61. Cooper River Bridge Run, 2011

When I was in New England, one of the things I missed was the Cooper River Bridge Run. It’s a 10K Race in Charleston, South Carolina which seems to get bigger and more popular each year. This year I was back, and I had Cara with me.

According to the results on Active.com, there were 34,747 finishers. That’s almost enough to match the population of Bangor, Maine. Think about that for a second. All of Bangor, Maine, trying to get into downtown Charleston at the same time. All of Bangor trying to park in Charleston, run the race and mooch far more fruit and water bottles than they could possibly need. (Seriously, don’t get me started about people who try to do their grocery shopping at the race.)

It could have been a complete mess, but the organizers have been stepping up their game each year. Parking was slow to accomplish, but mercifully simple. (I’m glad I brought a little cash, though. It cost us five dollars.) Leaving was also a snap. East Bay Street provided an easy exit corridor.

I had wanted to catch up with some friends before the race, but the schedule for the boat shuttle didn’t give us time, and with the crowds it would have been difficult to find anyone. Besides, we had to get back home. After the race, we returned to my brother’s place to pick up our gear and get cleaned up. Then we were off to Tartan Day South so we could catch some caber tossing and celtic music! (Many thanks to my brother for letting us crash at his place.)

• Brian – Start Time: 1:35:35, Chip Time: 1:09:09
• Cara – Start Time: 1:35:35, Chip Time: 1:09:10

These numbers are a bit disturbing, since Cara finished before me. (She told me to let her win.) But since we didn’t go over the starting mats together, it didn’t measure us exactly the same. She’s very upset that her time wasn’t under my own. (Among other things, she called it “booger-snots” and “ridunculous”.)

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