What the Bay to Breakers has to teach us
This year is the 100th anniversary of the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco, California. This is the largest footrace in the U.S., but it is so much more than that. The entire city participates in this festival. They don clever costumes (or sometimes just body paint), and walk along the route after the runners, drinking at 10 in the morning, and enjoying their fellow San Franciscans’ camaraderie. The enterprising homeless and Chinese immigrants collect as many empty water bottles as they can carry. The buses and trains overflow. We are talking about a full-on parade, complete with floats and live music.
[Well, except for this year. This year floats are banned, and the police will apparently actually be enforcing the law regarding public imbibing. But let’s ignore this year’s flirtation with wholesomeness; I’m sure it will pass.]
This is what is so great about the Bay to Breakers: Each year, depending on your mood, you can enjoy it in a different way.
- Run the race (7.5 miles)
- Walk the parade route in costume with your friends (I went as part of a group who dressed as Swine Flu a couple of years ago)
- Build a float and ride it in the parade
- Stand by the side of the parade and watch it all go by, dancing with strangers
- Park yourself with a nice beverage and some good friends on a well-placed balcony or rooftop to watch the fun
- Volunteer as an organizer
What you can’t do is ignore it. If you try to go about your day like normal, you will only be frustrated by the blocked-off streets and the drunken masses.
Well? Do you see the metaphor emerging? Is this year going to be a year you sit it out, feeling left out and annoyed? Or is this year going to be a year you enjoy drunken fun with your friends? Perhaps this is the year you’re going to really get things done and run the 7.5 miles. Or maybe you’ll join a committee and roll up your sleeves. Well, what’s it going to be?
This year will be a running year for me.
