Welcome to the 46th annual Cooper River Bridge Run. Our community thrives on the new challenges and opportunities that keep our race fresh and exciting. These innovations are why our race has lasted through generations and contributed in so many ways to the economy and well-being of the Lowcountry and state of South Carolina. The Bridge Run’s commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle through nutrition and exercise is a goal to which we will forever aspire. We look to the youth of our community to help us perpetuate this worthy endeavor so that it remains a solid foundation for a healthy tomorrow.
Many of you have witnessed the growth from 700 to 40,000 participants, and we couldn’t have done it without you. We’re in this together!
We kickoff our event with the ever-growing Health and Wellness EXPO at the Charleston Area Convention Center. Our Health and Wellness Expo has over 200 vendors with cutting-edge fitness attire, exercise equipment and demonstrations, nutritional information and product sampling.
The Cooper River Bridge Run begins at 8 a.m. April 1. Our spectacular harbor views and beautiful architecture will amaze and inspire you while crossing the bridge from Mount Pleasant to Charleston. We have one of the only races in the country that provides free transportation (250 buses) before and after the race for any participant wearing their race bib. Cross the finish line and receive a Finisher Medal and then enjoy our Finish Festival in Marion Square, the heart of beautiful historic downtown Charleston.
We are very honored to have Harris Teeter and Benefitfocus as our presenting sponsors. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all our wonderful sponsors and vendors for their continued support.
We couldn’t begin to have this event without the tremendous job done by our volunteers, local police and our community partners. Above all, our board of directors and staff thanks the people of our wonderful community who are the heart and soul of the Cooper River Bridge Run. Let’s get over it!
Irv Batten, Race Director
Mount Pleasant coach Tami Dennis swims to keep fit, but she dreams day and night of running.
As the founding head coach of the Mount Pleasant Track Club, she is being honored with the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Award at this year’s Cooper River Bridge Run.
“The Joseph P. Riley Jr. Award is given each year to a person who has unselfishly dedicated their time and energy in promoting health and wellness in the Lowcountry of Charleston,” said race director Irv Batten. “Tami Dennis embodies what this award is about. She has dedicated herself to promoting health and wellness through her involvement with the Mount Pleasant Track Club. It's amazing what she has done with the youth of Mount Pleasant.”
Dennis, 64, is humbled by the honor.
“One of my greatest accomplishments is getting such a great group of coaches who love what they do and make my job much easier.” And then there are the kids.
The club, founded in 2003 with about 20 youths, exploded to more than 400 participants with 35 coaches through the years. It’s one of the nation’s top running clubs — and maybe the top one for a town the size of Mount Pleasant. Most of the prominent clubs are in metro areas like Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston.
Dennis, who grew up in Spartanburg, started competitive swimming as a youngster, eventually lettering as a freshman at Clemson University. She also coached
embers of the nationally recognized Mount
“I like to run because it’s fun, and I like to hang out with my friends and the coaches,” said 11-year-old Ty Allenspach of Mount Pleasant, a nine-time state champion in running events.
“It brings a lot of teamwork,” said Isle of Palms 11-year-old Siena D’Agostino.
Evan Whichard, also 11 of Mount Pleasant, said he loves the feeling of freedom when he races around the orange track at a Park West facility operated by the Town of Mount Pleasant.
“When I run, I feel free, and it relaxes me to hang out with friends,” he said.
This weekend, the three are looking forward to zipping across the Ravenel Bridge to try to get their
best-ever times in the 46th annual Cooper River Bridge Run.
Ten-year-old Carter Richardson of Mount Pleasant said he likes running to get exercise, which Evelyn Mercer, 10, agreed with.
“It’s great fun running fast and running races because it’s just a fun thing to exercise.”
Another runner, 11-year-old Ada Klick of Mount Pleasant, said running helps take her mind off of everything “like school and stressful things like homework.”
Head coach Tami Dennis said the young runners and about 394 other teammates were very comfort-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Pleasant Track Club say they burn up the miles weekly at the track and area streets because they enjoy it, and they get to hang out with their friends.Ty Allenspach, 11, of Mount Pleasant Siena D’Agostino, 11, of Isle of Palms Evan Whichard, 11, of Mount Pleasant Carter Richardson, 10, of Mount Pleasant Evelyn Mercer, 10, of Mount Pleasant Ada Klick, 11, of Mount Pleasant
swimming with her dad as a teenager.
“My goal was to letter,” she recalled recently. “I swam five hours a day.”
But Clemson only offered one scholarship for a woman swimmer in the late 1970s. When she didn’t win, she stopped swimming competitively.
“I set my goal, hit my goal and then experienced college,” she joked.
After Clemson, she worked in sales for IBM, followed by a sales career as a pharmaceutical representative. But she also started running to keep fit. Her competitive nature, spawned by her father, kicked in. And she ran and ran.
“It’s easier to do. You don’t need a pool. And I started running as stress relief for my job.”
BRIDGE RUN EXPO
Thursday, March 30, noon to 8 p.m.
Friday, March 31, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Charleston Area Convention Center
5001 Coliseum Drive North Charleston
COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN FINISH FESTIVAL
Saturday, April 1, 8 a.m. to noon Marion Square, Charleston (Participants only)
BRIDGE RUN BREAKFAST
8 a.m. to 10 a.m., April 1
Charleston Running Club Marion Square, Charleston Free to members; $10 for others charlestonrunningclub.com
BIERGARTEN BRIDGE RUN BASH
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., April 1
Bay Street Biergarten
549 East Bay St., Charleston baystreetbiergarten.com
CHARLESTON BREWERY DISTRICT BEER TROLLEY
1 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 1
• Free shuttle connecting 10 downtown breweries IG: @ChsBreweryDistrict
BRIDGE RUN POST PARTY
After the race, April 1 Commonhouse Aleworks 4831 O’Hear Ave., North Charleston commonhousealeworks.com
OTHER FUN
Lots of area establishments will have April 1 drink or store specials and more for runners showing their bibs. Some we’ve heard about include Bedford Falls (430 Meeting St.), Blind Tiger Pub (36 Broad St., Charleston), Charleston Hemp Collective (473 King St.), Bowen’s Island Restaurant (near Folly Beach), Share House and Bodega (Ann Street, Charleston), Vickery’s on Shem Creek (Shrimp Boat Lane, Mount Pleasant) and Uptown Social (King Street, Charleston).
See page 14 for our calendar of coming area runs
So while in Spartanburg, she started a children’s running program called Footsteps to Fitness. It eventually grew to a program offered in 38 schools with more than 2,500 student runners. She also started the Spartanburg Striders running club and coached it for 15 years. It produced several All-Americans and two national champions.
Then sales job transfer brought her and her Ravenel-born husband Ray to the Lowcountry in the early 2000s.
“He wanted to come down here to play golf 12 months of the year instead of 11.”
And it wasn’t long before the coaching bug bit again, thanks to the town of Mount Pleasant’s recreation department director who wanted to develop a track team.
Since then, the all-volunteer team has grown and grown. Dennis oversees three dozen coaches who oversee competitive running for about 400 youths. Over the last 20 years, more than 600 of the club’s track athletes have been state champions, 169 received All-American honors and 17 became national champions. Its cross country team has had 94 individual and 139 team state champions, five dozen regional champs and individual AllAmericans, and 17 team All-Americans.
After years of competitive running, Dennis has switched back to swimming. It’s easier on the legs. And she’s retired, so she has the time.
“I swam two miles this morning,” she said one afternoon earlier this month.
“I’ve got arthritis in my left knee so I run a little tiny bit, but I’m mostly walking/ swimming. I’m swimming 6 miles a week and walking 20 miles.”
She’s looking forward to the April 1 Cooper River Bridge Run — just like she always has.
“I ran the Bridge Run for 32 years in a row and I was usually in the top five or top 10 of my age group,” she said. “Even when
I lived in Spartanburg, we would bring 150 people a year for the Bridge Run.”
For her, the Bridge Run has always been the biggest deal of the year.
“I went from doing 30 races a year to one a year and that was the Bridge Run,” she said. “It was always the race that was circled on my calendar.”
These days, she roots for her club’s runners from the sidelines around the onemile marker of the race.
“I warm up. I wear my running stuff and then I go to the one-mile mark and cheer on all of my kids,” she said. “My mind thinks I’m doing it, but my body says I’m not.”
The Cooper River Bridge Run is seared into her soul.
“It’s always been the epitome of the racing community. It’s the biggest deal in South Carolina.
“The Cooper River Bridge Run has brought a lot of support from the running community all over the world. I’m saddened by the fact that I can’t participate as a runner now, but I love the fact that I coach a lot of people who do run it and support it.”
The race starts 8 a.m. April 1. No fooling.
Winners of the Joseph P. Riley Jr. Award from the Cooper River Bridge Run are recognized annually for their unselfish dedication to promoting health and wellness across the Lowcountry. Past winners include:
2015: Noah Moore
2016: Marka Rodgers and Adam Gorlitsky
2017: Susan Johnson and Janis Newton
2018: Bill Macchio and Cullen Murray-Kemp
2019: Dr. Janice D. Key
2020: Dr. Marcus Newberry
2022: Paul Wieters
“
I went from doing 30 races a year to one a year and that was the Bridge Run. It was always the race that was circled on my calendar.”
—Mount Pleasantrunning coach
Tami Dennis
able running big races like the Cooper River Bridge Run.
All six youths interviewed for this story said they couldn’t wait for the April 1 Bridge Run. Allenspach, who recalled running the 6.2-mile race last year in about 42 minutes, wants to do it this year in under 40 minutes. Others said they hoped to make their personal bests by running the route in 45 to 50 minutes.
Last year, Richardson said he felt held back because he ran with a partner. This
year, “I think I might leave him behind.”
Klick recalled running with Whichard last year.
“I was really happy I was done and happy I finished it,” she said. And even though she was tired, she says she’ll keep pounding the pavement.
“I love running.”
The Mount Pleasant Running Club has excelled for more than 20 years at local, state and national levels. The kids who have trained with the club have set lots of records in track and cross country, including:
Track
• 665 state champions
• 155 regional champions
• 169 All-Americans (top 8 in the nation)
• 17 national champions
Cross country
• 94 individual state champions
• 139 team state champions
• 31 individual regional champions
• 63 team regional champions
• 62 individual All-Americans (top 25 in nation)
• 17 Team All-Americans (top 3 in nation)
• 195 total All-Americans
“
I was really happy I was done and happy I finished it. I love running.” —Ada Klick
Leaders of the Cooper River Bridge run recognized the Tri-county male and female winners of the 10K race in 1986 by starting the Marcus Newberry Award as a tribute to the event’s founder, Dr. Marcus Newberry.
2022, the Bridge Run started a new award — the Cedric Jaggers Award — to serve as a tribute to the race’s longtime historian and author of Charleston’s Cooper River Bridge Run: A Complete History in Words and Photos (2011). The top male and female South Carolina finishers receive an award and a $500 cash prize.
From staff reports
Your feet literally are the foundation for your running. To make sure you have healthy feet and legs, you need to take special care to make sure they stay happy. Here are some tips, courtesy of Amy Minkel, an owner of area Fleet Feet stores:
Start with the right sized shoe.
Make sure to get a professional to fit your feet for the correct-sized shoe, ensuring that the shoe is appropriate for the activity you’re planning. “Foot shape, volume, length and width should be considered when choosing a shoe,” Minkel said. “The correct shoe should be comfortable right from the start and not need a ‘break-in’ period.”
The proper sock can help prevent issues such as blisters, hot spots and fungal infections, Mikel added. “A sock made from a technical, moisture-wicking fabric is key. Avoid cotton as it traps moisture against the skin and loses its shape as it takes on moisture.”
Minkel said if you take care of your muscles before, during and after a run, they will take care of you. She encourages runners to do a proper warm-up prior to a run or walk to get leg and foot muscles ready. After the workout, make sure to stretch. “Using massage tools to keep your muscles loose can also help avoid injuries.”
Because muscles are about 79% water, drinking water daily will help keep them more pliable and resistant to injury. Minkel added that replacing electrolytes after workouts also helps people to absorb water properly.
Looking for some new places to log miles as you train for your next race? Veteran runners offer these scenic locations where you might see some new, cool sites and experience parts of the Lowcountry with which you’re not familiar:
Folly Beach
Running along the beach (be careful between the groins) can be uplifting, particularly along the “Edge of America.” Remember to be careful on narrow streets parallel to the beach.
West Ashley Greenway
This former railroad track from Albemarle Road near the Ashley River to Main Road in outer West Ashley has miles of flat, good paths on which to train. It’s better in
Ravenel Bridge. What better way to train for future Bridge
Runs than to run five miles over and back across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the Cooper River.
winter months when the bug population is more limited.
Kiawah Island
You can start a great beach run at the south of the island from the county’s Kiawah Beachwalker Park. But remember: It’s a healthy drive from the peninsula.
James Island County Park
This convenient park offers a bunch of trails where you can see wildlife in this sprawling area just minutes from downtown Charleston.
Francis Marion National Forest
This area north of Mount Pleasant has a lot of great trails … and lots and lots and lots of bugs. But hey, run fast and you’ll be past them.
Downtown Charleston. Jogging through downtown’s streets when most people are asleep is a great way to greet the morning — and a way to see Charleston when there’s not much traffic.
Mount Pleasant’s Old Village. There’s always something neat to see in the Old Village — old trees, an unnoticed cemetery, beautiful houses — whenever you run through the shady streets of Mount Pleasant’s Old Village. Make sure to check out the Pitt Street Bridge and breathe in the salt air and pluff mud.
Sullivan’s Island. Just across the Intracoastal Waterway is Sullivan’s Island where you can get a great, long run on the beach. Go early and watch an amazing sunrise.
Daniel Island. The trails around Daniel Island are the perfect place to train and stay out of the Lowcountry’s blistering summer sun, runners say.
Richard Mottern
2031 Sam Rittenberg Blvd. 843-766-2394 ext. 12024 rmottern@acg.aaa.com
Whether you’re running Saturday across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the Cooper River with thousands of others and are already planning your next challenge or if you think it’s fun to slog on a Saturday so you can eat doughnuts, the Lowcountry offers a lot of running options. Here are some local runs to keep you fit in the months ahead:
Doughnut Dash 2022 #Race4Wanza (5K)
April 15, 9 a.m. South Windermere Center 80 Folly Road Blvd., Charleston eventbrite.com
Mullet Haul Trail Run (5K, 10K)
April 22, 8:30 a.m. Johns Island County Park 2662 Mullet Haul Road, Johns Island Ccprc.com
Sharing Hope Race For Life (5K, 10K)
April 29, 7:30 a.m.
Folly Beach Runsignup.com
G.O.A.T. (5K)
May 13, 8:30 a.m. The Goatery at Kiawah River 3883 Betsy Kerrison Pkwy., Johns Island blueskyendurance.com/race
Bulldog Breakaway Summer Twilight Series (5K)
June 1, 8, 22, 29, 6:30 p.m. The Citadel, Charleston active.com/orgs/bulldog-breakaway
Lowcountry Trail Half Marathon and 5K
Oct. 7, 8 a.m.
Johns Island County Park 2662 Mullet Hall Road, Johns Island Ccprc.com
Chili 5K Trail Run
Nov. 4, 9 a.m.
Laurel Hill County Park 1400 S.C. Highway 41, Mount Pleasant ccprc.com
Other runs from the past to watch for
• Isle of Palms Connector Run
• Avondale Run and Walk
• Holiday Festival of Lights Fun Run
For more runs and info, check out CharlestonRunningClub.com.
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LOCAL · LOW FEES · GREAT EVENTS
URBAN HEAT
FRI, APR 14 AT 8PM AT TIN ROOF
MOTIVATED TO MOVE
SUN, APR 30 AT 7AM AT SHARE HOUSE
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
SAT, APR 22 FROM 2PM - 6PM
AT CHARLESTON HARBOR RESORT
KEVN KINNEY OF DRIVIN N CRYIN
THU, MAY 4 DOORS 8PM SHOW 9PM AT THE COMMODORE
