Bridging the bucket list

Last week I checked off a Bucket List race: The Cooper River Bridge Run 10K in Charleston, S.C.
This has been a race I've wanted to do for some time, and thought I'd missed an easy opportunity when my brother moved from Charleston several years ago.
But last year my co-worker Ellie said her boyfriend's father and stepmother live there and it would be fun to do the race. We all signed up.
What an adventure we had last weekend! It started on the road:

On the road with Ellie, Zaxby the dog, and Dave

 We drove down the day before the race, and got to the race expo. Boeing, which has a plant in Charleston, was one of the sponsors of the race, and as we were leaving the expo, I saw a Dreamliner coming in for a landing nearby. That plane is BIG!
It was an early start race day morning, as the race is a point-to-point race, so we had to be bussed to the start.

Waiting for the start

Country music star Taylor Hicks sang the Star-Spangled Banner and then came the skydivers!

Flying in the flag

Toward the start 

Almost there!

We were in Corral F, so we didn't start until about 8:30 a.m., almost a half hour after the elite runners, but at last we were on the way.

Over Shem's Creek

Me and my shadow

Nearing Ravenel Bridge

Beautiful bridge

Bridge selfie!

Blue skies

Finished!

I wish I'd smiled for my finish line photo! I look so silly, but maybe it was just I was glad to be done. It wasn't. a necessarily hard race. Mostly flat except for the bridge.
Here are some race-day photos from the Cooper River Bridge Run's website:

Almost the best part of the weekend, for me, was Saturday night's dinner at Bowen's Island Restaurant, where I got some outstanding steamed oysters. We had to wait to get in, about 45 minutes, but who minds the wait when you get a sunset like this?

Sunset over the marsh

I thought maybe this might be a "One and Done" race for me, but I had such a great time, I'd certainly consider running it again. It was very well coordinated and a lot of fun.