Bay to Breakers Isn’t Just a Race. It’s San Francisco’s Living Room.

Bay to Breakers is a block party I never knew existed — and, honestly, never knew I needed.

What I thought was just a 12K race turned out to be the biggest porch fest I’ve ever seen.

It felt less like a sporting event and more like a citywide love letter to San Francisco and all the weird, chaotic, beautiful things that make it what it is.

I arrived in San Francisco and checked into the Beacon Grand Hotel, formerly the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, in Union Square.

My media bag was packed with microphones, lights, tripods, batteries, all the essentials.

By 6 a.m., I was climbing into a Waymo headed toward the starting line, which already felt surreal enough before the race even began.

There I was: standing near the front of a crowd of 30,000 people, biggest Bay to Breakers in a decade.

Some were serious runners stretching and pacing. Most were dressed in outrageous costumes, dancing like Thing 3 and 4 who I met on the starting line.

A few wore nothing at all. And somehow, all of it made perfect sense.

But what I realized almost immediately was that Bay to Breakers is not just about the runners. It’s about the city.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and I spoke before the official starting time and he shared a little secret: He hadn’t run in the race before.

“There is nothing like it on the planet, only in San Francisco you get the Bay to Breakers,” Lurie said.

There was a kind of unity on display that you rarely see anymore, especially in a city as large and layered as San Francisco. Everyone — runners, spectators, homeowners, DJs, volunteers — seemed committed to creating one giant shared experience.

The Life Support of a Local Coffee Brewed

One of my favorite stops along the route came courtesy of Amanda Sonenberger with BrewBird, a company that feels like the environmentally conscious evolution of a Keurig machine.

Instead of plastic coffee pods, BrewBird partners with local coffee shops and uses compostable pods filled with fresh whole beans.

The machine grinds and brews the coffee in under a minute.

At that hour of the morning, it felt less like coffee and more like life support.

Sonenberger said BrewBird wanted to be part of Bay to Breakers because the event perfectly reflects what San Francisco does best: bringing people together.

“This is an iconic event that brings communities from all over here to San Francisco and we want to honor that,” she said.

Seeing San Francisco in a Different Way

I’ll be honest with you: I didn’t actually run the race.

I hopped onto the media truck that led the course ahead of the runners, which ended up giving me an entirely different perspective. We rolled through San Francisco before the city fully woke up, from the Embarcadero toward Golden Gate Park, with every major street blocked off.

For a brief moment, San Francisco existed without cars.

No traffic. No honking. No congestion. Just open streets, cool air, and the city itself on full display.

It was spectacular.

That’s the magic Bay to Breakers gives runners too — a rare chance to experience San Francisco as if people, not vehicles, own it.

At one point, a man in a hot dog costume somehow took the lead among the early crowd. From the media truck, an older spectator yelled something along the lines of, “Of course a goddamn hot dog is winning.” Honestly, that may have been the most San Francisco moment of the entire morning.

Then the race transformed. Or maybe more accurately, the party arrived. This is when I went running shoes-on-the-ground.

Once the serious runners spread out, the fun runners flooded the streets. Political candidates mixed with influencers, college kids, tech workers, longtime locals, and tourists all moving together through the city. I spotted State Sen. Scott Wiener, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and countless others weaving through the crowds.

The Blocks Were Alive With the Sound of Music and Liquor

Every block felt alive.

Homes along the route became mini music festivals. People sat on staircases cheering strangers on. Some residents hired DJs. Others handed out beer, shots, snacks, popsicles — whatever they had. Entire dance parties erupted in the middle of intersections while runners zig-zagged around them laughing instead of complaining.

That was the part I didn’t expect: the camaraderie.

Nobody seemed angry. Nobody seemed stressed. The entire city collectively decided that for one morning, joy would outweigh inconvenience.

At one point, I watched people dressed like Howie Mandel host a full “Deal or No Deal” game with random runners in the middle of the course. Minutes later, someone handed me a “Tequila Baja Blast” from a group dressed as Taco Bell tacos.

I don’t even know how to explain that sentence properly, but somehow it perfectly captures Bay to Breakers.

And maybe that’s why this event matters.

A Humanizing Experience

In an era where cities often feel divided, transactional, expensive, and exhausting, Bay to Breakers feels radically human. It’s messy, loud, ridiculous, and completely unfiltered. It reminds you that cities are supposed to be fun.

That community can still exist.

That strangers can still dance together at 8 a.m. on a Sunday.

Eric Johnson, CEO of SurveyMonkey, told me this was actually his first Bay to Breakers too. SurveyMonkey served as the race’s “Curiosity Sponsor,” which honestly feels fitting for an event that thrives on randomness and human connection.

Johnson said the partnership immediately made sense, especially because Bay to Breakers’ mascot is an ape.

“Bay to Breakers is a uniquely San Francisco event and it’s really about the people,” Johnson said. “SurveyMonkey is about allowing companies to ask people what is important to them.”

That idea, curiosity about people, might actually be the perfect way to describe the entire event.

Only San Francisco Can Describe San Francisco

What surprised me most was how much Bay to Breakers reflects the modern identity crisis, and resilience, of San Francisco itself. For years, the city has been defined nationally by headlines about tech layoffs, homelessness, politics, and decline.

But that’s not the San Francisco I saw.

I saw neighbors opening their homes to strangers. I saw people from every background sharing sidewalks, drinks, music, and laughter. I saw a city that still knows how to celebrate itself.

And honestly? Millennials crave that kind of authenticity now more than ever.

Not curated experiences. Not luxury exclusivity. Not VIP sections.

Just real people doing weird, memorable things together.

By the time the race ended in Golden Gate Park, Bay to Breakers no longer felt like an event. It felt like a reminder.

Cities are still worth believing in when people decide to show up for each other.

And San Francisco, for all its flaws, still knows how to throw one hell of a party.

First Time Running, First Time Winning

Official 12K results showed Nolan Hosbein, 22, winning the men’s overall title in 37:16; Tamara Jewett, 36, winning the women’s overall title in 40:46; and David Elk, 29, winning the nonbinary division in 41:47.

Hosbein recently moved to the city and said that this was his first Bay to Breakers.

“I have ran some races in the city before and this is obviously the biggest one,” Hosbein told me. “You don’t get to run in these streets like this.”

I’d recommend Bay to Breakers to anyone. Run it. Walk it. Wear a costume. Dance with strangers. Drink something questionable from someone dressed like a taco.

Just go experience it. Because Bay to Breakers isn’t just a race. It’s San Francisco at its absolute most San Francisco.

Bay to Breakers is already planned for May 17, 2027.

About the Author

Anthony W. Haddad is a Fresno-based reporter and columnist best known for the award-winning Millennial View column series. He covers a wide range of topics, from pressing local issues and community concerns to the everyday challenges and experiences facing millennials today.

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