The Bay to Breakers is an annual foot race in San Francisco, featuring elite athletes and extravagant costumes. The 7.46-mile course starts in the Embarcadero district and ends at Ocean Beach. Notable entries include centipedes and “Bare to Breakers” runners. The race began in 1912 as part of a revitalization effort after the 1906 earthquake. Participants can register on the race website, and public transit is recommended due to street closures.
The Bay to Breakers is a foot race that has been held annually in San Francisco, California since 1912. In addition to being a recognized track and field event featuring elite athletes, the Bay to Breakers is also famous for hosting the more extravagant elements of San Francisco, which follow the elite runners, often in elaborate costumes. Some runners participate in teams, turning the race into a venue for performance art and running, and many San Franciscans enjoy watching the race and the people who participate in it.
This famous race began as the Cross City Race and was meant to be part of a revitalization effort to help the city recover after the devastating 1906 earthquake. The Bay to Breakers course begins in the Embarcadero district near the San Francisco Bay, with runners starting on Market Street and heading west through town, running on Market Street for several blocks before heading north on Hayes and Fell Streets so they end up in Golden Gate Park. Runners follow the streets of Golden Gate Park to reach Ocean Beach and the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. The course is 7.46 miles (12 kilometers) long and the race is traditionally held on the third Sunday in May.
Elite racers in the Bay to Breakers generally make it through town in under an hour, while entrants in the novelty race take longer to make their way through town, sometimes missing the closing deadline for the finish line altogether. Traditionally, elite runners are seeded at the start of the race and are allowed to go first to ensure they are not fouled by participants who enter the race for fun.
Notable entries in the Bay to Breakers include centipedes, runners who compete as linked groups. Some centipedes have set their own race records, thanks to talented and well-coordinated runners. Other runners may run in elaborate costumes or in teams that perform on instruments during the run, hold mock food fights, and put on other performances. So-called “Bare to Breakers” runners run, as can be inferred, naked, while the Bay to Breakers Salmon Run consists of salmon-clad runners running from the Breakers to the Bay, mimicking the annual salmon migration.
The first female competitor at Bay to Breakers was Bobbie Burke, who ran in disguise as a man in 1940. Today, accomplished female athletes are an annual spectacle at Bay to Breakers; in 2007, a woman crossed the finish line ahead of men for the first time. 1940 was also the first year that a costumed racer appeared, setting the stage for decades of Bay to Breakers lore. The title of “Bay to Breakers” was acquired in 1964.
Participants who wish to register for the race can do so on the race website; people who simply want to see the action are encouraged to book their hotel in advance, as San Francisco tends to get very busy around Bay to Breakers time. Additionally, the use of public transit during Bay to Breakers is highly recommended, as the race route clogs several major city streets for hours. Getting around San Francisco on public transit is very easy, even with the routes altered by the Bay to Breakers, and it’s a lot more fun than battling the city’s traffic and notoriously confusing road network.
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