Running Bay to Breakers

Seven and a half miles of costumes and quirky San Franciscans

Tortillas flying overhead, tutus as far as the eye can see, and a man with a megaphone.

What does it all mean? The start of San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers race!

Bay to Breakers is America’s longest-running footrace. It’s also one of those quintessentially San Francisco events — thousands of people in costume (from homemade Ghostbuster outfits to birthday suits), running the 7.5 mile course that stretches from the Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It’s a rite of passage for those new to the city. Whether you’re actually running the race and one of thousands that gather to spectate (and daydrink) along Hayes and the Panhandle, it’s an event you shouldn’t miss.

Despite how many years I’ve been here, I have managed to miss Bay to Breakers every year for some reason or another. This year was going to be my year! I’ve been running more races this year, and this would be a new milestone for me in terms of the length of the race. My friends and I signed up early before entries were sold out. Cue several emails back and forth about costumes and themes. But nothing could prepare me for race day.

Sunday, May 15th, I was up way earlier than the weekend normally calls for. I joined a colorful cast of characters on Muni at 7, all of us headed downtown to 1st street to find our corrals and our friends before the race began. That muni train was just a preview for what I saw when I got downtown. Every single costume and color imaginable. It was a spectacular display of people’s imaginations and quirkiness — from multiple Marios and Luigis, to men in disco gear and go go boots, to a team dressed as characters from the new Star Wars movie (including an adorable BB8 costume).

My friends and I made our way to Corral D. As we waited, we took pictures and stretched and pointed out the craziest costumes we could see. Then, the tortilla tossing started! Apparently this is a time-honored Bay to Breakers tradition. I have no idea who brought all the tortillas, but they were everywhere — hundreds of them tossed into the air and landing on heads, tutus, and getting trampled underfoot. People started whooping and hollering as they tossed them back and forth. Now this was Race Day energy!

The corrals were let go in staggered order, to space out runners on the course. All of a sudden, we were off! We started weaving through people in order to get a good stretch of open road to run on. But Bay to Breakers is far from an ordinary race, and one of the best parts about it are all the distractions you see. At the first intersection, we ran by a man who was naked save for crotched underwear, standing in a perfectly straight handstand on a manhole cover in the middle of the street. It was bizarre and a sign of the race to come.

There’s something amazing about running a race through your city — it’s seeing familiar streets and intersections from a new perspective and getting a fresh look at a city you thought you knew. The first couple of miles, we ran down Howard Street, through the financial district and SoMa. It was a beautiful morning, and I got so much energy from the people around me — whether it was the runner in an oversized T-rex costume or the mermaids (and single merman) running in formation.

People were completely committed to their themes in ways that boggled the mind — I saw tons of Warriors fans, but the standout example was the man who had built a complete 8-foot-tall (at least!) hoop and backboard contraption that was mounted to his shoulders. (I saw him at the end of the race too — not only did he run the entire thing, but he beat me there!)

After we crossed Market Street, we came upon Hayes Hill. This is a famous Bay to Breakers landmark — it’s a mile uphill, and considered the most challenging part of the entire race. People lined the streets nearby, cheering us on from the sidewalk or from their front porch as we began the uphill slog. Some people thrive on these challenges and accelerated up the hill. I kept my slow and steady pace, but that hill was no joke. Energy came in the form of a salmon sighting! This is another Bay to Breakers tradition — a group of salmon that swim upstream, going against the flow of the entire race. I’d heard about them but never seen them before, so it was such a burst of joy to see them winding their way down that hill, tied together in formation.

Many minutes later, I reached the top of the hill, feeling accomplished and proud (and yeah, a little tired). But it’s all downhill — or at least flat — from there on out! As I was going downhill, I found myself right behind King Arthur and his horse (complete with coconut shells for horse hooves) from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. These two were incredibly popular among the people I was running with — people would yell out quotes from the movie and they had a reply for every single one.

I kept running alongside the Panhandle. This becomes spectator and party central later in the day, but at that point it was not yet 9 and there were only a die-hard few fans who were out there so early — complete with picnics and champagne from what I could see. Unfortunately, the few spectators I did see along the race route weren’t that motivating. I had several people offer high-fives as I ran past — one dude snapped his hand away at the last minute and said, “ohh, too slow!” which, what?! Not cool, dude! — and one man standing on his balcony in just a shirt, no pants and a megaphone yelling down mildly encouraging/insulting things as we ran by. The race spectators were probably the only disappointing thing about that entire day — I got the sense most people were at home, getting ready to join in the fun later on.

But this is where the race itself becomes the reward. Running into Golden Gate Park, I was reminded of just how gorgeous of a park is right next door It was incredible and gave me a burst of energy and joy for the last half of the race. I was running next to a whole bunch of new racers and costumes — from the adorable sight of a large person-sized cookie running alongside Cookie Monster, to a massive costume of one of the ghosts from a Hayao Miyazaki film.

And of course, we can’t talk about Bay to Breakers without mentioning all the nudity. Lots of naked men — some walking, some running, some with costumes and headpieces for a particular character and then nothing on their lower half. I can’t possibly understand how running nude is comfortable for men or the few women I saw — especially for more than seven miles — but to each their own. After all, it wouldn’t be a San Francisco event without some nudity.

My costume of choice for Bay to Breakers was Iron Man (or Iron Woman, to be more precise). Of course, my timing was impeccable — given the popularity of the latest Captain America movie, there were tons of superheroes, Marvel and otherwise, running that morning. I tried to say hi to all the Ironpeople I saw — there were quite a few. Maybe not as many as Captain Americas, but those of us that are #teamIronMan have to represent!

There were a few bands in Golden Gate Park to entertain us for the last couple of miles. I ran by a Prince tribute DJ, a house DJ, and then fittingly, on the last curve, one of the local taiko groups. Their powerful drumming gave me a beat to run to and echoed down the next straightaway.

As we wound our way through the curving Golden Gate paths, all of a sudden through the trees I saw the Pacific Ocean. It was just a glimpse, but it was perfect timing to give me a little burst of extra energy at the end of the race. From there, it was the home stretch and I was running down the tunnel of people and across the finish line. The race was over before I knew it!

I joined the masses of people getting medals and free goodies along the race chute. (There were a ton of giveaways at this race — I saw people filling entire cardboard boxes with various snacks and drinks from the different tents!) I grabbed my fruit, some water, and made my way out of the throng of finishers. The parking lot to Ocean Beach was ringed by tents, serving everything from coffee to beer to free breakfast burritos, with a music stage nearby that would get going at 10 am. After catching my breath and meeting up with friends, we made our way back along the race course in Golden Gate Park. It was partially to make our way out of the park, but also to ooh and aah at all the costumes and people that we hadn’t had a chance to see during the race.

Bay 2 Breakers is a race unlike any other. I actually think on this day, San Francisco is more costumed than it is even for Halloween. It’s quirky, it’s crazy, it’s incredibly colorful and so San Francisco. And the best way to experience Bay 2 Breakers is by being part of it. So grab your running shoes, your costume box and your good spirits, and sign up for 2017!