The Mid-Hudson Bridge is a 3,000 foot long suspension bridge the Hudson Valley that soars 135 feet above the Hudson River and connects Highland to Poughkeepsie. It was conceived in 1923, construction started in 1925, and it was finished in 1930. I think it’s one of the prettiest bridges in the world. Even hula monkeys agree:

The bridge was opened in a ceremony that was attended by former Governor Alfred E. Smith, Poughkeepsie Mayor Lovelace, and a very special lady who loved lace: Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1994, the government respectfully renamed the bridge after Mrs. Roosevelt’s husband, but 5 of out 5 Hudson Valley residents still call it “The Mid-Hudson Bridge” even though it spans the whole width of the river and then some. If you want to know more, please enjoy this super website.

Back when I lived a stone’s throw from the GWB, I thought it to be the greatest bridge ever, and therefore I considered the Mid-Hudson bridge’s energy-efficient colored lights as gaudy. But that’s because secretly I was insecure about the fact that the Mid-Hudson is the more beautiful of the two bridges. It’s been over two years I’ve lived here now, and I’m ready to accept the Mid-Hudson as my personal bridge and river crossing. I even like the lights now, and I love that it costs only $1 to cross, as opposed to the GWB’s exorbitant $8. EIGHT DOLLARS! (Although both are free if you do them on foot.)

Twenty-seven years ago, someone at the YMCA thought it would be a good idea to have a race across said bridge that would start at the toll plaza, cross the Hudson, circle around downtown Poughkeepsie for a while, and end 3.1 miles later at the YMCA. Three years ago, I discovered the race and ran/walked it alone in a slooooow 45 minutes. Last year, I ran it with a friend who was in much better shape than I was, and we did it in 30 minutes. This year, I took Birmingham, who’s just getting into the running thing, and we finished in 35 minutes!  Saturday was a cool, misty day, perfect for a road race. This is us before the big event:


Thirty five minutes later, we were all:

(photo not found… Traditionally Birmingham was the official photographer / spectator for the run so this year, there’s no evidence of us actually finishing.)

The run itself was great. As we approached the bridge from the toll plaza, we played slalom with traffic cones, and while going over the bridge, we concentrated on staying in the middle of the road, because that’s something you only get to do when the bridge has been closed to traffic. We got water handed to us by helpful volunteers, but it tasted like ass, so we spit it out and threw the cups on the ground all willy-nilly. We paced ourselves so that we could beat two eight-year-old girls, an especially weight-challenged man, a dude with one foot on the bridge and one in the grave, and most importantly, a young boy that we liked to call “Ginger” because of his Weasley-esque visage and gentle not-made-for-running-distances demeanor. Having obtainable goals was the important thing.

But of course, the best part about this or any race was the race packet:

You get all this stuff just for signing up! (and paying) A tee shirt, a number that advertises fig newtons for some reason, a calendar, a listing of MORE RACES, a YMCA pen, and best of all, a trial size container of Axe body wash. Finally, I can smell just like an 8th grade boy!

After the race was over, Birmingham and I ate breakfast and parted ways. He had work to do, and I had to go shopping on the other side of the river. That was when I got a view of the bridge the way it was meant to be seen: from my car, open to traffic, at 45 MPH and in under two minutes.