The True to the Brew Trail Run/Hike’s inaugural race took place on 21 April and while I haven’t run on a trail like this in over a decade, this race was a good jumping point to dive back into hitting the trails, especially since I am so used to road running. The race was put on by the Palmetto Conservation Foundation with the help of a newer race organizer, Grit Endurance, and this roughly 6.5-mile course took us over a converted railroad path to include a fantastic 1,100 foot bridge that spanned the Broad River. Since this trail race took place outside of Columbia, and because it WAS a trail race, we decided to camp out at a state park that was near the race location.
Packet Pick-up happened at the Palmetto Conservation Foundation’s building down off Devine Street in Columbia. My packet included my bib, a thin, smokey-grey running shirt, directions to the race, and several pieces of literature about the Palmetto Trail. I had my GoPro with me and a couple of the race organizers asked if I would be filming out there to which I responded that I usually record my races and upload them on Youtube for future participants to see and for my friends’ enjoyment. The staff was very friendly and I had no issues picking up my wife’s packet as well.
On race day, we grabbed our race gear and drove up to Pomaria where the Peak to Prosperity portion of the Palmetto Trail was located and also happened to be the race course itself. Parking was relatively easy for us since we arrived about 30 minutes before the race. I learned shortly thereafter that there was a second designated parking spot and that runners, hikers, and walkers who parked there would be able to take a race-provided shuttle to the starting area. Besides people, dogs were encouraged on the course as long as they were on a leash.

Right before we took off, the race director suggested to everyone to think about their estimated mile time and line up according to the following groups: fast runners who do a seven minute mile or less, medium runners who do a mile between eight and ten minutes, and everyone else who takes more than ten minutes to do a mile. At first, I didn’t get why she suggested that, and I stayed in the back. Once the race started though, I understood why. The course is surrounded by trees on both sides and you only have the path as any room to move about; I was stuck towards the back the pack for almost half a mile due to my old habits (but I think I got some good footage).
The 6.5 mile course took us over 14 trestles or foot bridges. The lay of the land was relatively flat, or at least no one would notice the slight decline. Besides the trees surrounding the path for the majority of the course, if no one is directly in front of you, you’ll notice that the path is somewhat straight forward with slight, gradual turns. The ground itself was pretty firm; I could initially feel some rocks under the fallen leaves and pine needles at the start of the course, but I hit mostly firm dirt. And I personally love running over foot bridges so this was a huge boost for me.
The only thing that somewhat irked me out there was that my running app wasn’t in sync with the mile markers the race organizers had out there. During the course, my estimated mile spots could be as far off as .3 miles when I would come up to the race’s mile markers. But I figured it was because of all the overhead foliage and tree cover.
There were three water stations out there and were pretty well stocked. The volunteers cheered us on and provided some heartfelt motivation out there. We only had to cross one road and even then, law enforcement was there to stop the one car as I came to that point.
The end of the course holds the long railroad bridge and it is such a sight to be on it. While no one did it when I was running, I could totally imagine people stopping along the bridge and doing some selfie action shots. Right at the end of the bridge is the finish line and if you don’t know that is the final finish, it can sneak up on you.
After the finish line, I treated myself to the usual assortment of water bottles, bananas, and bagels. Something new, though, was the addition of little boxes of Chicken Bog, a local Carolina dish. I ate about three boxes of that chicken, sausage, and rice dish. Race participants also got a complimentary beer at the end of the race and live entertainment played the whole time. A couple of vendors were there as well.

I missed the award ceremony because I went back to see where other runners were in their progress, but I did end up placing in my age group and the Palmetto Conservation Foundation gave me a Palmetto Trail coffee mug for my achievement. It’s nice to break away from the usual medal and I can always use another coffee mug. After racers were done, two shuttles were in full effect to get participants back to their vehicles.
Looking back, this was a great race, a hidden course that needs more exposure so other people can enjoy it, and I would definitely do it again.

For the third year in a row, I got to run in Charleston’s Cooper River Bridge Run. This is my favorite 10k that I’ve taken part in and considering how much I love running an amusement park in the Run and Ride series, that’s saying something. The Bridge Run has it all for me from the large expo the day before to the big crowds at the start and during the race to the great view and rare opportunity on the middle of the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Then there’s the Finish Festival that takes place half a block from the finish line with all the food, swag, music, and general interactions. There is a reason this 10k race is consistently voted as one of the top ten 10k events in the United States, especially when the annual race draws between 25k to 35k participants for race day.

I feel like I should start with BEFORE the race and a review with the expo. The Cooper River Bridge Expo is THE biggest race expo I’ve ever attended. A couple of people I know have said the Bridge Run Expo rivals many marathon expos in size and vendors. Check in is easy for anyone who didn’t have their race packet sent to them, like me.

The Expo took place at the North Charleston Convention Center, just south of the Charleston Airport. Parking was relatively easy for us, but we were warned that parking would be an issue if we showed up later because Jimmy Buffet was in town and would be playing at the Convention Center later that night. Once we made it through the doors, we saw the wall of names for all runners and walkers would didn’t get their packets sent to them. Those runners would have to look up their names to get their bib number. Once the bib number was determined, a runner would go through the double doors and head towards the bib pick-up and after receiving their bib, walk just a little further to get the rest of their race packet. I observed several people do this, and it was a relatively painless process, especially with volunteers all around directing people which way to go if they needed to get their packets.

After we walked through the packet pick-up area, we strolled through the aisles of vendors, sponsors, and various race organizers. A lot of vendors offered an expo discount, to include Fleet Feet, Garmin, and RSports. Several alcohol producers were present as well and they offered plenty of samples if you were of age. We got to sample some well-made vodka, bourbon, and several varieties of wines in addition to a few drink mixers as well. Our bib has a special voucher on it that allowed us to get a free full drink from one of four minibars behind the music and relaxation area just outside the Convention Center.
The day of the race was pretty easy for us. If you missed the part at the beginning where I said that the Bridge Run about 30k people taking part in the race, I’m just going to re-iterate it here. To get to the race, if you somehow aren’t physically located near the starting line (somewhere in Mount Pleasant), then you have to catch a charter bus from one of several locations. Buses run from 5 AM to 7 AM. For my wife and I, we stayed at one of the hotels across the street from the Convention Center, which besides being where the Expo was located also doubled as a busing point for the race. There was PLENTY of parking at the North Charleston Convention Center. Volunteers show you where to go and encourage you as you load onto the buses. It took us about 25 minutes to ride the bus from the North Charleston Convention Center to the starting area of the race, and it was still dark.

We dropped out check-in bag at the proper location which was very easy to spot since it was along the way to the corrals. We joined the zombie-like crowds of runners making their way to their respective corrals, but not before passing several establishments catering to the morning crowd to include Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks coffee. The Bridge Run organizers had several port-a-potty locations set up, and my tip for when you first get off the bus and have the urge to pee is to keep going until you get close to your corral because there will be a bunch of port-a-potties set up and they won’t be as crowded as the first set you see after getting off the bus. I will say that 30 minutes before the race, all the portable bathrooms will have a line, so go early if you can.

The race started promptly on time; wheelchair athletes took off prior to 8 AM and the first competitive wave set off right at eight AM. I was in corral A and we moved up after the elite heat and the red, white, and blue colored bib racers took off. The other corrals followed us in the move towards the starting line.

Once our wave started, everyone in corral A moved with a purpose. There was no shoving or pushing, but you could easily see that wherever you were, you would be in close proximity of other runners; personally, I love that feeling. The first mile and half were very flat. Once we hit the on-ramp for the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, we began our ascent to the apex of the giant obstacle. It started easy with a slight incline, but it soon we trudged on with a 5% grade for what felt like a straight mile. Even when I reached the zenith of the bridge, I swore I was still running upwards. I do want to point out that once you’re on the bridge, it is a good time to pull off to the side and snap some memorable pictures.

The 3-mile marker and the 5-kilometer split appear after cresting the bridge and it really is all downhill from there, because once you get off the bridge, you are running on flat ground all the way to the finish line. I felt a little out of energy by the time I made it to the five-mile marker, but since I was still in a crowd of runners, albeit a smaller crowd, I felt the urge to continue on and not walk or stop. The downtown area along the course has the greatest number of supporters who will cheer on all the runners, joggers, and walkers who participate in the race. I saw gym instructors spinning on their stationary bicycles, I got to sample some great bacon from one of the local restaurants, and I read many signs of encouragement or attempts at humor. The crowds definitely make the final two miles so fun and worth running. However, all along the course 22 bands set up and played music for all the running and walking passers-by and they sounded pretty good out there.

Once I crossed the finish line, I walked about 100 feet or so to get my finisher’s medal, my token of achievement for this annual journey I partake. I continued on to the “finishers’ festival” in the plaza just to the north of the finish line. Harris Teeter, the local grocery store chain in Charleston, provided all sorts of fruits, muffins, and water by having two semi-truck sized stands set up on opposite ends of the plaza. Several vendors also handed out free samples of refreshments and protein snacks. Various gyms, running clubs, and colleges also had stands at the festival and amazingly I saw some apartment and living space companies there as well. Johnsonville Sausages had a rather large set up on the side street and they prepared some great, and free, brats for everyone. We stayed for the awards ceremony and they had a category for best costume… something to think about if you know you won’t go fast on this race.

When we were ready to leave, we headed out to the bus staging area. This is a minor complaint, but there were not enough volunteers at the bus area to direct the runners on which buses to take back to their original locations. I make it sound worse than it was, because everything was moving smoothly for the most part, but when you’re tired and ready to just go home, one of the last things you want to see is a bunch of people “cutting in line” to get on the bus sooner. Again, minor complaint, because the race was very well organized and they seem to have just about everything down to a science.

We made it back to our car okay and vehicle traffic around the Convention Center ran a lot smoother than I would have expected.

I fully plan on running in this race again next year and I highly recommend that everyone try this race at least once in their life; it is a great experience and something to enjoy.

I'm attaching a link that shows the highlights from the Bridge Run so you can see what I saw out there.
https://youtu.be/h2DdZqAO5-c

This is the second year I ran the race. It goes along the Timmerman Trail, a very nice, well-kept, paved trail in Cayce, South Columbia.

Packet pick-up was very easy, since it took place at Strictly Running. The staff there is always friendly and very helpful. They had a list out that had last name and bib number readily available in case you were picking up for someone else, which I had to do since I was getting my packet as well as for two of my kids. While in Strictly Running, I quickly perused running shoes and apparel after picking up my packet. My packet consisted of a cinch bag sponsored by Panera Bread, my bib number, a long sleeve Gildan shirt, several fliers for Senior Resources (the organization that would benefit from the race and helps senior citizens with the Meals on Wheels program), and an ad for an upcoming race or two.

Race day started pretty easy enough. Since I like running on Timmerman Trail, it wasn't hard to get to. The only difference for me is that the race took place at the tennis court complex as opposed to my usual entrance, which was about half a mile away. Parking consisted of us driving over to a nearby field and leaving our vehicle in a dirt parking area, which just about everyone did. There was a registration table and a same-day packet pickup station near the start line. A DJ played motivating music up until the race started and Panera Bread set up snacks and coffee for runners in preparation of the end of the race.

The race started at 9 AM after one of the local high school's JROTC color guard presented the colors and the national anthem was played. With the start of the race, over 230 participants crossed the line that began our timing chips. While the majority of the course goes on the Timmerman trail, the first half to two-thirds a mile takes place on a road leading to a break into the Timmerman Trail. I always start in the bank, so this is a good thing because a lot of the runners, walkers, and a rucker or two were bunched up on the road.

Once we hit the actual Timmerman Trail, the crowed thinned out, and I spent the entire race being within sight of about seven runners. Between the eight of us, there was some fluctuation of who would be in the lead and this went on in groups of two or three throughout the race. But it didn't feel crowded or even lonely on the course at all. The trail is paved all the way through except for maybe a 10 foot section at the beginning of the course, and bridges of various types are sprinkled the wooded forest sections. It was quite scenic and I could enjoy several moments of running alongside creeks and over metal or wooden bridges.

There was a water station at around the 1.5 mark and it was well stocked, especially with at least four volunteers working the station. The course was also well marked with red arrows on the path, couple with cones to help make sure no one took a wrong turn. The course also had volunteers interspersed throughout the route to ensure participants didn't veer off the path or get hurt.

Reaching the finishing line meant breaking through a break in two wooded sections, which volunteers showed up each way to run. And this is where there is a slight uphill, and it's enough to notice, but it doesn't hurt your legs or your breathing capacity.

The award ceremony consisted of presenting the overall male and female winners. There were medals for the 1st to 3rd place finishers for each age and gender category. The medals themselves were something special, since they were the typical circle on a ribbon. Instead, each medal was a engraved spoon on a neck hanging ribbon. While I didn't place in this race, my son took 1st place in his age group. If I have a complaint, it is that the majority of age groups didn't have enough participants, yet my age group was pretty full when it comes to a race this size. I am definitely in a good running area if this is a problem.

Before and after the awards ceremony, I grabbed some bottle water and bananas and definitely ate what Panera Bread offered which were flavored bagels, scones, and two types of coffee.

All in all, this is a great event, and one that should get a lot more people to run it, but there were at least three other racing events happening in the Columbia area. If I am still in the area next year, I look forward to coming back. One last thing; this is the video I did of the race. https://youtu.be/bCj4Wbw3ysg

The Columbia Run Hard event allows participants to race in a 26.2-mile marathon, a marathon relay, a 13.1-mile half marathon, and a 5-kilometer race. For this year’s race, I took part in the 5k (3.1 mile) race.

The Run Hard Expo was the day before the race and took place at a church a couple of miles north of where the Run Hard itself would take place. Parking at the Expo was relatively easy. You could park in the church parking lot, or park across the street with no issues. Packet pick-up was very easy; they asked for my name and they got my bib and shirt ready while handing me my goodie bag. There were several vendors there to include Fleet Feet and a table for the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Road Race. My shirt (the 5k shirt) was a red tech short-sleeve short which felt really nice and I wore around later that day; the blue shirt looked the same, but was reserved specifically for the half-marathon and above crowd. My goodie bag consisted of several coupons, vouchers, and ads for various races and local businesses. Of note, I had a card promoting two races in Nashville but the prize in my eyes was the day pass for one person to the Whitewater Park in Charlotte, NC. Chick-Fil-A also had card in the goodie bag that was good for a free chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets.

For race day itself, parking was mostly easy to deal with since everything happened downtown. There were several public parking garages that are free on weekends and parking on the side streets that weren’t directly involved with the race were available and free as well.

The starting line was on the east side of the State Capital Building and easy to spot. In fact, if you walked from Main Street down to the building, you would have seen several runners warming up and several volunteers and vendors setting up at the finish line in front of the State Capital Building. We walked from the finish line to where the start line was and met up with several of our friends who were taking part in the half and full marathons. It was a rather chilly 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) around 7 AM and you could see a lot of runners doing what they could to warm up before the race. The long-distance racers took off at approximately 7:30 AM which gave me 30 minutes to walk around, enjoy the sites, and talk with random participants. At exactly 8 AM, the 5k race started and I took off.

The 5k course consisted of a boot shaped loop. We started the race just outside the University of South Carolina’s Horseshoe. We ran by several USC buildings during the first mile, which was relatively flat. The crowd at the beginning of the race was plentiful, but it didn’t feel too crowded; I could easily navigate between groups of runners as I moved up from the back of the group. Once we turned off of Main Street and hooked a left onto Blossom, we hit a nice downhill that felt like it was speeding my pace up. My Strava app later showed that I significantly sped up here around here. However, it was the left turn onto Lauren Street where the uphill battle started. There was still a small group of runners nicely spread out around me, but almost all of us were feeling the burn of going uphill. A nice highlight for me was that I got to see a train come out from behind the trees and cross the road as I ran parallel past the railroad tracks. Once I hit the second mile, I was basically back on relatively flat land with two left turns left. It was here along the course that racers got to see one of the more interesting art pieces for Columbia, a 40-foot-tall silver fire hydrant. Once I hit Main Street, I was greeted by Chick-Fil-A cow mascots who kept cheering all of us on. Volunteers manned each intersection from the Main Street turn point to the finish line and they definitely motivated each of us to keep going.

Once I crossed the finish line, volunteers handed out the finisher’s medal, but unlike the several races I did, a volunteer actually put the medal around my neck instead of handing it to me. I was very appreciatively of that.

The post race area consisted of several pop tents where Panera Bread handed out free bagels, scones, and cups of coffee; you could get your race results, and get your chicken sandwich (reward time!) for completing your race from Chick-Fil-A. The awards ceremony happened on the steps of the State Capital Building, and I was surprised to learn that I placed in my age group.

Overall, this was a great race. There were over 250 participants running, walking, rucking, or strolling but at times, it felt like there were a lot more people out there, but in a good way. Everyone was so friendly out there: the supporters, the racers, the volunteers, and the organizers.

This year was the 16th Annual rendition of the Green to the Green race event. It took place in the Five Points district and over 1800 people participated between the 15k, the 10k, 5k, and 1 mile walk/run races. Overall, this was a great race to be a part of and I hope to continue running in it.

Race packet pick-up: Packet pickup took place on Friday, the day before the race at Athlete’s Arena off of Millwood Avenue. Parking there wasn’t too much trouble other than a delivery truck blocking a couple of spots as it dropped off packages for the pet store next door. Once inside Athlete’s Arena, I was greeted by race staff who asked for my last name. I also told them that I was picking up my wife’s packet as well, with which they had no problems. Once I got our bibs from the first table, I proceeded further inside to get our shirts and then our goodie bag, which consisted of a cinch bag (or drawstring bag, depending on where you’re from), several flyers for upcoming races, a voucher for a free workout at Athlete’s Arena, and a wristband to enter the St. Patrick’s Day festival at Five Points after the race. That wristband is almost worth the cost of the race alone, more on that later.

Race Day: Eggplant Events have used social and traditional media to good effect here. Between their Facebook posts; people talking about the Get to the Green on Twitter; interviews, commercials, and stories on television, radio, newspapers, and billboards, it was easy to find where to go. Several sites had maps showing where to park. Parking is also important because the starting line is about half a mile from the finish line with the distance between completely shut down to traffic due to the race and the festival that takes place afterwards. The surrounding area is residential and if you plan on staying a while for the party, you should park in the designated spots for the race so you don’t get towed or have your car stuck at that spot until the next day.

We walked down to the starting line at got our picture taken with our running group. Afterwards, we mingled around and watched one of the people from Athlete’s Arena try to warm up (and pump up) the 10k and 15k crowd before the start of their race at 7:30 AM. The same routine started again for the 5k and 1 mile groups as we gathered near the starting line a little before 8 AM.

The course itself was basically easy. The first half mile takes you over a flat surface and it is almost at exactly the half mile mark that you start your ascent up a hill. Once you crest the hill and turn right, it is relatively smooth coasting with one or two noticeable uphill spots afterwards. This is a familiar area for anyone who has run through the Shandon area of Columbia; the most noticeable race I can think of is the Red Shoe Run that happens in this area, but several summer races happen in this neighborhood as well.

The crowd was huge for the Get to the Green event. Out of the over 2300 people registered for the Get to the Green, 1400 ran in the 5k event. If you are looking to get a good time and hope to place in your age group or even overall, you will want to start as close to the starting line as possible; I always start at the end of the pack, and my mile times showed. My first mile registered with an 8:30 pace while my second and third miles were averaging just over an eight (8) minute pace. While it was crowded out there, at no point did I feel anyone shove or push me to get ahead. There were two women who did impede the very beginning by walking down the very middle of the street which blocked up race traffic within the first three minutes of the race, but they were the only ones I noticed.

The water stations were around the 1 mile marker and 2.5 mile area. I am sure the second water station was there more for the 10k and 15k runners than the 5k participants since we could see the finish line from the water tables. There was plenty of water at those two stations as well as the one at the finish line. The finish line water station also had bunches of bananas, different granola bars, and even cookies to hand out.

After finishing the race, I was greeted by volunteers handing out the finisher medal which also doubles as a bottle opener. Besides the refreshments tables, Athlete’s Arena and Orange Theory had booths set up to give more information about their gyms. A massaging service was also there offering free services to runners. The race results tent has two or three computers set up to print our individual results and even the overall results scrolling on a big television screen behind the tables.

My only complaint for this race, and it didn’t affect me personally, was the lack of a bag check. Our son was with us, so I made him the pack mule of the family and handed him my keys and jacket before the race. However, while running the 5k race, I saw several people running with their cinch bags on their backs and shoulders on the course.

This was a very festive race with the vast majority wearing green for the race. I even wore my Ireland rugby shirt that I picked up at the Shannon airport in Ireland last year when I was travelling back from the Middle East from Army training. I spotted several costumes out there as well, to include someone dressed as a beer keg and another person pretending to be a banana.

If you want to see a quick reel of what the race looked like, go to this: https://youtu.be/sl8TC69EyTg