Golf is nothing but wishful thinking when taking part in the Savannah Bridge Run

One of the most memorable vistas in lovely Savannah, Georgia is from the apex of the Talmadge Bridge, which arcs high above the Savannah River, connecting Georgia and South Carolina. As you head north across the bridge, the verdant fairways of the Club at Savannah Harbor come into view far below, a fine resort property that serves as home to the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf, one of the most popular annual stops on the Champions Tour.

However there was neither the time nor inclination to savor the view this past Saturday morning on the bridge, there were no golf clubs in the trunk, in fact there was no trunk at all. I was running, perhaps huffing and puffing is a better descriptive, up the bridge, along with some 2,000 other misguided souls, in the annual Savannah Bridge Run. Hills are pretty much nonexistent here in the Lowcountry, so this annual sojourn up the 5 percent grade is coastal Georgia’s ambulatory answer to an ascent of Pike’s Peak or Mt. Washington. Runners choose either a 5k race, which is just one trip from S.C. back to Georgia, or a 10k race, which starts in downtown Savannah and makes a round trip over the bridge, or what’s known as the “double pump,” which means taking part in both races, and traversing the graceful span no less than three times.

It’s all good fun, very festive and great exercise, but next time I cross the bridge, I hope to have the sticks in the trunk and my right foot firmly on the accelerator. Visit www.savannahbridgerun to find out details for 2012.