This article is part of I Love San Francisco, a feature series of essays that highlight what makes San Francisco iconic and irreplaceable.
The last time I ran the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race, I was balancing a stiff martini — shaken not stirred — in my left hand and a cigarette in my right, running in fishnet stockings and a black satin slip.
Not my conventional running style, but then again the Bay to Breakers is not your conventional running race. In fact it’s the most famous unconventional running race in the world.
The first Bay to Breakers came in 1912 to boost the morale of San Francisco citizens after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Come 2024, replace ‘earthquake’ and ‘fire’ with disastrous nouns of your choice. Covid and Fentanyl? Divorce and unemployment? Whatever nouns you choose, the boosting morale part remains consistent.
Come race day you will be uplifted — I dare you not to smile while watching runners dressed as donuts, Sumo wrestlers and lobsters shuffle past. And let’s not forget about the spawning participants in salmon suits swimming upstream and swim-running the race through the crowds in reverse. And the Centipedes! (13 plus runners tied together with a bungie cord). 13 tissue boxed runners ran as the “Runny Noses.”
Our sweet City by the Bay needs all the morale boosting it can get, but of course there are downsides: The road closures, bus route suspensions, a couple jack-asses, and piss. For me, it’s a small price to pay for such a joy- filled day; It’s like giving San Francisco a big hug or maybe a giant sloppy kiss. I certainly witnessed the joy of San Francisco Sunday hanging around the finishing line festivities at the 113th Bay to Breakers.
I ran my first Bay to Breakers in 1984 and not much has changed since then. I was surprised to learn that women weren’t officially allowed to run in the Bay to Breakers until 1971, although prior to that, a woman named Bobbie Burke disguised herself as a man in 1940 and fooled race officials.
We’ve come a long way, baby, and the race is now as inclusive as our city. I met San Franciscan runner Cal Calamia at the Finish Line Festival. Cal is a transmasculine runner, author, educator, and activist; They took first place in the non-binary category, and they are the founder of a non-binary running club: “Celebrating, uplifting, and providing a training community for trans and non-binary runners.”
All are welcome to participate. Can’t run? Then jog. Can’t jog then walk, and if you can’t walk, wheelchair it. Kids can participate too: Have you heard of runner Mary Boitano from San Francisco? At age 11 she ran the Bay to Breakers and won. She is the youngest winner in the history of the race. She won the Bay to Breakers woman’s division in 1974, 1975 and 1976. She started running marathons at age 5; Mary still lives in the Bay Area and is still running strong.
I did spy a young boy at the finish line wearing a medal. He was 12 and had completed the race with his mom. I chatted with his dad, who mentioned that next time the entire family (minus the dog — no dogs allowed!) will run and perhaps turn the race into an annual family tradition. A family that runs together stays together.
I can’t help but notice runners without costumes — or clothing for that matter; It’s not too shocking for me having grown up in the Bay Area.
You will always find bare-butted runners ambling about in their sneakers at B2B. Butt! What did catch my eye was a fully-clothed man with not a bare butt, but a bare foot! If you want to take a run down a long rabbit hole, check out the debates over shoeless running. Christopher McDougall believes that “the human body is designed to run for long distances without all that cushioning and arch support, and that such ‘protective’ shoes are the reason behind such a high incidence of running injuries.”
I could tell by the look of Mike (and his feet) that he was one of those barefoot runners — His feet really stood out amongst the sea of giant cushioned-platformed HOKA trendy-running shoes. Mike from the Bay Area has been barefoot running for a couple years. He ran the San Francisco Marathon last year barefoot! That’s 26.2 miles.
The next Bay to Breakers is May 18th 2025. Come join us! You have plenty of time to train — or not — and create a costume, or not. You can always run naked and shoeless. It’s all about expression the San Francisco way. Join the big happy hug.
Schatzie Frisch is a Bay Area-based writer.
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More photos from Bay to Breakers 2024
Photos by Courtney Muro for The Bold Italic. Our additional photo spread here.
