RIVERVIEW PARK — Last summer, the new Davis Avenue Pedestrian Bridge opened to the public, once more reconnecting Brighton Heights directly to Riverview Park after 26 years. Now, a new 5K race is set to take advantage of that crossing.
The Li’l Bridgey 5K will hold its inaugural run on May 30 starting, and ending, at the Davis Avenue Bridge. The race will take runners and walkers on a scenic, though not unchallenging, route through Riverview Park.
The race is the co-creation of Benjamin Cole and Patrick Sanders, who organize the Li’l Swervy Run Club. However, this is the first formal 5K race Cole and Sanders have organized.
“The one thing Patrick and I are really focusing on with the race is the community,” Cole told The Chronicle in an interview.
A total of 150 spots are open for the run. According to Sanders, roughly half of those spots are filled as of March 11, an amount the pair feel positively about more than two months ahead of the race.
“It seems like people are getting into it,” Sanders said of the community response.
The Li’l Swervy Run Club got its start in 2025 when Sanders came to the realization he needed to exercise more.
“I got tired of hearing my knees going up and down the stairs all the time,” he said. “And I figured I needed to adjust that.”
At first planning on just running on his own, Sanders, as a joke, made a logo for a fake run club based around his efforts. The Li’l Swervy name comes from a community nickname for a roundabout on Termon Avenue.
Cole happened to see the logo and asked Sanders if the run club was real and asked to join, turning the joke into a real group.
Cole said he formerly did CrossFit in order to exercise, but wanted to work on building his endurance. A coach recommended running, and he ended up preferring it as a form of exercise.
“I don’t do CrossFit anymore,” he said affably.
The group meets every Sunday and Thursday in Legion Park (located in Brighton Heights) for regular runs. Sanders said, at first, he was just picking a direction for the runs to go at random. However, since the reconstruction of the Davis Avenue Bridge, it has become a favorite for the club, as the park offers a run route clear of most obstacles.
“There’s pedestrians,” Sanders said of the former routes taken. “It’s kind of hard to get into a rhythm because you’ve got to stop for cars, you’ve got to stop for people.”
With the park, he said, the runners don’t have to worry about that kind of thing.
The Davis Avenue Bridge was originally a vehicular crossing. However, it was torn down in 2009 by the city due to maintenance concerns, requiring Brighton Heights residents to take a long detour to get into Riverview Park.
Construction of the pedestrian version of the bridge began on April 11, 2024, and was completed in June 2025.
Such is Sanders’ and Coles’ appreciation for the bridge that the pair decided to make it both the starting and finishing line for the race.
The race is not restricted to just runners. Those wanting to walk the course are also welcome to attend.
In lieu of medals, painted rocks will be given out to participants. These rocks are provided by Brighton Heights Rocks!, a community group that paints and hides rocks throughout the neighborhood as a kind of scavenger hunt.
Sanders and Cole are also working on getting food trucks and vendors present for the race, but they are still working out the details on getting that accomplished.
Interested participants can sign up for the Li’l Bridgey 5K at https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Pittsburgh/TheBrightonHeightsLiLBridgey5K In addition to registering, Sanders and Cole are also accepting donations to the Brighton Heights Free Fridge and Pantry through the sign-up website.
No sign ups are accepted the day of the race.
An aerial photo taken by a drone of the Davis Avenue Pedestrian Bridge while it was still under construction. The bridge replaced a vehicular crossing that was torn down in 2009.
Photo by Matthew Koscienski
