'Not just a race ...': Spotlight on Cooper River Bridge Run

Moultrie News 9/23/24

Fitness enthusiast Irv Batten recently offered members of the local business community an inside peek at what goes into organizing the third-largest 10K in the nation, known as the Cooper River Bridge Run.

As the guest speaker at the Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce Sept. 19 Luncheon at the Omar Shrine Temple, the event's sixth-year executive director disclosed how his passion for running spurs him to continually improve the much-anticipated race.

Billed as one of the best conducted 10K competitions in the world, the bridge run consists of tens of thousands of runners traversing the Arthur Ravenel Bridge from Mount Pleasant into Charleston.

A video viewed by luncheon attendees recounted how the spring celebration has grown from a little over 700 participants in 1978 to now hosting 40,000 athletes and spectators combined.

The bridge run, it was noted, is much more than a race in that participants from around the globe partake in the festivities surrounding the event, including live music and two-day expo. The latter invites vendors to showcase a plethora of items and services, such as running gear, apparel and nutrition products.

In addition, youngsters from multiple age groups compete in a Kids Run, featuring a range of events from "toddler waddlers" to one-mile races.

Monies raised by the bridge run (an estimated $35 million) are traditionally allocated to projects or programs that promote health, wellness and community engagement. In that spirit, the Cooper River Bridge Run — a 501 c(3) nonprofit — aligns with local charities to donate funds to those organizations, as well highlighting their respective causes.

Batten underscored the need for volunteers who could be asked to perform an assortment of tasks, from manning water stations to setting up race materials or post-race cleanup.

In response to an audience member's appreciation for the finished product, Batten shared: "We like to travel around and we'll go to the Peachtree Road Race, which is the largest 10K in the United States and their participants at the expo say the same thing."

As for why Charleston's race is smaller than 10Ks in Atlanta (Peachtree) and Boulder, Colorado, the bridge run spokesperson maintained that the Holy City's narrow streets and older infrastructure can't handle more than 40,000 people.

Also communicating her enthusiasm for the race was Chamber member Nikki Cifelli, who opined that she's been in races all over the country and the bridge run is the best organized among them.

To find out about volunteer opportunities at the 2025 Cooper River Bridge Run on April 5, visit bridgerun.com or call 843-856-1949.