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I've run the race several time. The 1st time in 2004 it was on the old bridge. That was an experience. You felt like the bridge was dropping out from under you.
I also ran it on the new bridge 2 years ago.
Let me tell you a little bit about the race.
It's starts in Mt. Pleasant. So if you are staying on the Charleston side of the bridge you need to be over the bridge before they shut it down. (7am) There are busses that will take you over the bridge. Shuttle buses will be running from Calhoun Street (adjacent to the Gaillard Auditorium) from 5:00 to 6:45 am. When I ran it the race started at 8am. So it was a long wait once over the bridge. Standing in line for the port-ta-potty can take some time so leave time for that. We were actually in line when the race started so had to jump in towards the back of the pack.
This year I think they are doing something different. They will be having Corrals so depending on what you predit your finish time to be will determine what corral you will be in. I think this is a great idea because before it was almost impossible to run through so many people.
Make sure if you are meeting up with people at the end of the race you pick a spot. With so many people it's hard to find anyone.
I had a great time running the race. It is very hard to run fast but maybe with the corrals it won't be so bad.
Have fun if you decide to run it... it's quite an experience
I'm an experienced racer, so all that sounds normal. Some corralled races work and some don't ... a lot of people will go in corrals faster than they actually are and ruin it... The Rock N Roll races are really bad about this. If you have to submit a time to get in a corral, then the corrals are awesome! You're in a pack, but everyone around you is going the same speed so it's not so bad. The packs get back when you have to spend a lot of energy going around people.
I'm not sure which side of the bridge I'll be on. I read where there's boat passes to buy for 8 bucks - what is this all about?
It just looks like a really fun community spirit type race!
I'm an experienced racer, so all that sounds normal. Some corralled races work and some don't ... a lot of people will go in corrals faster than they actually are and ruin it... The Rock N Roll races are really bad about this. If you have to submit a time to get in a corral, then the corrals are awesome! You're in a pack, but everyone around you is going the same speed so it's not so bad. The packs get back when you have to spend a lot of energy going around people.
I'm not sure which side of the bridge I'll be on. I read where there's boat passes to buy for 8 bucks - what is this all about?
It just looks like a really fun community spirit type race!
I signed up 2 weeks ago
One year my daughter and I stayed in North Charleston so we decided to ride the ferry over. When we got there we had to wait and wait for the ferry which was running late. When we got to the other side all the busses were gone to take you to the start so we actually had to RUN the 2 miles to get to the starting line..lol. Needless to say you don't really want to expend that kind of energy before the race . After that happened we did not ride the ferry again.
One year we stayed on the Mt. Pleasant side which worked out great. We didn't have to get up at 4am and just walked to the start. The only problem is that the hotels book up a year in advance for that time and they up the prices way up.
One note on the corrals. When they didn't have them it took at least 10 mintues before you crossed the start line after the gun went off. There were 40,000 people running the race. WOW.... It doesn't really matter because it's timed but it's a little frustrating to have to walk to get over the start line.
In 2004 my daughter and I dressed up in grass skirts and wore flowers. We had such a blast and got so many cheers along the way It made running the race a lot of fun. We even got mentioned in the local paper down there and our pic was in the brochure the next year that they pass out at the expo.
2 years ago my husband race the race with me. It was only the 2nd race he ever ran. He is not really a racer like me. I ran and walked the whole with him. My son ran it too but he took off and left us in his dust.
I ran the last two years, and the corrals with wave start were a HUGE improvement (last year was the 1st year for them). Of course some folks lie and are in corrals they shouldn't be. But that wave start gave a lot more room. I've done several races both locally and out-of-state (including last year's Rock N Roll half marathon in Savannah). The Bridge Run is the most crowded run I've ever been in, but it's also the most fun. Being on that bridge is a rush. Even though I have to leave the house by 5 am to find a parking spot downtown to catch the shuttle.
The tightest part of the race is when you're coming down off the bridge. That little off ramp is very narrow and you'll feel claustrophobic. If you're a big-time racer, don't expect to get a PR in the race compared to smaller 10Ks. But it's still one of my favorite races. I'd be running it this year except I'm on currently on crutches waiting surgery.
It's a blast to hang out in Marion Square afterwards. Again, very crowded, but it's fun. Stick around for the awards, it's fun to see how fast the Kenyans ran it. They likely finished the race before you even crossed the start line!
And even the Expo is one of the best ones I've been to (and that includes the NYC Half Marathon). But my advice as far as that goes? Go on THURSDAY. Avoid the Friday expo like the plague - the traffic is horrendous. Several folks (me included) really want it moved to the N. Chas Coliseum to better handle the traffic. Everyone gets stuck on I-26 starting around 2 or 3 pm on Friday afternoon trying to get downtown. All those out-of-towners...
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I don't like running.
