<P> The Cooper River Bridge Run is an annual 10 - kilometer (6.2 mi) one - way road running event across the Arthur Ravenel Jr . Bridge held in the cities of Mount Pleasant and Charleston in South Carolina, on the first Saturday in April . The Bridge Run is the only competition in South Carolina sanctioned by USA Track and Field as an elite event . Based on number of race finishers, the event is the third largest 10K and the fifth largest road race in the United States . </P> <P> In the mid-1970s, Medical University of South Carolina employee Dr. Marcus Newberry had visited his Ohio hometown and noticed Bonne Bell had built a running track around their offices to encourage employees' physical fitness . Dr. Newberry wanted a way to encourage fitness in the Charleston Metropolitan region, and believed the best way was to feature an event running through the bridges crossing the Cooper River . The event organisers featured officials from the Charleston Running Club, The Citadel, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the College of Charleston . </P>

How long is the bridge run in charleston sc