The Gritty, Sexy, Wildcat Race Series That’s Taking Over the CountryThe idea started, appropriately enough, on a bridge. This was back in 2015 when Darcy Budworth, then 34, was working in Manhattan and living in Brooklyn. “At the time, I was working crazy hours at an architecture firm, not finishing work until 11 or 12 p.m.,” Budworth explains. Her firm offered to pay for taxis home, but after spending all day cooped up at a desk, Budworth saw her late-night commute as the perfect time to get her run in. “I was always running over bridges,” she says. “I have always loved the bridges in New York, and always thought that they were this one moment of calm in this crazy city.” Budworth came up with the name for Take The Bridge while sitting in a bar with her ex. The first race launched in 2015. It has since spread to other cities, including Chicago, Austin, Montreal, Nashville, Boston, Miami, Boulder, Denver and San Diego. In other words, if there’s a big bridge near you, there’s a good chance Darcy Budworth is currently figuring out how to run over it. There have been cycling editions, hugely popular women-only editions, and, in 2021, a new trail-focused spinoff called Take The Ridge. It keeps growing; last year was the biggest year yet, with over 900 runners taking part. Click here to read about Take The Bridge's origin story and what's next for the electrifying race series. |