Short delays expected Saturday on Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge Runners welcomed for Second Annual "Chase" running event

Contact: Phil Becker, International Bridge Administration, 906-635-5255, ext. 112,

Agency: Transportation

September 21, 2011 -- On Saturday morning, Sept. 24, International Bridge customers will encounter brief delays as runners take to the bridge as part of the Second Annual "Chase" running event.

One lane of the two-lane bridge will be closed to traffic from approximately 7-9 a.m. to accommodate the runners, who will run from the Michigan side to the Canadian end of the bridge and back. Alternating two-way traffic will be maintained on the open bridge lane during the event.

This year more than 300 runners are expected to participate in the 26.2-mile-long marathon, the half-marathon, or the 6.6-mile "bridge run" event. All routes include the unique opportunity to run across the 2-mile-long bridge and back. The inaugural "Chase," organized by the Sault Ste. Marie Michigan Chamber of Commerce, was held Sept. 25, 2010.

Registration for the event is available online at the Sault Area Chamber of Commerce Web site, which can be accessed through a link on the International Bridge Web site at www.michigan.gov/iba.

The "Chase" is named in honor of former Michigan Gov. Chase Osborn, who served from 1911 to 1913. Osborn, from Sault Ste. Marie, was the only governor of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula.

Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge: Bridging Our Past, Connecting Our Future