North Bay runners finish Bay to Breakers

Tens of thousands of runners crossed the finish line Sunday for a centennial 7-mile footrace through San Francisco.

Roughly 55,000 2011 Zazzle Bay to Breakers runners hit the city streets at 7 a.m. by San Francisco Bay and finished at Ocean Beach on the western end of Golden Gate Park, race officials said.

(According to results, 23,855 of those runners were officially entered.)

Commemorating "100 Years Running," runners came from all over the world to participate. First place finisher Ridouane Harroufi, 29, from Morocco, ran the 7.46-mile race in 34:26, race officials said.

The first Bay Area runner to finish was Bolota Asmerom, 32, of San Francisco, who ran the course in 36:40 and placed eighth overall, officials said.

Dozens of North Bay residents made their way south for the 12K trek from the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.

Bay City News contributed to this report.