Bay to Breakers - San Francisco, May 21st, 2006

THE CRAZIEST RACE EVER!

So I flew out to San Francisco this year to participate in the 95th running of Bay to Breakers (http://ingbaytobreakers.com). B2B is a 12K (7.46 miles) course starting on the east side of the city at the bay and ending on the west side at Ocean Beach on the Pacific. From sea level at the Embarcadero the course rises steeply along Hayes Street Hill. Around the 2.5-mile mark runners climb an 11.15% grade between Fillmore and Steiner, bringing them to the highest point in the race, approximately 215 feet above sea level. The remainder of the course gradually flows downhill alongside the Panhandle and through Golden Gate Park.

Everyone I know that lives out in SF decided to build a float and dress in costume for the race of course. The theme: Goonies. The float they spent the better part of a week constructing was no doubt the vessel of One-Eyed Willy, the Armada - a booze carrying craft with wheels. From what I was told they had a blast every afternoon during the construction process. The all out costume wear ranged from pirate gear to Brand on a bicycle with training wheels. As I was told, the race is not actually about how fast you can get from the start to the finish line. But rather how long it can take you while consuming as many alcoholic beverages as possible while frolicking, dancing, enjoying the mania of the other "participants" (runners is by no means an accurate statement) while constantly avoiding the gross naked men and women carrying yellow balloons.

Now to say the race was crazy is one thing but insanity might just be the best description. 80,000 people lined up on the streets of SF at 8 a.m. in full costume ranging from naked to nuns on rollerskates. Everyone was drinking and screaming, and the funniest part, throwing tortillas in the air. Not sure how the tortilla tradition started but it was hilarious seeing thousands of tortillas in the air for the half hour I was at the start line before the gun went off. It took me 2 min 40 sec to get to start line after the official start and it was pretty crowded running for the first 3-4 miles. It was not until about the beginning of Golden Gate Park that I was able to really start running at pace. The Hayes Street Hill was a monster. I wound up crossing the finish line with a gun time of 60:01. I guess I should have figured that it's a race to just enjoy the running and not worry about time unless you're a seated runner. After a couple beers in the beer garden, I taxied back to the entrance to Golden Gate Park and caught back up with the party that was the race. There was a group of people dressed up as the Duke lacrosse team, a group was FEMA, and so many other funny costumes. At one point the course went through a small tunnel where there was an incredible dance party. Ocean Beach was raging the second time I made it to the finish line. The best of times!