Neuse River Bridge Run

Race across bridges and along our fast, flat courses. The Half & 10K are running the full span of the 65-foot high Neuse River Bridge this year! 

The Neuse River Bridge Run is held in 300-year-old historic downtown New Bern, offering magnificent views of the Neuse and Trent Rivers. There's plenty to do in and around town; spend some family time touring downtown New Bern, visit Tryon Palace, paddle on the river or try one of our delicious eateries. Course distances include a half-marathon, 10K or 5K race. Participants who wish to walk may choose the 5K route only. 

All courses are USATF certified and runners are chip-timed.

Race Start Times:
7:00 a.m. - Half-marathon
7:30 a.m. - 10K
8:15 a.m. - 5K
*Please arrive at East Front Street start line no later than 7:45 a.m. if you are running the 5K.

Race day registration and pre-registration packet pickup will close at 8:00 a.m.

TIMING
The Bridge Run will be timed by Run the East LLC. All participants will receive a bib with a disposable timing tag attached to the back of the bib. Participants should wear the bib on their front during the duration of the race and must not bend or fold the tag.

TEAMS
Teams of 10 or more participants will receive a $5 discount. To utilize this discount, teams should register online at runtheeast.com. Once the 10th team member registers, the first 9 members will automatically receive the discount back to their original payment method.

REGISTRATION/PRICES
Before January 1st:
Half marathon: $65

10K: $35

5K: $30

After January 1st:
Half marathon: $75

10K: $45

5K: $40

T-shirts only guaranteed for those who register by March 10

EARLY PACKET PICK-UP
Early packet pick-up is available and encouraged on Friday, March 27th, 2020 from 4-8 PM at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center.

Registration/packet pick-up for the Super Kids event will be held on Thursday, March 26, 2020 from 5:00-7:00pm in front of the Riverfront Convention Center as well as Friday, March 27, 2020 from 4:00- 5:00p.m., just before the race.

RACE COURSE
The half-marathon, 10K, and 5K races are USATF certified point-to-point courses.

START TIMES- Saturday, March 28th, 2020
Half Marathon: 7:00 AM
10K: 7:30 AM
5K: 8:15 AM

All courses must be cleared by 11:00 AM due to Department of Transportation regulations.

PARKING
Free parking will be available in and around downtown New Bern. Parking is NOT AVAILABLE at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center. NO PARKING AT UNION POINT PARK. Please allow ample time to walk to Union Point Park.

BAGGAGE AREA
A baggage check area is available at Union Point Park for race participants. Items will be stored for the race duration but should be picked up and dropped off from the same location. The Neuse River Bridge Run and its affiliates are not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items.

POST-RACE ACTIVITIES
After crossing the finish line, continue on for immediate refreshments and water directly after the finish line. Then, come join the post-race celebration at Union Point Park.

AWARDS
All runners must be chip-timed to be eligible for an award. Awards will be given to the top 3 overall 5K, 10K, and half-marathon male and female finishers, along with the top 3 male and female in the following age categories: 14 & Under, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, and 70+. Award ceremony will begin at Union Point Park at 10 a.m. Awards cannot be mailed.

SUPERKIDS FUN RUN
This event will take place in Union Point Park on Friday, March 27th at approximately 6:00 p.m. and is open to kids 12 and under. A first place girl and boy finisher will be recognized at the awards ceremony after the race in four age groups: 3-4; 5-6; 7-8, 9-10, 11-12. The awards ceremony is at the SuperKids' Fun Run finish line. All participants will receive a medal at the SuperKids Fun Run finish line in Union Point Park. Children must be registered to participate and should report to the start area in the center of Union Point Park 10 minutes prior to their start time. Entry fee is $20 per child, ($15 each if registered in groups of 2-9 members, $10 each if registered in groups of 10 or more) and includes a t-shirt (while supplies last if not pre-registered by February 20), medal and runners’ celebration entry.

RUNNERS’ CELEBRATION
All runners, paid-in-advance guests, SuperKids Fun Run and volunteers are invited to celebrate the runners’ accomplishments Saturday at Union Point Park. The Celebration will be held from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 28th and will include beer, soft drinks, awards and entertainment.

SPECIAL SAFETY CONDITIONS
1. No babyjoggers, pets or inline skates will be permitted.
2. Wheelchair participants and hand-cyclists are permitted, but please contact us at the time of registration for necessary accommodations. These participants must report to the starting line 10 minutes prior to stated start times for an early start.
3. A shuttle will pick up remaining participants on the courses at 11:00 a.m. to ensure participant safety.
4. Traffic will be stopped only for brief periods. Runners/walkers must be aware of moving traffic at all times. City streets will not be officially closed.
5. No children under 10 years old are permitted to participate in the Half Marathon or 10K nor under 8 years old for the 5K. Please check out the SuperKids' Fun Run for your children under 8 and 10 years of age.
6. The use of earbuds/headphones will not be allowed in any of the races.

BENEFICIARIES
The Neuse River Bridge Run benefits seven local charities that strive to improve the quality of life for residents in eastern North Carolina. Each organization does so through their own mission and strategy, but are untied in serving the residents of our area. Learn more about each organization below. 

CRAVEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION

Craven Community College is a learning community dedicated to providing educational opportunities for people in university parallel study, occupational, technical and career programs. It provides a rigorous and challenging curriculum and programs of study, with a special blend of technical, liberal arts, occupational and continuing education instruction responsive to the global community and a changing world. The college is a two-campus institution located in Craven County, North Carolina, with campuses in New Bern and Havelock. The college serves over 3,500 curriculum or college credit students and 10,000 continuing education students each year.

CRAVEN COUNTY KIWANIS CLUB

Mission: Kiwanis empowers communities to improve the world by making lasting differences in the lives of children.  (The following is more specific to our clubs’ focus). Develop resources that transform the goodwill and vision of Kiwanians into programs that serve children to build character, self-esteem and leadership skills through service to others.  Vision: Kiwanis will be a positive influence in communities so that one day, all children will wake up in communities that believe in them, nurture them and provide the support they need to thrive and positively impact their communities.  Money generated by Bridge Run would be used for the following: 1. Fund the One Child, One Community, One Book project for Craven County’s At risk elementary schools.  (Oaks Rd. Academy, Roger Bell, J.T Barber). This project provides the opportunity for the entire school community (student, teacher, administration, school personnel bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers etc) to come together by reading the same book, and participating in activities related to the book.  Each person in each school will receive the same book (leadership and/or community focused)

THE DUFFYFIELD PHONIX PROJECT, INC.

The mission of the Duffyfield Phoenix Project is to advocate for improvements in the physical surroundings and quality of life for residents of Duffyfield.

MEDIATION  CENTER OF EASTERN  NORTH  CAROLINA 

The mission of the Mediation Center of Eastern Carolina (MCEC) is to help individuals in the communities of Eastern Carolina develop the capacity to respectfully resolve conflict. Through mediation, education, and facilitation, MCEC serves youth, families and adult community members in 9 eastern North Carolina Counties. MCEC provides an alternative to Juvenile Court through the Teen Court Program, promotes peaceful conflict resolution in the community through community mediation services, and is able to help businesses, community groups, and individuals resolve conflict through facilitation services and mediation training.

MERCI CLINIC

A private nonprofit organization providing confidential medical, limited dental, and pharmaceutical services to low income, uninsured residents of Craven, Jones, and Pamlico counties. By providing care to the uninsured, MERCI Clinic helps eliminate dependence on the ER for non-life threatening events, and helps return active adults to the workforce. MERCI patients visited the Clinic more than 5,700 times in 2016 for physician appointments, medication pick up, blood pressure checks, diabetes education, and lab work. Additionally, patients received over $500,000 in specialty care and diagnostics from MERCI’s many partners in the medical community.  Because of the generosity of community partners and volunteers, MERCI Clinic is able to provide, on average, $5,449 worth of health care services at a cost of $684 per patient annually. MERCI receives no state or federal monies and relies solely on individuals, grants and businesses for support.

RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY SERVICES

This local shelter serves residents of Craven, Jones, Pamlico, and Carteret counties.  RCS offers a community kitchen with no-cost lunches every day; food and clothing assistance; financial, transportation, and prescription assistance; rent and utility assistance; and shelter.  RCS helps clients with case management and access to resources to meet their goals.

TWIN  RIVERS YMCA

​As a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility, the Y was created in response to social challenges and remains to this day a lifeline in our community. The Y is here day-in and day-out to provide the resources our communities need to address the most pressing social issues: child welfare, education, health, and social connection. The Y works to make sure every child, family, and community has what they need to achieve their best.  The goal is to provide financial assistance to kids and families from our community so they can experience the positive values and sense of belonging made possible by the Y.