Cooper River Bridge Run

Outstanding
Well Organized
Great people to meet like Mrs. Kat T -she goes out of to help anyone and she can recognize old Asian Indian thick acccent
touched by all the gestures
Lot of music
lot of walk and run
It was not easy if you are first timer
people have been doing 7 or 9 or 10 years

All great groups can add the pictures- touched by all the gestures
they keep the board for 4 mile mark, 5 mile mark and 6 mile mark

Marcy could understand on day 1 on the phone to get me into the race

If you've never done this run, you're missing out. I've participated a few times and it's always a good time.

The expo is cool to check out some local businesses and the freebies are always nice while picking up your race bib and bag of goodies.

The run itself is pulled off really well for the size of the run and the amount of participants each year. My only complaint is I wish it was a little more consistent in the corrals with runners versus walkers. Someone may choose to sign up as a runner but decide to walk the whole thing. Walking portions of it doesn't bother me but it seems like there is a huge stretch of people walking. I wish they would choose to go to the walking section if this is the case. I get it that it's a tough run at parts, but it would be nice if people go to the side instead of walking next to a bunch of other walkers. It's hard to weave in and out when you're trying to keep the pace you want. Sometimes you just have to stop because there's no way to get through. At points it's nice to keep going, because once you stop, it takes a bit to get that drive to run at the pace you were, at least for me it did.

The festival in Marion Square is a good time to unwind after the 10k. There's a ton of vendors, food, and water/drinks to get you hydrated.

Oh and I love that they are now giving out finisher medals. It's nice to have a little trophy of sorts to remember the accomplishment of this run. I hope they keep that up for future runs. I would definitely run it again. All in all it's a great event for the community.

I love the Cooper River Bridge Run!!!
The run is really three different events. First, there is the expo, the run, then the post race party.
The expo, where you pick up your bib, shirt, and pre-race goodie bag. That is just the beginning. After that you walk around the convention center completely full of vendors giving out samples and freebies, from alcohol to lipbalm, so much stuff.
Next would be the run. This is my second time doing it and I think i enjoyed it a little more the first time. Not necessarily blaming the folks organizing the run but the amount of walkers that you have weave in and out of, THE ENTIRE RACE, is a little frustrating. When signing up they assign you to a corral of runners with the same finish time as you. The only issue is there are ten corrals with the same finish time as you so if you are in the first one you are good, if you are in the fifth one, the struggle is real!!!
Last but not least is the post race party. This really is a party. Basically a food fest, concert, and spa all wrapped up in one. They seriously had everything from johnsonville brats to krispy kremes, massages and med tent to fix a blister, not to mention the endless amount off fruit. Apples, bananas, watermelon, oh my.

2015 was my first bridge run. I've lived here for 3 years and run just about every other road race in Charleston. Believe it or not, there are multiple road races and trail runs in Charleston every other weekend :). This race is pricey and they don't do discount codes so sign up as early as possible to save money.

First, if you are a local, pick up your packet at the Bridge Run's store on Shelmore Blvd in the few weeks before the race. There is no need for you to go to the expo unless you just want to.

If you care about your time, get into the best corral possible. Another reviewer mentioned starting the 45 minute runners with the 60 minutes and that isn't the case. If you have run another local 10K road race (or a previous bridge run) in the 45 minute ballpark, email the organizers with a link to that result and they will make sure you are in the correct corral. You can willingly move back corrals to run with friends but they can't move up. But, I do agree that they could seed/corral the times a bit better because there's a big difference in a 45 minute 10K and an hour.

There's a big median in the road before you hit the bridge. The announcers talk about this but people still miss it. Also they sing/play the Star Spangled banner multiple times in the hour before the race starts so just because you hear it, doesn't mean you have to scramble to your corral- unless it's 7:50-7:55 or so.

The race didn't feel crowded to me, but according to the media, registrations were down (about 27k in 2015). I also started in the front so everyone running around me was running- or had run enough races to know to stay to the right if they had to walk/stop.

I only had 2 issues. The shuttle back to the start took us to the wrong location (start is not in North Charleston) even though it was marked as going back to the start. Once the guy got there, he took us back to Mt. Pleasant/Coleman Blvd, but it took up a lot of time driving on 526. People on the bus had to give him directions. Also the start line bag drop filled up before 7 AM so many of us had to walk all the way back to the last corral to drop off our gear check bags before the race. Fortunately, I got to my corral in time and so did everyone else I talked to.

First off, if you're a middle or rear of the pack runner, do not expect to break your personal best. The CRBR is more fun, camaraderie and scenic than most 10k races. Plus, you end up in downtown Charleston where the options are endless!
Hubby has run 35 CRBRs, I have done them on and off since the '80's. Each year improvements have been made. The packet pick-up, the staging, the coverage, the recording of times. For elite runners, the CRBR has become a premier annual event. For the 40,000 others, just enjoy yourselves. The views from the bridge are stellar. (Don't get trampled if you stop to take a pic!). Plan your transportation ahead of time. We usually have one person leave a vehicle downtown and another leaves a vehicle in MtP, then ride share. The buses are pretty efficient though.

You should do it ONCE... Then do other 10k races that are not as huge...

The amount of people really make this a challenge. Lots of companies sponsor employees, so you get a wide range of running abilities, which can bottleneck at spots throughout the course. They really do a good job managing the crowd with zones, but it's 40,000 people strong.

TIP: Be sure to be at the shuttle buses at 6am; or you're risking having to start at 9am instead of 8am. Positioning a car downtown is a smart move. And I've only heard good things about the water taxi option.

Really nice to get a finisher medal for the 40th Anniversary, Really cool!

I have been running/walking this race since I was 10 or 11 - so about 25 years now! This race is dear to my heart because my family would always do this race together and it's also where I discovered my love for running and racing.

I first started running this race over the oldest Cooper River Bridge. I remember the last time I ran over it that the bridge started swaying from all of the people! The next year it was run over the "newer" of the two.

For a large race, this one is run very well. The delayed start times for corrals definitely help with the race crowds. I'm usually up in the front so it's not as crowded. Be aware that you need to get to the start area pretty early because of the crowds. I am running this years (which is tomorrow) as a tune up for the Boston Marathon. It will be nice taking it a little easier than usual - this is definitely a race I will do every year because of what it means to me growing up in the area.

2017 was my first bridge run. I thought that the 40th anniversary of the CRBR would be a great time to #getoverit. I'm really glad that I did, and although I didn't train quite as much as I would've liked, I was very happy with my results. Enough about me though.
The race setup was done very well. They've had 40 years to perfect this process, and although I'm sure there are bugs to work out, the experience was smooth and seamless for a newb like me. I arrived in Mt Pleasant early (well before sunrise) and began the process of working my way to the corrals. Because I got there early enough, I was able to walk around and enjoy the experience. Once it came time to find my corral, I was easily pointed in the right direction by the really big signs. I was slightly confused by another sign that said "start wave" and so when I waved at the guy holding it, he gave me a funny look, and kept on holding his sign. I appreciated how each corral was able to start at different times, so that everyone wasn't running over each other, and it gave us a chance to hurry up and wait for our turn.
Many people along the route cheered for us, and there was music playing everywhere. Once I got over the bridge, the downtown experience was very cool, and then crossing the finish line was like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I slowly found my way to the Krispy Kreme truck for a donut, and then located my family to celebrate. Marion Square was jammed up with people, so getting around wasn't as easy as I would've liked, but it was still a fun experience. This is one race that I'm very glad that I was a part of, because after moving here and missing the race last year, I felt like I couldn't properly enjoy being a Charlestonian unless I attempted the CRBR at least once in my life.

I did the Bridge Run for the first time in 2015. I signed up for the 2016 run when I received the first email announcement. Yes, I could run the bridge at anytime, but there's something about running on the street with 30k other people that is way more awesome.

This is not a small race by any means. No matter what corral you are placed in, you will be weaving around people. Also, since this is one of the "best" 10ks on the east coast, there are a lot of visitors and people who don't know race etiquette. For the amount of people that run this race, it is well organized.

My only complaint was that the finisher's area was off to the side in a park and I had to interrogate someone where they had found a bottle of water since we couldn't find the food/water stands. Additionally, the race photographers were about 1/2 a mile before the actual race ending, which was such a tease since most of us thought we were at the end of the race when we actually weren't. Also, the photos were expensive!

When we did actually make it to the end, people just STOPPED running, which meant that everyone behind them either ran into them (oops, not sorry) or had to avoid them, if possible. The person in front of me definitely got slammed into because I wasn't expecting them to stop.

The best advice I got was leave a car downtown at a parking garage that allows overnight parking, then you don't have to wait to take the shuttles back to where ever you shuttled in from, you can just jump in your car, pick up the vehicle from the AM, and be on your merry way.

Ran this race for the first time this year on March 27, 2010 along with 40,000 other people! It was also my first 10K and it was insane. The atmosphere and getting to run on the scenic Ravenel Bridge is a once in a lifetime (unless you do the bridge run every year - or live in Charleston and can run it daily).

This even attracts so many people as well as elite runners. It was really cool to see all the Kenyans and top athletes from all over the place.

I am definitely a fan of this race and hope to do many more as the years go by.