The “Corrida da Ponte” rebirth

Below is the account of a participant, Rafael Proença, about the revival of the “Corrida da Ponte” (Bridge Race), between Niterói and Rio de Janeiro, crossing Guanabara Bay — a race created in 1981 by Corja (Runners of Rio de Janeiro):

“It was a great Sunday for road runners in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. The return of the “Corrida da Ponte” was a milestone for all of us, with an overwhelming majority running the race for the first time. I, a log time road runner, ran it for the third time and achieved a post-pandemic personal record in the 21 kilometers and, on top of that, my best time on the Bridge — a record that had stood since the last edition, in 2013. According to the official timing, I completed the course in 01:42:06, even while battling a stubborn flu for almost two weeks.

Rio has been experiencing unusually cold winter days, with temperatures low by our standards. But yesterday we returned to the old reality and had a very sunny Sunday, though with mild temperatures. This scenario meant runners faced the sun throughout the entire course.

Before the start, I heard the event announcer remind us that the first edition of the Corrida da Ponte took place in 1981 — a true legacy of Corja (Road Runners of Rio). In terms of numbers, the organizers stated that just over 5,000 participants registered for what is now called “The Challenge”. Speaking of the organizers, it’s worth noting that the event had a solid structure. The only negative point was a small mix-up with the bag drop system, which ended up being confusing.

I hope that, following yesterday’s success, the Corrida da Ponte remains on the race calendar around here. The Corrida da Ponte is a challenging Half Marathon, but unmatched in its characteristics. I also hope the organizers reconsider the registration fee for 2026. This year it was R$550.00, which discouraged many people and caused widespread complaints. Initially, there was a technical limit of 8,000 participants, which was not reached.”