The annual Conquer the Bridge Run, which has traditionally taken place on Labor Day, has been canceled for the second consecutive year because the the Vincent Thomas Bridge, in San Pedro, is the center of two construction projects, with one wrapping up and the next set to begin this fall.
The upcoming project will replace the roadway on the iconic 1963 emerald green bridge — but it will also shutter the mile-long span for 16 months.
The popular bridge run was also canceled in 2025.
“Due to various ongoing construction projects, there will be no Conquer The Bridge in 2026,” the organizer posted on the event’s website. “I vow to get you back up there the moment we can.”
A $130 million Port of L.A.-Caltrans project that began in 2024 and is now almost done will reconfigure a major interchange at State Route 47/Vincent Thomas Bridge and Front Street/Harbor Boulevard in San Pedro. A current State Route 47 closure is set to run until Oct 31, and the project is expected to be completed in December, according to a port spokesperson. That work canceled last year’s race, which would have been the 16th annual iteration.
Caltrans is also launching a separate project to replace the entire bridge deck and the span’s seismic sensors. That project will shut down the bridge — which stretches across the Port of Los Angeles to Terminal Island — for 16 months starting on Nov. 1.
As for this year’s Labor Day event, there was no choice but to cancel it again, organizer Derek Hogue posted on the website. Hogue posted a long update on the Conquer the Bridge website.
“As you know,” the Conquer the Bridge website says, “construction is well underway on your beloved bridge and has been for some time. While your race course is unfortunately frozen in place, I believe this to only be temporary, which is truly fortunate, and that in time you will once again be returned to the place where you belong.”
While the future is murky, he said, there will be some alternative activities for would-be participants this year to keep the camaraderie going, including the opportunity to sign up to record stats on the website as part of a virtual event.
“For anyone who wishes to get your 5.3 miles in and to record them virtually, you may do so using the link (on the website),” Hogue wrote. “You may record and log your miles at any time that is convenient for you until September 11 at 11:59 p.m.”
He also acknowledged the frustration that likely exists regarding the unclear future of the event.
“When exactly will you be able to return to your bridge and race once again?” Hogue posted also on the website. “You may wonder if the changes as a result of construction and a slight modification to the Start/Finish area will result in a 6.2-mile course, a proper 10K.
“You may wonder if we will ever again be allowed to run your Half Marathon course as we did in Conquer The Bridge 5,” he added. “You may even wonder if it is possible to go Bridge to Bridge, Vincent Thomas to Desmond, making for an additional and epic course option for Race Day.”
The answers to those questions are not yet known.
Race participants, though, can also go to the website for other events being offered in place of the real thing.
“I would like for the Bridge Conquerors to have the opportunity to share their stories and better connect with one another if you wish to,” Hogue wrote. “I will be setting up a program for you to submit your stories, your goals, your memories and of course an image which will be shared with those who wish to follow.”
In 2024, the 15th year of the run-walk across the bridge, Hogue took the reins of the event following the death of his father, Michael Patrick-Hogue, who created and organized the event, which has usually attracted thousands of people.
The first race, on Labor Day in 2009, drew some 1,500 participants. The event eventually grew, with attendance numbers rising into the 3,000 range.
“I sincerely apologize that I do not have more to offer you at this particular time,” Hogue wrote. “I know you are still just as passionate, you are just as hungry, and that you are always ready for anything. I love this about you. My Dad did too. You are truly appreciated and always remember that you are absolute rarities in this world.”