Getting There

I just had to do it – the 100th Bay to Breakers, Sunday May 15. Last year was my first time and I’d thought my last, but the 100-year anniversary this year sounded like a special event I couldn’t resist. In preparation I’ve been going to the gym in the morning before work, doing ‘training walks’ on the weekends and getting shaped up for the 7.46 mile event.

Commute-wise, the best way to get to the race, especially if you’re outside the city, is public transportation. Baylink Ferries (the ferry from Vallejo) had a special Bay to Breakers 5:30 a.m. ferry. For me, that meant getting up at 4:30 a.m. – torturous to be sure, but better than taking a car and dealing with traffic and no parking. I ditched my plans for a costume because of the threat of rain and instead found a 99-cent plastic see-through poncho to take along. Although I only used it for part of the race, I was glad I had it.

After a chilly and wet start, the day turned out to be sunny and gorgeous. Because of added security and new regulations, the race was quite calm compared to last year and I missed the craziness and energy. No floats allowed this year, so there was no music along the way, except for a few groups of party folks along Fulton Street with boom boxes. 3/4 of the way, in Golden Gate Park, we passed several live bands. And there were still a few hearty naked folk, some even barefoot, too, but the outrageousness was missing. The best thing I saw was a guy in Golden Gate Park, near the Conservatory of Flowers, standing on a giant debris box. He was wearing a Barack Obama mask and holding a big sign that said “Thank you Navy Seals”. (this was of course, not long after the Bin Laden assassination). He looked bizarre jumping around up there on top of the box with that hilarious mask on.

I walked across the finish line at Ocean Beach about 2 hours after I began, smiling into the cameras, and looked around for my commemorative Bay to Breakers t-shirt. And the 100th Anniversary medal we were promised. I was told I’d have to walk about a quarter of mile back into the park, which I did, reluctantly. Enough walking, already! I was tired and hungry and my feet hurt but I trudged along. Finally, after about a mile there were long tables lined with boxes on one side and young, serious-looking volunteers on the other. The boxes held plastic wrapped commemorative medals. They were great! And now for the t-shirt I was promised. A volunteer said it was a little further up the road. By then hordes of runners were in the park and we could barely move. We walked and walked and no sign of t-shirts or signs indicating where they might be, and no one seemed to know. The runners I saw wearing the new t-shirts said they got them before the race. There were booths set up with free food samples (chips, cheeses, chocolate milk, peanut butter bars) and I managed to snag a few of those and sustain myself as I marched on.

I finally gave up on the t-shirt and joined my family for a delicious lunch at Tsing Tao – one of the best Chinese restaurants in the Richmond district, at 34th and Clement. And I decided to pay another $10 and just have the t-shirt sent to me. Yeah, I’m glad I did Bay to Breakers this year; it’s always a feeling of personal satisfaction to make it across that finish line, but I hope the city relaxes a little in the future and lets some of the craziness back into this wild, unique and very San Francisco celebration.

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