Ok, so its 7.46 mile course isn’t the most intimidating trek. So what is it about a 7.46 miles that keeps 75,000 people coming back year after year?
Beer, nudity, and sheer fucking madness.
Now that’s what I call a race. But that’s just it. Calling the Bay to Breakers a “race” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s more like a roving street party really.
Sure there are actual runners trying to complete the course quickly, but the majority of the participants are there to do just the opposite: complete the 7.46 miles as slow or casually as possible. Which makes it all the better to enjoy consuming as much alcohol as possible, ogle naked women (or men, if that’s your thing), and revel in the lunacy of everyone dressed in outlandish costumes (the "Dick Cheyney Hunting Club" and F.E.M.A "rescue" teams) or kick-ass floats (pirate ships, prisoners, outdoor BBQs and beer pong tables).
Starting at 8:00am-ish, participants start in the Financial District, make their way through the city's distinctive neighborhoods and into beautiful Golden Gate Park. And if they finish and are up for more “racing”, there’s always a festival of food and live music called Footstock; an indoor/outdoor bar near the race's starting point named Pier 23; or Sam's, which is a sun-drenched outdoor patio on the water in Marin County.
So if you’re up for “running” in next year’s Bay to Breakers, you’ve got a little while to train. We just missed our shot at this year’s, as the usual date is the 3rd Sunday of May. Now I just have to come up with a kick-ass costume, and I don’t think Liquid Courage is gonna cut it this time. Hmmm, maybe Steve Prefontaine?
D
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