Cooper River Bridge Run 10K

MASSIVE!

33rd Annual

One of the Top Three 10K Races in the U.S.

33,042 Finishers

1st Place 27:49

33,042nd Place 2:58:50

Average Finish 1:14:58

This race is people watching at it's very best. I am quite tempted to dedicate my blog to "Things I Saw at CRBR" but without pics, words would not do justice to the sights. Even if you only go once, it's worth it. The race results alone, with all the various representations of global citizens, is proof that this is an event worth seeing. The spectator / fan turnout is higher here than any other running event I've been to and it's easy to see why. Lots of group / team participation including a pastel pink-shirted group named "Running With The Bride". Lots of seniors in khakis, capris and jeans (tells you that its not about the finish time) and a huge number of lively souls that participate under the terms of a "dare"... oh, the pictures I should have taken. *laugh*

CRBR is a one way route and in all honesty, if they chose to loop the route it would no longer be a 10K (6.2 mi) but most likely a half marathon. Runners cross the bridge once beginning in Mt. Pleasant SC and ending in Downtown Charleston SC. Bus rides are provided by CRBR - if you are on the Charleston side of the bridge, buses will start at 5:45am race day to deliver runners to the start line on the Mt. Pleasant side. The bridge itself is shut down to all traffic at 7am so runners must be boarded and transported before that time - Registration asks that all riders be in line by 6am. Boat rides are also available from the Charleston side to the Mt. Pleasant side, drop-off point is two miles from the start line.

If you are on the Mt. Pleasant side (as I was) the start line was about a mile from my motel, easy walk. The CRBR bus brought us back after the race but *WARNING* the bus drop-off point is NOT the start line, it is north of the start line at Sullivan's Island meaning at least a 3 mile walk back to the various hotels. There is a shuttle service provided on the Mt Pleasant side that picks up and drops off (for a fee) at the Holiday Inn and the Days Inn. Unless you are a distance runner / walker, this is an excellent option for those not parking their cars on the Charleston side overnight.

I will also mention that race day is an all day event. There is a Pre-Race Expo on Thursday and Friday and a Post-Race sponsor area afterwards. Participants wear their shirts with pride and can easily be seen long after the race boasting that same shirt with a sense of accomplishment!

I can now say "I Got Over It" and hope to one day return again, if not to run, to watch!

GUN TIME: 1:51:47
CHIP TIME: 1:40:19

GPX Shamrock 4 Miler

Excellent turnout for the first event of the 2010 GPX race series and, once again, Run For Your Life (RFYL) was on top of their game.!

917 avid enthusiasts turned out for the four miles, with the eldest being an 86 yr old female with a finish time of 50:22 - outstanding! The youngest was a 7 yr old with a finish time of 1:01:04 followed by an 8 yr old with an impressive 36:13, proving that this sport is truly for all ages and all abilities.

RFYL hosts an awards ceremony like no other for these GPX races and this morning's prizes were no exception. Door prizes included tickets to "The Last Song", a Miley Cyrus movie premier, gift certificates to RFYL and a variety of other items to folks who wore green in support of the St. Patrick's Day holiday.

My personal time was not record breaking simply because I chose to walk this event AND (leave it to me to do this...) I was late. I was parking as the start gun sounded and still had to walk over to pick up my chip before heading to the start line. I actually passed the folks carrying the disengaged timing apparatus as they were crossing over to setup for the finish line. They have to do this quickly because there are truly some top notch runners on board for these races (1st place time was 20:04 - that's a per mile pace of 5:01). Nonetheless, we are only in competition with ourselves so it matters most that we show up and participate and I can truly say I did my part heartily!

Very much looking forward to the next GPX race on April 24 - see you there!


GUN TIME: 1:01:32

ACTUAL TIME: 56:32 (subtracting 5 min for missing chip start time)

Shamrock Shuffle 5K

I got the t-shirt.

Walked the entire course, excellent route on secondary streets and around the Winthrop Coliseum. Supports Pilgrim's Inn - an outreach program for homeless women and children. Organizers sold glasses (Shamrock Shuffle 5K / Pilgrim's Inn logo) and race t-shirts for $5 each after the event to raise additional funds for the shelter, which is a wonderful idea for a cause such as this. Best wishes to Pilgrim's Inn for their compassionate efforts in their community.

CLOCK TIME: 47:53
POSTED TIME: 48:05 (manual timing at event)