The Chesapeake Bay Bridge will belong to runners, not cars, this Sunday. Thousands of participants are expected to cross the bridge's eastbound span on foot during the annual Chesapeake Bay Bridge Run, an event returning after last year's edition was scrapped because of bad weather.
A Course That Only Exists One Day a Year
The 10K route spans from Anne Arundel County across the bridge to Kent Island in Queen Anne's County, according to WMDT. It's a rare chance for runners and walkers to take in the Chesapeake Bay from a vantage point normally reserved for drivers speeding past at highway pace, since the span is open to pedestrian traffic just once a year, as WBAL-TV notes. The Baltimore Sun similarly describes the run as the only time all year the bridge is open to pedestrians.
Corrigan Sports Enterprises organizes the event, which is scheduled to kick off at 7 a.m. Sunday with runners and walkers sent out in waves every 15 minutes, per the Baltimore Sun's reporting. The race comes back after 2025's run was canceled outright due to inclement weather, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority, as reported by CBS Baltimore — organizers confirmed at the time that the event would not be rescheduled.
Road Closures Drivers Need to Know About
Drivers crossing the bay Sunday should expect disruptions. The bridge's eastbound span is set to close to traffic from midnight Sunday until 2 p.m., according to WBAL-TV, with two-way traffic redirected onto the westbound side to keep cars moving in both directions during the closure. The Maryland Transportation Authority's own advisory describes two-way traffic operations on the westbound span to accommodate the run while the eastbound span is held for the race course, though the agency's notice does not spell out the full closure schedule in detail. The Star Democrat has separately reported that officials planned to reopen the eastbound span by 2 p.m., with the westbound span handling two-way traffic during the closure.
How Many Runners Will Actually Show Up?
Just how many people will take part this year depends on which outlet you ask. The Baltimore Sun reported organizers expect 16,000 participants this year, representing 47 states and three countries. WMDT, however, quoted Corrigan Sports President and Race Director Lee Corrigan describing much larger overall growth, saying, “we've managed to take it from 8,000 all the way up to about 20,000 total participants” since the pandemic. The two figures aren't necessarily describing the same thing, and the available reporting doesn't reconcile them.
Whatever the final headcount, demand has clearly been building. Registration for the 2025 Bay Bridge Run sold out, with participants expected from 45 states and six countries, according to Endurance Sportswire — that was before weather forced organizers to call the whole thing off. Corrigan told the Baltimore Sun the race carries millions of dollars of economic impact on the region, along with charitable impact, underscoring why its cancellation last year stung beyond just the runners who missed out.
For now, all signs point to Sunday's race going forward as scheduled, giving thousands of people a one-day-only shot at crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge the slow way — on their own two feet.
