Our sand is the Pine Barren sand which we call Sugar Sand and has been here for eons so we don't really worry about run ground cover. Fortunately it rakes easy and the rain and snow melt perks so fast there's never any muddy/ponding mess. Hopefully others who have to work their runs will help out.
We use straw in the coop and the nesting boxes which they don't and won't use, a clean corner is what they prefer. The run is natural sand that perks well and provides a natural dust bath for them.