Cooper Norcross Run The Bridge 10K

The Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge 10K (or, the «Bridge Run» as everyone calls it) is one of my favorite races and I look forward to it on the first Sunday of November every year. The race starts at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge. The first half of the 10K race is over the bridge towards Philly and back; the second half is along the streets of Camden, partially along the waterfront. Starting on the bridge will certainly be a challenge for those who have not been doing their hill training! But don’t worry, half way over the bridge you get to run downhill, and then turn around and do it all over again. The second half of the race is totally flat.
First of all, it’s just cool to be able to run over the bridge — looking out over the river, seeing the city, the boats, the water. I like the out-​and-​back nature of the first half of the race. Since I always know a large number of people doing this race, I like that I get to see them as we pass one another on opposite sides of the bridge. This race also offers a walk option, where walkers simply get the opportunity to walk across the bridge and back, not having to complete the entire 6.2 miles.
This race always offers a decent long-​sleeved t-​shirt (even if it is cotton), a nice finisher’s medal, and plenty of post-​race refreshments. It’s a fairly large race for the area, capping at 4,500 runners. The race organizers do a great job handling that number of runners. I do recommend getting to the race early, though, if you plan on driving, as traffic into the parking areas starts to get difficult more people arrive and they start shutting down the roads for the race.
The only negative I can possibly think of is the connection to the pompous South Jersey political boss George Norcross, but at least he is sponsoring a race that supports a great cause, the Lark School, which serves disabled children and their families.
This is a race I do every year, so long as it fits in my schedule (and I try very hard to make sure it does fit).