“This is why I’m here,” he said as he slapped his stomach. Wanicur, 28, like other casual runners, jogs around the park not only because he needs the exercise but also because he enjoys the park’s scenic landscape.

The reservoir is one of 10 running paths available to park-goers. The longest and perhaps most difficult running terrain is the “Big” Loop that runs 6 miles around the park. It is considered the park’s ultimate run for any jogger who wants to challenge himself. 

the southern edge of the park to 72nd Street on the east side. 

Smaller dirt paths like the Great Lawn and Great Hill ovals are flat and circular.  The half-mile Great Lawn Oval surrounds five baseball diamonds and is situated just south of the reservoir track. The quarter-mile Great Hill Oval is located in the northwest corner of the park. Surrounded by trees in an elevated area, the Great Hill Oval is ideal for those who want to jog in quiet beauty. 

That serenity draws runners like Christina Gael here. Gael, 28, travels from Washington Heights to get her exercise. 

“You’re in a different world,” she said. Although Fort Tryon and Inwood Hill parks are closer to where she lives, Gael said that she likes to come down to Central Park to jog and participate in other sporting activities. 

There are those who run in the park regularly but don’t enjoy it as much. “It can be like a conveyor belt,” said Dustin Pittman, 36, referring to the number of runners that frequent the park. “Everyone can be on top of you, in front of you and behind you.”

But after dealing with the rush of city life, Wanicur said, a jog in the park is like stepping into an alternate reality: “It’s like the holodeck on Star Trek.”