The Cooper River Bridge Run is an annual 10,000 meter run, sanctioned by USA Track and Field, held in the cities of Mount Pleasant and Charleston in South Carolina, on the first Saturday in April, unless it is the day before Easter Sunday, when the event is held on the last Saturday in March. USA Track and Field is the authority on track and field events within the United States. ... Mount Pleasant is a town located in Charleston County, South Carolina, in the United States. ... This article is about the city in South Carolina. ... Official language(s) English Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 40th 82,965 km² 320 km 420 km 6 32°430N to 35°12N 78°030W to 83°20W Population  - Total (2000)  - Density Ranked 26th 4,012... Easter is the most important religious holiday of the Christian liturgical year, observed in March, April, or May to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 27-33 (see Good Friday). ...

History

In the mid-1970s, Medical University of South Carolina employee Dr. Marcus Newberry had visited his Ohio hometown and noticed Bonne Bell had built a running track around their offices to encourage employees' physical fitness. Dr. Newberry wanted a way to encourage fitness in the Charleston Metropolitan region, and believed the best way was to feature an event running through the bridges crossing the Cooper River. The event organisers featured officials from the Charleston Running Club, The Citadel, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the College of Charleston. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The Medical University of South Carolina opened in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824 as a small private college for the training of physicians. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 34th 116,096 km² 355 km 355 km 8. ... The Cooper River is a river in the U.S. state of South Carolina. ... The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, enrolls almost 2,000 undergraduate cadets and 1,700 civilian undergraduate and graduate students. ... The College of Charleston (CofC) is a public university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina. ...

One more catch would be required. South Carolina state senator Dewey Wise would have to introduce legislation to permit the event to be held over the reversible lane on the three-lane Silas Pearman Bridge. The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly. ...

On April 2, 1978, the initial race began from Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant to the White Point Gardens in Charleston's Battery region. Police shortened the initial event to 9,850 meters after the gun had sounded to start the initial Bridge Run. April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... The Battery, which includes a park known as White Point Gardens, is a landmark promenade in Charleston, South Carolina. ...

The event seemed to be a success, as officials had expected 500 runners for the event with 340 pre-registered, but on race day, officials noted between 600 and 700 additional runners registered. Many runners dropped out of the race and some were hospitalized for effects from the heat, as there were no water stops on the course. Yet for the inaugural Bridge Run, 766 runners finished.

Following complaints from heat exhaustion and also from area churches (While Charleston County has some Blue Laws exceptions in Charleston County in deference to the Jewish community, churches on the course complained about the Bridge Run taking place while church services took place), the 1979 event was moved to the Saturday in March, where it would be held until 1985. One water stop at the terminus of the bridge was added. (Four water stops were on the 2005 course.) The finish line moved to the campus of the College of Charleston. Over 1,350 were entered, with over 1,000 finishing. The event also ran at the standard 10,000 meter distance for the first time.

Major Course Changes

The John P. Grace Memorial Bridge had been declared unsafe for heavy trucks over ten tons in 1979, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation eliminated the reversible lane on the Silas N. Pearman Bridge which had been used for the Bridge Run course, as trucks on US Highway 17 South were now required to use that lane, instead of using the Grace. State Senator Wise was able to push for legislation to use the Grace bridge for the Bridge Run.

In 1983, the Grace Bridge run added a second uphill climb on the Crosstown Overpass connecting the Grace Bridge to US Highway 17 and Interstate 26, and the race finished in front of the United States Federal Building in Marion Square at Meeting Street. With the number of entrants exceeding 2,000, the start moved to Patriots Point in 1984 to SC Highway 703 (Coleman Boulevard) at Shem Creek. This course became the first Bridge Run course to be certified by The Athletics Congress. USA Track and Field is the authority on track and field events within the United States. ...

Road construction near Market Street in Charleston forced a slight rerouting in 1986, when the Bridge Run was moved to its present date in April unless Easter fell on that weekend.

With entrants exceeding 8,500 and a new 7,000 meter walk added, totaling over 10,000 participants, and tighter restrictions on weight on the Grace Bridge, in 1995 officials returned the Bridge Run to the Pearman bridge, with all three lanes being used, as traffic to Charleston could now be diverted to the Don Holt bridge near Daniel Island on Interstate 526, which had opened in 1992. A new start line on SC 703 near Live Oak Street was positioned with runners passing Coming, Line, King, Market, and Meeting at Marion Square. With congestion becoming a concern, a year later officials moved back the finish to the corner of Meeting and Calhoun in Marion Square, resulting in a corresponding move back of the start on SC 703.

In 2000, the Bridge Run course went through a complete overhaul with the start further back on SC 703 near the shopping center, giving runners a 3,000 meter run on SC 703 before joining the walkers at the foot of the first span of the Pearman, then crossing the Crosstown Overpass, King Street, Calhoun Street, and finishing at Alexander. The course eliminated the use of Meeting Street, which had been used as the primary street in the past. This course would be used until 2005, when the Pearman and Grace bridges closed.

In 2003, a youth event was held on the Friday at Hampton Park to expand the festivities.

Longer, Higher, Tougher: The Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge

Major alterations to the course were necessary for 2006 as USA Track and Field had to measure a new course to reflect the opening of theArthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge and construction on the Ansonborough Fields complex resulted in the moving of the finish line away from Alexander Street, where it had been set since 2000, and a new finish line at George Street and Meeting Street, across from John Kresse Arena, was established. The finish festival was held at Marion Square, which is located a short walk as runners made the cooldown from the finish line. And David loves Erin. The Cooper River Bridges entering Charleston, South Carolina. ... USA Track and Field is the authority on track and field events within the United States. ... The Cooper River Bridges entering Charleston, South Carolina. ...

The start line was slightly moved but remains near the shopping center, and proceeds on SC 703 for 3,000 meters before approaching the northbound exit ramp to SC 703 (run southbound, towards Charleston, the opposite direction of normal vehicular traffic), with the runners proceeding on the Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge southbound on the four northbound lanes (the four southbound lanes on the bridge are not used; furthermore, the bike-pedestrian lane (which is aligned with the northbound lanes, but juts off to East Bay Street and is not part of the course) is reserved for use by emergency staff) for 3,200 meters before exiting the bridge using the two-lane Meeting Street entrance ramp (runners are running the opposite direction of normal vehicular traffic), turning left on Meeting for 2,000 meters before, making a right at the Visitor's Center at John Street, then a quick left at King Street, before turning left at Wentworth Street, before a final run up Meeting Street the other direction before the finish line. The Cooper River Bridges entering Charleston, South Carolina. ...

Two potential forms of cheating near the finish were dealt using fencing at Marion Square at King Street (the finish festival site), and sponsor Bi-Lo parking a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Meeting and John to force runners to make the turn back to King. Furthermore, the live bands which play at the finish festival will be heard twice, as runners pass through Marion Square the first time on King Street, and after crossing the finish line and cooling down.

Concerns over bottlenecking by walkers on course who entered the bridge walk at the 3,000 meter mark on Coleman Boulevard at Patriots Point (the original start line) and the WCBD office eliminated the 7,000 meter walk, and required walkers to proceed through the entire 10,000 meter run starting in 2006. However, the rule was not as enforced as some had thought. Some walkers (and lower-seeded runners too) lined up on the sidewalks on SC 703 from Shem Creek to the WCBD building, which is at the foot of the exit ramp from the bridge, instead of lining behind all runners at the start line, which was the instruction given to participants in the 2006 event in order to prevent incidents. WCBD is the NBC affiliate for Charleston, South Carolina. ... WCBD is the NBC affiliate for Charleston, South Carolina. ...

Another rule change in 2006 required runners to be seeded by time; elite and invited runners were ahead, then runners in the under 40 minute category, then 40-50, 50-60, past one hour, and walkers. The main goal was to prevent certain bottlenecking, although some bottlenecking did take place at the start line because of the transponder timing system.

The 2006 event also debuted the wheelchair category as a competitive event; twelve wheelchair and crankchair athletes competed the event, which started at 7:30 AM.

A major concern for the Bridge Run has developed for the 2007 event because of legislation passed in 2005 moving back the start of Daylight Savings Time to the second Sunday in March. This moves the Bridge Run to Daylight Savings Time, moving sunrise to shortly after 7 AM, which has the potential of concern because loading of runners from shuttle buses and boats will now take place in dark, and the early sun may affect runners' vision in a shorter race, especially with the wheelchair event. (Another major South Carolina running event, the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon, starts in complete darkness and the sun does not rise until top runners have hit the three mile point, about 15 minutes.)

Officials will make a decision on the 2007 start time in upcoming months to satisfy television broadcaster Lincoln Financial, radio broadcaster Kirkman Broadcasting, runners, walkers, and wheelchair athletes, especially with concerns over the sun rising less than one hour before the usual 8 AM start.

Notable runners

The Cooper River Bridge Run is one of the world's largest 10,000 meter runs, with the 2005 event being capped at 25,000 runners and 17,000 walkers. Officials capped the 2006 run at 50,000 runners on the 10,000 meter course, but only 45,000 runners were registered.

Many notable runners have made the Bridge Run.

• Elite United States national runner Benji Durden, whose opportunity to make the Olympic team was denied by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, won the first run.

• 1972 Olympic Marathon champion Frank Shorter competed in the 1983 Bridge Run.

• 1984 Olympian Ruth Wysocki, an elite American middle-distance runner and later a top Masters (over 40) runner, finished second in the women's division. Coincidentally, her husband Tom finished second overall.

• In 1989, world-renowned Norwegian marathoner Grete Waitz, second in the inaugural Olympic marathon and a former New York City winner, won the women's division.

• In 1991, Olympian Mark Conover was an entrant, and in 1992, winner of the Olympic Marathon Trials Janis Klecker participated.

• The 1994 Bridge Run gained fame for a runner who ran under a pseudonym. Television personality Oprah Winfrey finished 3,839th with a time of 55:48.

• Actor Bill Murray fired the cannon for the 1997 Bridge Run and ran the event.

• Irish Olympic runner Sean Dollman, who retired after taking a job at the College of Charleston, came out of retirement at the Bridge Run and won the Dr. Marcus Newberry Award for best runner residing in the Charleston metropolitan region (Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester counties) in 2002.

• Kenyan Olympic runner Catherine Ndereba, second in the 2004 Marathon in Athens, won this event three consecutive years (2000-2002).

• South African Olympic runner Elana Meyer, who finished second in the women's 10,000 meters in Barcelona in 1992, won the 1997 and 1998 event.

For the submarine, see USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Grete Waitz (born October 1, 1953) is a former Norwegian marathon runner who won nine New York City Marathons between 1978 and 1988. ... It has been suggested that Legends Weekend be merged into this article or section. ... Bill Murray in Broken Flowers (2005). ... The College of Charleston (CofC) is a public university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina. ... Catherine Ndereba (born: July 31, 1972) is a Kenyan athlete. ... Elana Meyer, long distance runner from South Africa. ...

Trivia

The 1978 Bridge Run was only 9,850 meters because organisers had to move the finish line up 150 meters by police order.

The original plans for the Bridge Run were to be a 500-runner event, but with 340 registered beforehand, and between 600 and 700 more on race day, it surprised many.

The first Kenyan runners to participate were a pair of Baptist College teammates in 1978. Runners from that country have dominated the run since 1993. Charleston Southern University, founded in 1964, is an independent comprehensive university located near historic Charleston and the beautiful beaches of the South Carolina coastline. ...

The 1979 event, the first at 10,000 meters, was the first South Carolina running event with over 1,000 participants.

The 1980 finish ended in a tie.

The scheduled start time was 10 AM in 1978, 9 AM from 1979 until 1982, 8:30 AM in 1983 until 1986, and 8 AM since 1987. (There is speculation the 2007 start time will be moved later because of Daylight Savings Time, which will be in effect for the event starting in 2007.)

Local television station WCSC has provided live coverage of the event, from 1984 until 1990, and again since 2004.

Two unusual start delays caused by the unfamilar course moved the 1984 start to 9 AM.

Two consecutive Bridge Runs (1986 and 1987) were marred by illegal runners. In 1986, between 300 and 500 runners did not make the start, which had been delayed 30 minutes because of a vehicular collision on the Pearman Bridge (the only access to the start line) between two shuttle buses carrying runners to the start and an automobile 70 minutes before the scheduled start. They ran down the Pearman, through the cut between the two bridges, and started their run midway through the course, on the Grace.

In 1987, with unusually cold temperatures (start temperature was 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4c) with wind gusts from 20-35 MPH (32-55 km/h), runners kept their warmups instead of displaying their bibs. Officials estimated about 10% of the nearly 7,000 runners who crossed the finish lines were illegal, or "bandit", runners. The bandits were allowed to cross the finish line because officials could not distinguish who was legitimate and who was not.

In 1989, elite runners were warming up ahead of the start line on SC 703 when the cannon fired. Grete Waitz's record time was disallowed, but she was allowed to keep the win, when she was caught ahead of the start line at the cannon.

The 1995 event was the first time over 10,000 runners participated, and women made up over 3,000 of the runners, the first time in North or South Carolina where over 3,000 women finished in a running event.

Transponder timing was instituted in 1997. Since 2005, a permanent transponder which the runner could keep was implemented.

The total Bridge Run and Walk participants in 2004 was 29,930. Females accounted for 45.1% of finishers.

There was a 42,000 runner and walker cap (25,000 runners, 17,000 walkers) for 2005, but many did not appear because of inclement weather which marred the start.

In the tradition of historic Charleston's Civil War and Revolutionary War heritage, a cannon is fired to start the event.

The event is South Carolina's only "elite" athletics event, as certified by USATF.

External links

• Official Website
• Cooper River Bridge Run Collectibles
• Charleston Running Club