American Journeys in Mobile, Ala. - Travel - New York Times

AZALEA TRAIL FEATURE STORY
WHEN thousands of athletes from around the world pull on their running shoes in Mobile, Ala., tomorrow and set out through the streets in the 10-kilometer Azalea Trail Run, they will race past antebellum mansions, ornate old commercial buildings, majestic churches and storefronts topped by lacy cast-iron balconies and grillwork. The run, now in its 30th year, is timed for late March to coincide with the bloom of azaleas and dogwood, one of the prettiest seasons in Mobile, an easygoing port town spread along the banks of the Mobile River and bell-shaped Mobile Bay.
(NYT, unearthed by Marsh Acker)