Cooper Norcross Run the Bridge

I’m going to give this popular 10K a hearty four stars. Yesterday was my first time participating. Parking was kind of a nightmare. There were tons of lots in the area but only one or two were open for the event, and the second seemed to only open after the first lot was packed full. This caused confusion and a little panic in the first lot, since everyone just wanted to park their cars and get to the foot of the bridge. We were ushered into the second lot, which was actually closer to the bridge, so it worked out in the end.
The number of participants was capped at 4,000 and after getting through the initial jams in the first few minutes of the race, it was pretty smooth sailing. A huge exception being the people who started walking the race from the start. Why do people do this? To purposely annoy the people who actually want to run? If you know you are going to walk, at least be courteous and line up in the back of the crowd!
Getting over the bridge and back takes up the first three miles. The hard part is seemingly over at the foot of the bridge but an additional three miles in the form of turns and smaller hills can be challenging as well. The streets were clean along the entire course and the path was very clearly marked. Also, the race highlighted some of the nicer areas of Camden, which are often overlooked. The last .2 miles finish up in Campbell’s Field, which is pretty cool.
We lucked out with a sunny day that had a slight chill to the air but (blessedly) no wind. I’m undecided as to whether I will participate again, mostly because I dislike running in colder weather, but I’m grateful for the experience regardless.