Cooper River Bridge Run was named the top South Carolina tourism event of the year

Charleston’s Cooper River Bridge Run, which will hold its 42nd race this April, took home the top prize at this week’s statewide tourism conference. 

The 10K race brings tens of thousands of runners across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge every spring.  It is the third-largest 10K in the U.S., only Atlanta and Boulder are bigger. An estimated 60 percent of those participants are from out-of-town. 

Charleston native Julian Smith has served as the event’s director since 1994 with 7,400 finishers his first year. By 2006 33,700 people participated.

Last year, 27,414 people ran the route from Mount Pleasant through downtown Charleston for the 41st annual race. It is estimated that the race brings in more than $30 million dollars to the community.

posted Thursday February 21st