My 2019 San Francisco Marathon Review
A unique tour through an iconic city
I ran the Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon on 7/28/2019 (my third time running this race). Here are my thoughts.
The San Francisco Marathon is my favorite race. I enjoy the scenic, early morning tour of the city. Moreover, it feels less like a race and more like a celebration of the art of running.
Let’s dive deep into this year’s race.
Biofreeze was the Title Sponsor
As with last year, the title sponsor was Biofreeze. The effect of this sponsorship is that the marathon adopted the color green (Biofreeze’s signature color) as its signature color.
Green adorned the race website, on-course kiosks, participant shirts, etc. I prefer blue as the signature color (which it was in 2017 and 2018), but I understand that Biofreeze wanted to make the most out of its sponsorship.
Average Race Expo
The San Francisco Marathon typically has one of the largest and best race expos. While this year’s expo was just as large, it fell short of the high standards of previous years.
Three highlights of the expo were:
- Numerous marquee backdrops for picture taking
- A few new vendors
- Discount participant t-shirts from last year (2018)
I enjoyed the marquee backdrops for pictures; the expo had backdrops for all race distances (full, half, etc.). Here’s the photo I took for my distance:
These backdrops were so numerous that none had long lines, whereas in other marathons the backsplash lines would be 40–50 people deep.
The expo also hosted a few new vendors, one of which was Ripple (producers of plant-based milk). I’ve long wanted to sample Ripple’s plant protein milk, and I got my opportunity at the expo. (While not bad, I prefer Califia Farms almond milk.)
However, the one thing that delighted me the most at this year’s expo was the 2018 participant t-shirt discount table. Last year’s SF Marathon participant t-shirt is my favorite of any race shirt, and the expo had last year’s overflow stock on sale for $5 per shirt. I bought two!
The largest drawback of the expo was the weak official apparel. From the generic design to the substandard material, I was quite disappointed. What was once a strength of this race had now become a liability.
This year’s full marathon participant t-shirt was green. Despite the color, I appreciate the updated San Francisco skyline decal with the new Salesforce Tower.
Early Start!
This year’s race start time was 5:30 am (although my corral didn’t start until 5:38 am), which is roughly one hour earlier than in previous years. I prefer early race start times. An early start means you have more of the day to rest and recover.
Unfortunately, the corral organization was very chaotic. We were told to be in our corrals by 5:00 am (30 minutes before the start), but the staff didn’t start forming the corrals and checking corral bib assignments until 5:15 am. Even then, it was very confusing where each corral began and ended. I saw many runners unintentionally in the wrong corrals. This is an area of improvement for next year.
The start itself went off without a hitch; someone sang the national anthem, and then each corral was started with 4–6 minutes spacing.
One special addition to the start would be to have the mayor of San Francisco (currently London Breed) start the race. This hasn’t happened in any of the SF Marathons I’ve run, but the mayor of LA started the LA marathon in 2017, and the mayor of Calistoga started the Napa Valley Marathon in 2018 (he was even the start line MC!). To be fair to Mayor Breed, former mayor Ed Lee (rest in peace) didn’t do this either.
Miles 1–6: Boudin Bread and Chrissy Field
My favorite part of the race occurs in mile two; we run past Boudin Bakery in Fisherman’s Wharf when they are baking their signature sourdough bread. The smell of sourdough bread is intoxicating and provides a calming influence as I’m trying to settle into the race — and this year did not disappoint! The air was thick with the scent of sourdough bread as we ran past Boudin.
Chrissy Field in the Marina in mile five is one of the more underrated, scenic parts of the course. The early morning fog mixed with the view of the Bay is a special sight; this year was no different. If you ever run this race, make sure to take in the full breadth of this area.
Miles 7–13: Golden Gate Bridge
This section gets runners onto, over, and off the Golden Gate Bridge. As with last year, we ran on the bridge sidewalk and not on the road (no lanes were closed). In 2017, the organizers were able to shut down all but one lane of the bridge, and runners were able to cross the bridge on the road (my understanding is the switch to the sidewalk was to enhance security).
To me, the unique experience of running on the bridge is running on the road. Anyone can run on the sidewalk at any time, but running on the Golden Gate Bridge road is special. Moreover, the sidewalk narrows too much at times, resulting in annoying bottlenecks. Finally, the turnaround after runners cross the bridge the first time is dangerous; we have to run down a narrow, slippery dirt path, cross under the bridge, and then run up a steep road to return to San Francisco. I saw multiple runners slip and fall while attempting this turnaround.
I recommend that if runners cannot run on the Golden Gate Bridge road, the organizers should eliminate this section of the race.
While this may be an unpopular opinion, the bridge sidewalk experience is not the best, and the turnaround is dangerous. There are plenty of other areas of San Francisco that would also yield a scenic running experience.
Miles 14–19: Golden Gate Park
This section of the race is run entirely in Golden Gate Park. At this time of the day, the park is very serene, providing runners a quiet path to focus on the second half of the race. There’s also plenty of flat straight-aways to increase your speed; I was able to gain back some of the time I lost on the bridge in these areas of the park.
Miles 20–26: The Haight and China Basin
Right as you leave the calm of the park, you hit the energy of the Haight. The transition is stark, but it’s a hallmark of the race. Biofreeze also had a large kiosk here where they played music and had an MC cheering on runners. This area of the race infuses me with a sense of history; the Haight’s past changed San Francisco forever. Be sure to be present as you run this section.
The China Basin section of the race is typically low key to me, but this year’s race was different because we got to run past the new, unfinished Chase Center (future home of the Golden State Warriors). The arena is huge, and I look forward to its opening.
Finish Line and Medal
The finish line on the Embarcadero was just as scenic and lively as in previous years. The organizers provided plenty of bananas and water to start my recovery.
The finisher medal had a different style than in previous years. I prefer the subdued design of the finisher medals from 2017 and 2018, but I don’t dislike the SF skyline design of this year’s medal.
Closing Thoughts
I highly recommend the San Francisco Marathon to runners of all ages and experience levels. Runners will get a great tour of the City, celebrate the sport of running, and encounter unique San Francisco experiences.
If you run this race, my overarching guidance is to be sure to take in the full breadth of what the race offers; you’ll fondly look back on these memories for years and years.
