I recently saw a clip of a comedian in Portland who was commenting on the number of bridges in the city and questioning why we have so many. He wondered what exactly we were all trying to escape from. What this guy clearly did not understand is that each bridge in Bridgetown has its own personality and adds something new to our city. And when you have the chance to run over a bunch of them, you get to enjoy that personality all on a sunny Sunday morning.
I’ve gotten to participate in Bridge to Brews a few times, with the course changing each time. This time the start and end was at Waterfront Park, which meant plenty of space for pre-race stretching and post-race celebrating. The 8K and 10K races started together at 8:50am. It was nice to have a later start that meant a reasonable alarm clock time and still margin to get my bib race morning.
Participants for the two race distances were together for most of the event, with everyone going over four bridges and the 10K participants having an out-and-back near OMSI for the missing mile-ish distance. The course often used open roads, so there were a few spots (like on Steel Bridge) when we had to funnel a bit to fit on the sidewalk beside passing cars. There were also a few places where the pack used a trail rather than the sidewalk because it was more direct and there wasn’t guidance on exactly which way to go.
I loved going over the bridges (Steel, Broadway, Morrison, Hawthorne). They provide beautiful views of downtown, and therefore great excuses to pause for a photo op. It truly was perfect weather for a race.
The midpoint of the race passed by the starting line; a little bit painful for those of us with non-fast miles to go. Plus the second half was where those super-smart 8K participants got a shorter route to the finish line. Ah well. As a volunteer recently shouted at us: “Remember that you paid to do this.”
The aid stations on the course had lots of water for us, though nothing else available. This was unfortunately a prediction for the after-party. All participants received tokens for two beers and we were provided a water bottle. But no non-alcoholic drinks were available for free, and food was for purchase from some food carts. There was plenty of space, and good music, for those who stayed. And a fabulous medal that could open a soda for me when I got home.
See. We need all those bridges: to go, to return, and to take photos from.
