The 2022 Coper River Bridge Run was on Saturday April 2nd. The 10k race crosses the Cooper River by way of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. The bridge was rebuilt in 2005 and is the third longest cable-stayed bridges in the Western Hemisphere. Even though we just moved to Charleston the weekend before, I couldn’t not run a race that was so close to our apartment!
The Expo
For a 10k race I was happily surprised at the size of the expo! All the major shoe brands, local stores, restaurants, food and drink vendors were there. I scored some free Tide samples and $10 off a Mexican restaurant. 🙂 The packet pickup was organized and fast.
2022 Cooper River Bridge Run Race Recap
I’m not stranger of bridge running! Since moving to Cincinnati, I’ve ran over the Ohio river many a times! The Flying Pig, the Jingle Bell run, and the Valentine’s Day Run, just to name a few. So I had no qualms about signing up for a bridge run. Even a 2.5-mile bridge that I’ve never run. It’s still weird to think that I live in a place with palm trees.
The Course
The race started in Mount Pleasant, crossed the Cooper River Bridge and finished downtown Charleston. The bridge part of the run is miles 3 and 4 of the race. The climb is maybe from mile 1.5 to 3 and then it’s downhill for a long time! So it’s a super fast race. The winner ran something like 4:30 min/miles.
It was SO cool to run on the bridge and look up to see the structure. The climb itself wasn’t bad, but I was distracted by the views. Not to mention the expansion joints in the bridge were tripping hazards.
It was nice to see Nolan for a minute on the course. The photo above was right around mile 4 when I was feeling great! It’s a glorious thing to be running a race and know you’ve got less than a 5k left. Even with a thin long-sleeve I froze at the start line. When the sun came out, I warmed up a little, but overall I was happy with my outfit choice.
The after party took place in Marion Square- right in the center of Downtown Charleston. It was a beautiful day, but after sweating a bit, I was glad to still have my long sleeves. My only gripe was that there wasn’t a beer tent at the post-race party. We walked a 1/2 block to Burns Alley Tavern where Nolan waited in line (behind all the other thirsty runners) for 20 minutes so I could celebrate properly.
For my first race in Charleston, I was super happy with my official time of 1:04:38 (10:19/mile). Not a PR by any means, but a great first weekend in our new city.
