Bay To Breakers: 5 unknown facts about legendary San Francisco race

2023-05-22 19:27

Thousand participate in the Bay To Breakers race, which takes place on the third Sunday in May every year

The Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace held in San Francisco, California on every third Sunday in May. The phrase Bay to Breakers refers to the fact that the race begins at the northeast end of downtown, a few blocks from The Embarcadero (adjacent to San Francisco Bay), and runs west through the city to the Great Highway (adjacent to the Pacific coast, where breakers crash onto Ocean Beach). The entire route is 7.46 miles long.

Bay to Breakers is well-known for its many costumed participants. With 110,000 participants, the 1986 edition set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest footrace until it was exceeded by the 2010 City2Surf event in Sydney. In 2023, attendance was estimated to be over 70,000.

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Fun facts about Bay to Breakers

1. Tortilla toss at starting line

Many people bring tortillas to throw at each other at the starting line, where runners congregate around 7 am at the Embarcadero. There's not much information about how the custom started but this has become a ritual.

2. Plenty of nudity

San Francisco had an ordinance banning nudity until 2012. There are always some nudists participating in the Bay to Breakers race. Activist Gypsy Taub tested the limits of the ban at B2B 2014 and got a citation.

3. Floats were popular

Bay to Breakers had turned into a wild race complete with floats and drinking, but they were banned in 2011. Unregistered runners were also barred from entering the race after the starting line, but this is difficult to check.

4. Public urination

Public urination is a frequent occurrence during the race. Organizers ensure there are adequate porta-potty stops, but people still relieve themselves in the middle of the course after running for a couple of hours.

5. Tragedy and occasional crimes

Historically, the race has also been associated with tragedy and crime. In 2012, a 21-year-old man who was tripping on acid allegedly ripped off a woman's hair and in 2013, a 27-year-old man went missing during the race and was never found.