Bay to Breakers-- The Good, The Bad and the Naked Truth

When I found out that I would be in San Francisco the weekend of the Bay to Breakers race, I decided I wanted to run the race.  When I registered, I discovered they not only offered the 12K distance, but you could also add an extra 3K, called the Breaker Bonus, which included a free beer and extra medal. Extra medal? Sign me up!

Overall, I had the best time at Bay to Breakers.  Here’s the good, the bad and the naked truth about my experience.

Start Line!

The Good

Prior to running this race, I didn’t think I’d ever want to travel to a race for a distance less than a half marathon, however Bay to Breakers changed that.  I had the best time.  There are so many things to love about this race. 

Bay to Breakers really is one big party!  It starts in the corrals where we tossed tortillas in the air.  I’m not sure where the tradition originated, but it was fun.  The costumes were so much fun too—some were basic and some included full face make-up with a little bit of everything in between.  And the runners weren’t the only ones in costume—the spectators brought their party game too. 

Even the race mascot runs the race

The course took us through the streets of San Francisco, through a gorgeous park and along the ocean as part of the Breaker Bonus.  Even with the Hayes Street Hill, I really enjoyed the course.  It never felt boring—not only did the race have entertainment, some spectators were DJ-ing music for us too.  Like I said—one big party!

I know that a race doesn’t just happen—it takes the work of a lot of people, many who are volunteers.  And all the volunteers for the race were awesome.  From the ones at the race expo, to the ones in the finish line they were are so friendly and genuinely seemed happy to be there. 

Almost to the Finish 

Leading up to the race, the weather was a bit chaotic and the night before, thunderstorms were predicted.  Not only did that alter my race outfit, it also alter some times of the race activities.  Bay to Breakers did an awesome job of communicating to the runners and doing everything they could to ensure that we would be safe in the weather conditions. 

And those thunderstorms they predicted?  Other than about 15 minutes of rain before the race even started, it was a beautiful day.  All the extra layers I wore to stay dry and warm were lost during the race and we finished with sunshine and blue skies.  It was perfect running weather!

Will Run For Bling

The Bad

I can only think of one bad moment from today’s race.  At an aid station, I grabbed the Ultima and it was lemon flavor- I’m not sure if it just wasn’t mixed right or it was the flavor, but it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting.  I like Ultima, but I don’t think the lemon flavor is my jam.  And if that’s the only bad thing I can find with today’s race, I call that a major win!

The Naked Truth

Now to the nitty gritty.  Part of why the Bay to Breakers race is known for being one big party is that some people run it naked.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Naked. 

I knew this going into the race.  But knowing it and actually seeing it are two separate things.  I saw my first naked runner about a quarter mile into the race.  It was like an “Oh!” reaction—then after that, it wasn’t as weird.  Kudos to those runners for being comfortable in their own skin.  I’m not sure if it’s something I could ever do, but it definitely adds to the party of the race. 

Someone asked me how many runners ran naked—I don’t know a percentage, but I know I definitely saw runners in the double digits and if you’re in to statistics, I saw more men than women running naked.

One of my #runmigas, Uyen

I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun at a race.  I got to run with friends, run through a great city and party at one of the oldest footraces in the United States.  Would I run it again?  Absolutely!! I think everyone should run it at least ones to experience it. 

What’s the most fun race you’ve ever run?

Until next time, happy running.

Jenn13.1

Carlsbad 5000 Recap

I received an e-mail a few months ago about the Carlsbad 5000 and thought to myself at the time, "I should run that." It's a Rock N Roll event and I know those are always fun! Then I forgot about it, put off registering but the week before, after learning several of my friends were running it and a serious case of FOMO, I signed up.  The Carlsbad 5000 also offers a All Day 20K option, but since I had waited to register, it was sold out.  I will be adding the 20K to my race schedule next year.

The Carlsbad 5000 has race day packet pickup, which I love.  I love running up in Carlsbad, but it is a little but of a drive for me, so this saves me from making the drive twice.  I headed up there early and found parking right away.  I met up with Smitha and we headed over to get our bibs.

But first, let's talk a selfie.

There are 4 waves to the Carlsbad 5000-- the first one starts at 7:00am and the rest are staggered by time. My wave wasn't starting until 8:45am, so we had some time to spare.  Smitha and I met up with friends, took pictures and all the pre-race fun was had.  As the time neared, we headed over to the corral for our start.  They had the National Anthem before every wave, which I thought was nice.  I didn't have a plan going into this race-- it's called "the world's fastest 5K" so I secretly hoped I might PR, but I just went into it with the plan to run.  

ProCompression Ambassadors Keeping it Tight

When it started, I made my way through the crowd, starting off a little faster than I intended to, which would come back at me during the third mile.  Carlsbad is a pretty city and this race didn't disappoint, especially during the miles with the beach views.  I was surprised by the crowd support for this event-- it's a 5K, but there were more crowd support than usual at 5Ks.  (although they may have also been there for the All Day 20K event)  The 5K seemed to go pretty quickly-- it's an out and back circle type of course and before I could figure out where I was on the course, I was entering the finishing line.  When I checked my Garmin, I had finished in 28 minutes, which I thought was a race PR for me, so I was excited!  (I checked later and discovered I missed my race PR by 20 seconds, which means I'm be aiming to PR my next 5K) I met up with the crew again and we headed over to the finish line festivities to get our race shirts and other post-race shenanigans. 

I generally don't partake in the post-race beer garden, but when local restaurant Pizza Port has a special race brew, you know I had to try it.  (They had an IPA and Mexican lager-- both were good, but I definitely preferred the IPA)  After hanging out for a bit, we all decided it was to head our separate ways and go home.  Overall, it was definitely a fun morning.  Running is always more fun when you get to see friends and run on beautiful courses.  And the medal!  

I would be remiss in my recap if I didn't give huge shoutouts to the rockstars that are Smitha, Linzie and Carlee.  Smitha volunteered overnight for SoCal Ragnar and Linzie & Carlee both ran it!  How awesome are they?!?!  I am so inspired by all three of them!

What's your favorite post-race activity?

Until next time, happy running!
Jenn13.1