Bay to Breakers From a Local's Perspective

Over the weekend, I participated in my first Bay to Breakers.

It was amazing to be a part of the centennial celebration with approximately 55,000 runners and walkers and loads of spectators lining the streets to cheer us on as we made our way through the heart of downtown San Francisco.

The day started out with the sound of our alarm blaring at 5:30 a.m., with everyone getting up and preparing for the fun of the day.   

We caught the Muni from the Pacific Heights area and were well on our way to the starting line of the race near the Embarcadero.

The best part was that the sun was shining, even though the weather report prepared us for rain.

Did we run? Heck, no, six of my friends walked the course with me, which was just as fun as running.

I've run 5ks, 10ks and triathlons before, but this run is really a unique experience.

The Bay to Breakers is more like an obstacle course as you weave your way through the crowds of unique people.

We gawked at costumes and witnessed flying tortillas being thrown in the air.  

We stared at naked people, danced, sang and created fun for ourselves and others along the route.

We dressed as team Smarty Pants with fairy-like tutus, knee-high socks and none other than Smarty Pants underwear worn by our group of seven active, adventurous women.  

The royal wedding party ran by us with Princess Beatrice and Eugenie walking along in high fashion, wrists up! A runaway bride and a man with a birthday hat and suit could be seen just ahead of us.

People dressed as fairies, Elvis impersonators, Scrabble tiles that spelled out SMILE, bananas and superheroes. And there was even a group of people dressed as salmon that ran the race the wrong way—upstream

The event was like a good movie. I wanted to go back for more to see what I had missed.

It’s rare to get to walk the streets of San Francisco without cars and traffic. The Hayes Street hill, the beauty of Golden Gate Park and the finish at the Pacific Coast, well, the day doesn’t get any better than that.

The energy of the crowd was amazing.  Smiles could be seen from everyone, both young and old, all having a good time. It was clear we were all sharing a mutual experience of pure enjoyment.

I'm part of history now with running one of San Francisco's most popular races!

Bay to Breakers is one of those great things, and I would recommend everyone doing it at least once.

I’m looking forward to participating again next year.