Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2018

37 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com | www.BestofMP.com wellness and the community. Now, residents of the Lowcountry and friends Smith has made around the globe are rallying around him as he battles brain cancer. Smith was born in Charleston and became interested in health when he started running at the age of 7 and continued running at Baptist College – now Charleston Southern University – and later with co-workers. He started a career in hospital finance with the Medical University of South Carolina before taking the role of wellness director. In 1978, his neighbor knocked on his door and asked if he wanted to run in a new race – the Cooper River Bridge Run. They were among 766 runners to cross the span from Mount Pleasant to Charleston that first time. It was fate. “I went gangbusters to help any way I could when the opportunity arose,” he grinned. For years, the Bridge Run remained a popular but relatively small race with no big sponsorships or charitable components, but, in 1994, Smith was faced with an feature Photo courtesy of Mark Cellars. Photo courtesy of Chris Nelson/Robert Smith.