Bay to Breakers successful

By Jacquelyn Pearce

Despite threats of rain and stricter rules, the 100th anniversary of the historic Bay to Breakers race went on as planned for many students this past Sunday.

To deter participants from becoming extremely intoxicated, many changes were made regarding rules and regulations. These included requiring race numbers, cracking down on alcohol and stopping Caltrain service at Santa Clara.

On top of everything, the weather forecast was less than ideal: low 50's and rain. The combination of these factors dampened the spirits of many Santa Clara students.

The morning of race, however, showed clearing clouds and mid 60's temperature throughout San Francisco.  

Participants noted a stronger police presence: whether on horseback, motorcycles, dirt bikes or bicycles, the police roamed the streets, surveying the crowd for excessive rowdiness.

While there was a decrease in participants from Santa Clara, excitement was still in the air throughout the city.

More news: Bay to Breakers race-part in full swing

Even with increased police presence, alcohol was relatively easy to sneak in on the race course. Junior Kelly Moore noted walkers getting pretty creative with their drinking strategies.

Some racers put bags of Franzia wine into cereal boxes while others chose to carry their vodka in inner tubes. It seemed as if participants were not obviously drinking, nothing would happen.  

But not everyone was so lucky. On the way to the course, an anonymous Santa Clara alumnus of the class of 2010 was stopped by the police and given an open container ticket for carrying a beer on the street. The other members of his group were holding Gatorade bottles and walked away free.

One of the most unique aspects of Bay to Breakers is definitely the costumes, and this year was no exception. The most popular costume seemed to be Waldo from the book "Where's Waldo?" But some participants chose to address the centennial celebration with their outfits: for instance, a group of racers wore white wigs and pushed walkers with signs reading that it was their 100th birthday.

Traditionally many racers feel inclined to walk or run in their birthday suits.  While this year's new rules did not prohibit nudity, there was a definite decrease in the number of nude participants.

Because Caltrain did not stop in Santa Clara, many students decided to either take the train from the San Jose station or stay in San Francisco Saturday night.

Senior Kendall Fishman and her group of friends chose to take the San Jose train. "It was a similar experience (to previous years' races)," said Fishman about the train ride.

While some students bought tickets, as the departure time approached, students got on the train without purchasing a ticket. Fishman estimates that the train was  comprised almost entirely of Santa Clara students.

Fishman also noted that it was not hard to sneak into the course without a ticket. She noticed a few people being asked to put away bottles, but race officials got less strict as the race progressed.

Bay to Breakers spokeswoman Stephanie Reichen called the race a "huge success."  While she did note that there was not 100 percent compliance with the rules, it was definitely a step in the direction towards a more responsible race. Reichen also noted that the organization had received "positive feedback from the San Francisco community, as well as the San Francisco Police Department." She also said that the new wave start was successful and will probably be used in the future. She noted that it was a positive change for those who are actually competing in the race.

Read more: Official website of 100th Annual Bay to Breakers, sponsored by Zazzle

Most participants felt as though the race had a more responsible vibe this year and, in fact, very few participants from the Santa Clara community had any negative feedback. While not everyone was able to make it to the ocean, most students enjoyed their overall experience.

Contact Jacquelyn Pearce jpearce@scu.edu.