Why Do U Run-

I have a love and slight hate relationship with the Cooper River Bridge Run. I love the Pre and Post race expo. The race organizers do a fantastic job with lining up some great sponsors. By great sponsors I mean the level of energy and how the runners are appreciated. (See the Johnsonville Brawest trailer here as example) The level of free goodies far exceeds any other race event that I have attended. That includes the New York ING Marathon. That is a great race for sure but it could learn a lot from the folks in Charleston. Maybe it is just part of the southern hospitality that comes into play. My semi hate part actually has to do with some of the runners. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. My hat is off to all of the participants that lace up and head out there. The problem arises when such a large number of runners have absolutely no clue about race etiquette. I see the problem growing each year and this past Saturday was no exception. It seems thousands of runners indicate they will finish the race in less than 60 minutes on their race event application. They actually have no idea about a real time or just lie to place themselves in a front corral. They just do not care about how their real pace will affect thousands of their running friends. My point in case relates to the number of folks that are already walking by mile one. Yes, I said mile one. No kidding. I had to bob and weave like a NFL running back to maneuver the walking crowds. These are not people that signed up to walk. These are people that signed up to run this event in less than an hour. I actually saw a large number of runners that were walking by mile two that had bib colors/numbers indicating they had signed up as sub 49 minute runners. REALLY!!! I saw one couple strolling along hand in hand like they were the only two love birds on the bridge. These two yahoos had to have noted a sub 49 time on their application in reference to their bib colors. All that being said, it is a great race and putting up with morons is just a part of the CRBR ritual. Myself,

  I did OK considering the very limited training and a nagging hip injury. The race started almost an hour late due to transport issues with the buses that chauffer the runners from Charleston to the Mt Pleasant start line. Something about blah, blah,blah or at least that is all I and 36 thousands other runners heard. So, it was about 80 degrees and 83% humidity by 9 am when we finally got the gun. This is a first for the CRBR for a delay start since one episode in the eighties due to fog. Pretty good track record I would say.

Standing in a corral that has no room to stretch or stay loose for an hour and a half is a real bummer. All of your planning with food, fluid and bathroom issues just runs out the window. Pun intended. I have already complained about the thoughtless runners but, the second reason for the bottle neck of runners was due to the hour of delay issues in and of itself. More confusion even for the seasoned runners. The start of an event usually begins close to the projected time. It seems some of the runners figured they could out run the clock delay. I saw people sprinting at a Kenyan pace,,,, for about a 100 yards. They hit they wall like a blind drunk Nascar driver at Bristol. It was almost funny and yet sad to think about they still had over 5 miles to go and no reserves to get them there.

 I had planned on running around a 10 minute pace due to my hip issues and 3 other people counting on me in two weeks as part of a 70 miler relay team. My plan was to take it easy and enjoy the sites from the Ravenel bridge to the cheering crowds along Meeting and

King St

.

I thought I was running a little fast the first mile but figured I would be okay. I determined  my 2nd mile up the bridge would force me to slow down. I have to admit that I too was feeling like the hour delay had to be recaptured, somehow. I also wanted to move through the slow crowds to be certain I beat them to the Bratwurst truck. I checked my watch at mile one and saw 8:48. Good grief, what are you doing moron, trying to run like this is your first race? Was the pot calling the kettle black? Maybe a little. That was actually a little slow for my first mile under normal 10K standards but I was supposed to be keeping it around 10 +- and protecting my hip. Well, the bridge sort of solved my problem. I backed down to a 9:45 and was on pace to come in around a 59. I had to continue to bob and weave thru the other runners. The casualty count continued to rise as runners had sprinted to the base of the bridge and then discovered an incline such as this bridge is very stingy with allowing runners to get over it with out some serious payment being extracted. Mile 3 couldn’t come too soon. The heat was rising and the down hill side of this bridge is always a welcoming site. I was sitting at 29 and change at the 3.1 split. Just where I needed to be. I also saw and knew that the continued slowing crowds in front of me was going to take some extra work to pass. I will have to say that this race has usually opened up by this point and the crowds are manageable. Not today. People were spent and lined the middle and both sides of

Meeting street

like a slow moving Christmas parade. I have never seen so many people that succumbed to walking this race. Maybe it was the delay and increased heat. Maybe it was folks that had no business starting in a front corral. I continued on the same way I started this event. bob and weave, bob and weave. I hit the finish line at 58:22. That was 5 minutes above what I should have done without any injuries but I was thrilled that my hip was slightly sore but no real pain at all. I headed straight to the medical tent for a bag of ice and literally sat on it for about an hour. My rear end was completely numb but felt really good. I had just finished a 10K with a 9:24 pace and began to believe a decent time is on the horizon for the Palmetto 70 relay. By the way, I did get that Bratwurst and other goodies that pretty much loaded me up with all the calories I had just burned. It was worth every one of them. So,, Why do I run, sometime it is about the mental challenge, sometime it is about learning how you handle situations when some of the folks around you are pretty thoughtless and sometime it is just the thought of how good that Expo food really is in Charleston. Yep, I will be back at this one next year. It is a race like no other. It is why I run, or least one of them. How about you?