The year that Bay to Breakers was the world’s largest footrace |
Bay to Breakers, San Francisco’s anything-goes road race, returns to San Francisco on Sunday. Some participants will don salmon costumes and run the race in the opposite direction; a small but reliable contingent will run Bay to Breakers in the nude, save for their running shoes.
Forty years ago, in 1986, the race became remarkable for another reason: It was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest footrace. It was Bay to Breakers’ 75th year, and an estimated 110,000 runners took to the streets. In typical Bay to Breakers fashion, only around 79,000 were actually registered.
In the years prior, Bay to Breakers participation had skyrocketed, climbing from 27,000 runners in 1981. Still, 1986’s turnout exceeded expectations. The day prior, the Chronicle estimated that 85,000 would run. The race was so crowded that it took some runners half an hour to cross the starting line after the gun fired, recalls Peter Hartlaub, the San Francisco Chronicle’s culture critic.
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Runners participate in the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco on May 18, 1986.
View of a runner, partly wrapped in an oversized scarf, during the annual Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco on May 18, 1986.
The morning of May 18,........