eat oakland

The San Francisco Marathon

NARRATIVE
Sitting alone in my friend's house catsitting over the Christmas holidays I was feeling pretty lonely and unaccomplished. A posting on craigslist changed my mind. From it I began my journey to my first athletic pursuit since finding white water rafting in 2002.

What began as 30 minute walks three times a week turned into 13.1 miles on July 29, 2007.

CONTACT INFORMATION
URL: www.runsfm.com

The San Francisco Marathon
PO Box 77148
San Francisco, CA 94107

phone - 415.814.2823
fax - 415.276.4179

HOURS
Summers in San Francisco (Check the website for dates.)

PRICE RANGE
$30 - $115 depending on when you register and which event (5k - Full Marathon). Register early to save on progressively priced registration fees.

SUMMARY
Having not done athletic with my legs since marching band in college, I was wondering whether this event would stink of athletic pretention.

The Expo was a large marketplace of swag and wares - some decent (MMMMM almond milk and Zola Acai with Pineapple!) and some crappy.

The signage to get one's bib and t-shirt was a little confusing, but once I got my bib, chip, and t-shirt I was BRIMMING with pride. I was joining THOUSANDS of runners to do this thing and some of them looked like me (brown, not particularly svelte, and totally motivated).

My mom wanted to volunteer, but the information booth didn't seem to have good information for folks who wanted to sign up to volunteer during marathon weekend. (This is why I only offer 4 stars.) It was a missed opportunity.

The maps and little goodie bags were cool. I loved my honey sticks and am looking forward to my wine tasting in Napa.

The t-shirt is really cool!

Morning of I was IMPRESSED with the arsenal of port-o-potties to accomodate so many bodies needing to evacuate.

We were called in waves with a PERKY announcer and that helped the whole lining up and psyching myself up thing.

I was also encouraged when I saw someone else with headphones. I had been training with music and was HEARTSICK when the official guide said "please no headphones" and I couldn't figure out WHY. Naturally I hid my gear as I lined up and then put on the earphone when I saw earbuds a-plenty!

The run was GORGEOUS. The fog made sure to leave a sense of mysticism on the morning. The land gave way to familiar views with a gorgeous veil of cloud. Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge and crossing it twice was magic. The traffic honking in support and the large drops of condensation falling on my forehead felt like a type of baptism.

The water stops were well-staffed and having our names on our bibs meant we were greeted by name by the volunteers. AWESOME.

Bathrooms were plentiful and I used them to my benefit throughout the run.

After mile 9 we rounded near the beach and headed into the park. The waves lapping below our path was an amazing site and matched perfectly to my personal soundtrack. The song that came on as I saw the beach below was "Agua de la Vida" by Salsa Celtica which celebrates water as life-giving through salsa.

The final 3 miles seemed like a tease as the elevation increased over 3 hills in the Richmond before we skirted and then entered Golden Gate Park.

I would have loved half or quarter mile markers toward the end of the run just to get a sense of when the end was REALLY coming.

I crossed, excited...and then realized my friends and family had NO idea where I was because there were SEVERAL rose gardens near the finishing line! AUGH!

But it was SO awesome to cross the line, get more water, and be efficiently recognized as finishers and given our medal then and there.

SERVICE
Great volunteers kept our spirits and fluids up at the water stations. The registration process was fairly painless, save for some signage confusion.

The Volunteer coordinators missed out on an opportunity to sign up last minute help.

RESTROOMS
Port-o-lets and park restrooms made for the happiness of THOUSANDS of runners! Well spaced and stocked!

SUGGESTION
Better signage for the event, including partial mile markers and clear signage for supporters to know where actual finish line is for first half-finishers.

Labels: 2007, San Francisco, San Francisco Marathon

posted by wrki @ 10:21 PM