Mount Pleasant Magazine March/April 2013

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CarolynMurray
WCBD-TV
2 News Anchor
Carolyn Murray,
renowned for her
journalism awards,
has been running in
the race since 1989.
Not always a runner,
but certainly a natu-
ral competitor, Mur-
ray was turned onto
the idea of running
when she was told
by a friend that it is
the true measure of
an athlete.
Eight full marathons (26.2 miles), a half marathon
(13.1 miles) and a daily running routine of 40 miles a
week have turned Murray into quite the runner. Her pas-
sion is hereditary.
“My dad was one of those people who, in the ’70s,
would run around the neighborhood with the dog on a
leash, wearing tube socks and a headband,” she explained.
The Cooper River Bridge Run is one of Murray’s
favorite races, a scene she describes as camaraderie forced
by happy people in close quarters. It’s a “euphoric crowd
of people high-fiving and looking out for one another. I’m
just happy to be part of the whole spectacle,” she said.
Murray typically runs around her neighborhood listen-
ing to books on tape.
“Sometimes I end up running one or two hours longer
than I expected because the books are so good – I just
finished Lincoln,” Murray said with a laugh.
When asked to relay one experience she associated
with the Bridge Run, outside of the pleasure she gets from
seeing everyone come together “running toward better
health,” Murray cited a slight misunderstanding from last
year’s race.
The day after the race, Murray was running along the
street when someone stopped her to offer congratulations
for her daughter’s first-place finish. Murray was confused
because her daughter, Reese, had decided to pull out of the
race at the last minute. Suddenly it dawned on her: She
had decided to wear her daughter’s running bib under her
shirt, which officially made Murray the first kid to cross
the finish line.
“Well, at least I was faster than all the kids,” she
laughed.
BoB Shlau
Bob and Benita Shlau related captivating stories in the
MUSC Wellness Center lounge. Unfortunately, I strug-
gled to pay attention because I was preoccupied, rather
stunned, by how, at 60, both would fare far better than I,
13 | |
EVERY YEAR, THE COOPER RIVER BRIdgE Run ATTRACTs TEns Of THOusAnds
of participants, ranging from hot dog-eating speed walkers to the world’s top dis-
tance runners.
Over the run’s 35-year span, the race has been graced by several famous faces,
including actor Bill Murray and TV star Oprah Winfrey. Murray, who owns a home
on Sullivan’s Island, chose to be the center of attention in 1997, igniting the can-
non that started the race.
Winfrey, on the other hand, took a low-profile approach to her participation in the run. Tammy
Varn, who has been race director for 18 years, discovered Winfrey’s ploy while sifting through the
applications.
“After hearing a rumor that Oprah was running in the race, I searched the database for applica-
tions we got from Chicago,” said Varn. “I noticed an applicant named Francesca Kincaid, which
was the name of a character played by Meryl Streep in the popular movie ‘The Bridges of Madison
County.’ I knew it was her.”
Murray and Winfrey are not the race’s only big-name runners.