TIART: Unconventional Races

San Francisco is full of unconventional … “things.” Races are one of the best. Yearly there’s Bay to Breakers – one of the most unconventional races. I started running Bay to Breakers in highschool – one year I was lucky enough to run in the seeded race and then get to “recover” (aka celebrate) in the seeded post-race tents. Awesome! Over the years since highschool, I’ve run an additional 6-times. Bay to Breakers is known for people dressing up, or not dressing at all (read, naked). Bay to Breakers is the epitome of San Francisco.

Here are some of the highlights:

• 1999: Running with my mom, we found ourselves next to a boy a few years older than me … who was running naked
• 2001: I convinced Matt to do a race with me and my dad – this was our first race together, and one of the first times Matt met my dad … being the ADD runner I am, I took off leaving Matt and my dad to get acquainted
• 2003: Linzy and I dressed as “ladies in our 80s in the ‘80s” with pink cutoff PJ bottoms, pink off the shoulder sweatshirts, and hair in curlers with rain bonnets – this was the first time the trolley driver on Hyde screamed … profanities to be polite (like the icky yucky nasty kind that makes you wonder why some peoples’ minds are so messed up)
• 2004: Linzy and I were going to go as the “Mighty Mullets” but due to a hair cutting incident (OK, wig cutting) we wound up throwing all the junk together in our apartment for junk costumes; Matt and Zach went as Rocky IV – what Zach didn’t know was wearing a Rocky sweatsuit would really make him sweat!
• 2005: Linzy and I went as “Thing 1 and Thing 2” from the Cat in the Hat – every child on the street stopped to waive
• 2009: I was going to wear a “I’m not naked, but they are” shirt, and Linzy (whose bday it was) was going to wear a “It’s my birthday … the suit’s under here” but we were all so wiped, we nixed the race and costumes
• 2010: what will this year bring?!