalk above via stairs up the bluff.

Overton Park: The old-growth forest in Midtown's Overton Park features pleasant wooded trails as well as gravel paths around its perimeter. The park features a 9-hole golf course, the Levitt Shell, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and the Memphis Zoo, and plenty of pleasant park roads that are frequented by runners. The St. Jude Memphis Marathon course travels through parts of the park.

Herb Parsons Lake: The park, located on Fisherville Road between Raleigh-LaGrange and Macon roads northeast of Collierville, features nearly eight miles of technical trails around the beautiful Herb Parsons Lake.

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park: Located in Millington north of Memphis, the state park has some 20 miles of trails, not to mention plenty with rolling hills.

Stanky Creek: Bartlett’s Stanky Creek features about 10 miles of rolling trails that will challenge even the best off-road runner.

A good resource for running in Memphis is the Memphis Runners Track Club, the local running organization that takes the lead on group runs and most of the city's vast number of road races, not to mention its annual cross-country and road race series.

Note that several of the above trails are also used by mountain bikes, so use caution when running.