CHARLESTON SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
’79, the only local to ever win the Cooper River Bridge Run outright. Today, Smith and Batten still visit races around the country. They go not only to learn, but are also, because of the Bridge Run’s massive success as the third largest 10K in the country, asked by other race directors to critique. “The last two years have been my favorite,” says Smith. Something no doubt made possible in part from Batten’s extra help. “Security has been the best ever, and we’ve safely handled well over 40,000 participants.” The Cooper River Bridge Run is considered one of the top 10K races in the world. Smith’s leadership and Batten’s experience are bound to make the next years of the Bridge Run the most fun yet. This year, with signature flair, 40 days and 40 nights of community activities will precede the 40th annual Cooper River Bridge Run. The race will be run on Saturday April 1, 2017. For more information, go to www.bridgerun.com.
Fall 2016, vol.26 no.3
COOPER RIVER BRIDGE RUN FACTS • The 10K starts in Mt. Pleasant, goes across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, and finishes in downtown Charleston.
• 1,200 runners showed up for the first race in 1978. Today, the run is capped at 40,000 runners.
• The Cooper River Bridge Run is now the 3rd largest race in the United States and one of the largest 10Ks in the world. • CRBR will celebrate its 40th anniversary with the April 1, 2017, race.
• The first Kenyans to run the race were Baptist College track team members Francis Mwobobia Ruchugo ’80 and Anderson Obare Atuya ’80. According to Cedric Jaggers in A History of the Cooper River Bridge Run, Ruchugo and Atuya finished 2nd and 3rd in the 1978 race with times of 31:34 and 31:44 respectively. Kenyans have dominated the winner’s list since the mid-1990s.
• Marc Embler ’79, won in 1981 with a time of 30:54. Embler remains the only local resident to win the race.
CSU magazine 17