In early July, fellow AREC member Laura Chaides and I trekked to the beautiful City by the Bay for the running of the Chronicle San Francisco Marathon. During the long drive up the Valley, we alternated between the few FM radio stations and several of the CDs Laura had brought. If you know Laura at all, you’ll know that she likes to pick a specific song that represents the mood of a given marathon weekend. This time, that song happened to be “Hash Pipe,” by Weezer, not necessarily for its lyrical content, but for its upbeat, driving tempo. Not only did we have two copies of the CD with us, but on race day morning, as we were getting ready to leave the hotel, CNN did a rather lengthy piece on the band and their new album, with - what else? - “Hash Pipe,” playing in the background. Talk about a good omen!
Laura had attempted SF once in the past, but did not have a good experience. It seems her fear of heights and the course’s path over the Golden Gate put the kibosh on her plans for the day. Luckily for her, the course has changed and no longer crosses that famous California landmark. I ran SF last year, so I briefed Laura on some of the new course highlights. For an SF marathon, the course is not as hilly as you might think, but hillier than I had led Laura to believe, I fear.
The course starts in Golden Gate Park, then winds up some pretty good hills, past the old Military Hospital to the top of the Presidio. From here, runners are usually rewarded with great views of the Bridge, but fog (imagine that!) robbed us of the pleasure this time. Then runners wind down some more hills, past Crissy Field and on through the impressive architecture of the Palace of Fine Arts and the Marina District. Next a fun stretch along the Embarcadero and the waterfront, past the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, with a quick jaunt under the Bay Bridge and a left turn around Pac Bell Park (home of the Giants), which comes around mile 9-10. A long stretch of the relatively unattractive China Basin follows, which ends in 3 pretty steep hills leading up to the Haight-Ashbury district, and “the Hill.” Running up Haight Street (“The Hill”) is about 2 miles long, and rises about 250 feet (which doesn’t sound all that bad, but trust me, it’s not easy!), and has several plateaus. Luckily, there are lots of people cheering you on and interesting shops and restaurants to take your mind off the hill itself. Once you reach the top, the course reenters Golden Gate Park for 1-2 miles (where, coincidentally, the SF Hashers set up their beer check), then sends runners out onto the Great Highway, which runs along the westernmost edge of the City. After running south for 2 miles, runners loop back north and are treated to an almost constant view of the ocean, then back in to the park where you finish with some gently sloping hills.
I really enjoy this marathon, and I think others would, too. True, there are some hills, but also some pretty cool views as well. I’d rate the aid stations as good, the medals are decent, but rather plain, the T-shirts adequate. The expo, near Fort Mason, was average, and had the Runner’s World rep been handing out free Fig Newtons (as other events) would have been better. Post-race food is pretty good, highlighted by clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, and also featuring fruit and Gatorade Bars. Both Laura and I ran good races (both under 3:50), and speaking for myself, I plan on doing this event again regularly in the future (especially because it is where I set my current marathon PR of 3:40:02!).
