Cooper River Bridge Run

The race that began it all-The Cooper River Bridge Run-this was my first race and my first race-cation. I will always have a special place in my heart for this race and will write about my first race-cation in a future post, but this post is to celebrate the 2024 Cooper River Bridge Run.

My friends had heard me talk about this race for years and finally agreed to join me in 2023 and then loved it so much they agreed to return for 2024!

We signed up for the race as soon as you can. Pro tip: Race Registration begins in June the year prior to the race. This year when we registered we made sure to put in a proof of time to be able to begin closer to the start of the race. For the 2023 race we did not put in proof of time and we were in a much later corral which made the race a totally different experience. Pro tip: Always put in a proof of time-even it is isn’t “fast” it at least gets you “seeded” and a possible earlier start. We also opted to have our packets mailed to us when we registered, this meant we could leave whenever we wanted for the weekend and we didn’t have to make it to Charleston in time to attend the expo to pick up race packets. I will say the CRBR expo is amazing and runners should experience it, but for convenience, we opted for the mailed packet this year. Pro tip: Have packets mailed whenever possible which will allow for greater flexibility during a race-cation.

We also knew we would need accomdations that would house a larger number of people so the race (pun intended) was on to find an affordable house for a larger number of people near race start. We like to stay on the Mount Pleasant side because we like to sleep as late as possible before a race. Pro tip: If you are booking on VRBO or Airbnb look for a listing that includes “Old Village” for Mount Pleasant-this will put you close to the race start which is typically on the corner of Simmons Street and Coleman Boulevard.

We found such a cute house at 1470 Barbara Street, it was a three bedroom(one room with twin beds, one room with a queen, and one room with a king bed) and one and a half bathroom house on a quiet street in the Old Village and we waited the 10 months for the race to begin. Pro Tip: Try to get lodging as soon as possible when registering or even before registering as lodging can be expensive for this weekend and VRBOs/Airbnbs sell out fast.

Photos used with permission

Friday, April 5, 2024-The day prior to the race

The house we chose said there were a two car limit to the driveway so we carpooled between the two cars. We are about three and a half hours from Charleston and we left around 1pm to avoid any traffic in the area. We loved the house immediately upon arrival, it was so well put together and cute and we felt right at home. As the first arrivers we were tasked with finding a dinner spot and two members of our running group have celiac disease so we also have to find a place that is gluten free and dairy free (as one also has dairy allergies).

Mount Pleasant has an impressive array of dining establishments that offer amazing food and it makes me sad to come back home to the lack of amazing food establishments despite the fact I live in a “resort town”. Pro tip: There is a website, Find me Gluten Free, that locates gluten free restaurants close to your location. We were concerned about wait times as this was Friday before the race and the race was capped at 38,500 runners plus all their companions. I think it is easier to find places to eat in Mount Pleasant versus Charleston before this race.

We chose to eat at Kid Cashew and you can read about our food adventure here (insert link). There was no wait and our meal was amazing. After eating we headed back to the house to get ready for race day.

One of the cool things found in the house was a binder that included “bucket list items” for the area and I, of course, devoured the list and made notes for our post-race Saturday.

We spent the night talking and catching up and as all runners do-debating on what to wear when the race start is 47 degrees and 10mph winds. Due to our close proximity to race start we determined that we would leave the house at 7:20am for an 8:00am race start.

Saturday, April 6, 2024-Part One-The Run-Race day!

With the house having two bathrooms we were able to all get ready and leave the house at 7:20. As discussed previously there was much debate about what to wear and most of us decided long sleeve pullovers which a short sleeve underneath and shorts and we were so glad we did-that wind was COLD! I don’t usually run with water or fuel for anything less than six miles so I was not intending to bring water with me, but the night before my friends convinced me otherwise and I filled up my hand-held water bottle and added a Nuun tablet (cherry lime is my favorite) and then promptly left it at the house. I only noticed when I got the race start and wondered why I felt lighter than normal.

CRBR advises that runners be in their corrals at least 1 hour prior to race start, this is due to the massive amount of traffic and runners trying to be one place all at once. Since we were staying on the start side of the race and near to the start we did not go as early as possible but I would advise a first time attendee to adhere to this rule as buses/transportation can be unpredictable. We arrived at the start at 7:45am and entered into our corral. Pro tip: Even if you are seeded in different corrals you can still be in the later corral if you want to run as a group, you just can’t move up in corrals. Due to being seeded earlier this year we were able to start the race within four minutes of the start time. CRBR has the elites go first and then begins the seeded runners as the diagram shows.

For those who have not have the pleasure of running the Cooper River Bridge Run yet, it is one of the largest 10ks in the United States and is typically held the first weekend of April, future race dates can be found here. The first 1.5 miles of the 10k are generally flat and ran on the streets of Mount Pleasant. Then runners begin the ascent along the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Per the Bridge Run website the Mount Pleasant side of the Bridge has a 5.6 slope for 3/10s of a mile and the bridge is limited to a 4.1 slope. The bridge itself is 2.485 miles long which lends itself to the races tag line “Get over it”.

Once over the bridge runners can experience the beauty and history of downtown Charleston as they run along King Street to the finishing location at Marion Square. A complete course map can be found here.

We had a plan to stop at the top of bridge for pictures but we got split up and I was only able to get a picture with my friend Audrey. On the descent of the bridge we were able to find each other and run through the streets of Charleston together. I remember once we got the top thinking “it’s all downhill from here” and it is, it also felt much easier to run a 10k as this was the first race after our marathon.

I always enjoy reading spectator’s signs and this year did not disappoint. We crossed the finish line and immediately noticed a Dunkin’ tent, they were offering free samples! We enjoyed our iced coffee and then headed to the park to enjoy all the post race fruit. This year they had watermelon, mandarins, bananas and encouraged runners to take as much as they wanted, however knowing 38,5000 runners were running we only took 1 per person. There was post race entertainment and samples of Waterloo. We spent about an hour at the park and then headed for the busses back to the start line, the buses were located on the same corner as the Dunkin’ tent.

Since the CRBR is a point to point race runners will need transportation to or from the start line and we needed it back to the start line. Pro Tip: Make sure you know which shuttle to take back as there are multiple locations. We took the shuttle back to the start line, which actually stops way before the start line, so be advised. We were able to snag a shuttle early with no wait for departure and we were able to see runners still going over the bridge on our way home, it was neat to be able to cheer them on. The trip back is long as you have to go around the area because the Arthur Ravenal Bridge is closed. The bus dropped us off and we were right across from Annie’s Hot Donuts and they offer gluten free donuts, so of course we stopped. There were several locals getting their donuts and they laughed at us having run and getting donuts. We also got coffee and began our walk home. The race was delightful and I look forward to doing it again in the future.

Saturday, April 6, 2024-Part Two-Post Race

We knew that we wanted to head to West Ashley to eat lunch at the West Ashley Crab Shack and get dessert at Annie O Love’s bakery. As a bonus we noticed that Christophe Artisan Chocolatier had a location right next door to the West Ashley Crab Shack and I remembered that the macarons and truffles were listed in our Airbnb’s bucket list of items/things to do, so we got even more sweets. You can read my food reviews of the above here (insert link)

Once we were done eating we headed to downtown Charleston to do some shopping and site seeing. Our first place to go was Low Country Olive Oil as we fell in love with this shop after last year’s run. This place has an impressive array of olive oils and balsamic vinaigrettes to sample and buy as well as tea and coffee. We settled on several (strawberries and champagne balsamic vinegar, greek olive oil, sun-dried tomato olive oil, spicy mango balsamic) and then headed to the city market.

At the city market we found several goodies including hats, necklaces, chapstick, among other items. As we were waiting for members of our group we ran across a vendor that gave us the history of the city market after explaining he had studied the market for four years and wrote a book on it. It was very interesting to learn about the market and it was neat to hear that the plot of land was given to the city of Charleston to be used in perpetuity as a market for local vendors. The vendor was a wealth of information and also a great example of southern hospitality.

We headed out along East Bay Street to see the famed Rainbow Row. Rainbow Row is set of townhomes along the Cooper River that are painted various colors.

We followed East Bay Street around the City and ended up at Battery Park where we observed several groups taking pictures including a Bridal party.

The vendor we had met prior advised us to walk along Church Street reading the signs along the buildings to get acquainted with the city and also advised that Meeting Street was a good street for history as well, but one of our companions wanted to walk along King Street so we walked along King Street to where we parked.

King Street has so many beautiful homes and also runs in front of the Charleston Grill, which is where I ate with my parents after my first bridge run, so special memories!

We ended up with about 13 miles of walking/running on Saturday so we decided to head back to Mount Pleasant for dinner. We ate at Graze which had some great options for our party. After eating we headed back to our house and stayed up just chatting and laughing which is our favorite part of the girls weekend race-cation.

Sunday, April 7, 2024-The Day after the race

We asked our host for a later check out, which they graciously accommodated and woke up and enjoyed the Charleston Coffee that the host provided for the home. The check-out rules for this house we so easy, probably the least amount of guest required items from any airbnb we have stayed in, so we really appreciated the extra time to be able to spend with each other. We originally decided to eat breakfast at the Vicious Biscuit but after having passed Vintage Coffee Cafe along the way we decided to change course. Breakfast was so delicious and fueled us for our next stop: The Plant House. This location is beautiful and makes you feel at home as soon as you enter the door. There is a wide variety of house plants to choose from and the service was excellent and knowledgeable. There is also space for terrarium classes and a bar to sit and sip at while you shop for plants. This place was a perfect place to stop at and get gifts for friends and family at home.

We then all said our goodbyes and headed back home.

Key takeways: We enjoy staying in Mount Pleasant as it is a cute small town outside of Charleston with a ton of shopping and eating locations. I would highly recommend staying here for Bridge Runners.