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Bay to Breakers

By Ethen Lieser

Get your running shoes on and start exercising, that is, if you haven’t been doing that already. The 90th annual event of the world’s largest and longest consecutively run footrace, the Examiner Bay to Breakers will zigzag through San Francisco streets on May 20.

“We like to brand ourselves with the largest event in San Francisco,” said Anthony Licciardi, of KGO Newstalk Radio, which has sponsored the race for the past 14 years. “There is nothing like it.”

The 12K (7.46 miles) race will start at the San Francisco Bay (Howard and Spear streets) and end at the Breakers, right at the edge of the Pacific Ocean by the Great Highway.

The footrace is only half the fun, though. There is also a costume contest. And last year, runners were seen dressed as Elvis, a porta-potty, and a cactus, among other things.

“I think it is something everybody should see,” said Licciardi, who will be at the footrace but won’t be able to participate because of his KGO duties.

Said Victor Heman, the vice president of public relations services of the Corsi Group: “For the footrace itself, it is really going to be the same thing. It’s just great and a lot of fun.”

Over 75,000 participants are expected, including runners from all 50 states and several elite athletes from Kenya, the grooming ground of world-class, long-distance runners. In fact, Ismael Kirui and Delilah Asiago of Kenya hold the Bay to Breaker records for best times. Kirui ran the race in 33:42, breaking the men’s record in 1993. Asiago owns the women’s record, scampering to 38:23 time in 1995.

The footrace, sponsored by the Examiner and a project of the San Francisco Bay to Breakers Foundation, will use the net proceeds from the event to assist organizations that provide services to Bay Area children and youth. Some of the organizations include: Glide Foundation; What to Expect Foundation; California Academy of Sciences; Chinatown’s Community Youth Center; and Larkin Street Youth Center.

“There is a renewed focus on charitable donations this year,” Heman said. “The Bay to Breakers will focus on one aspect of society, which will aim toward children and youth of this area.”