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I ran the Bay to Breakers for the very first time today. It was great fun. The 7.46 miles or 12K run was not as bad as I expected. There were 45,000 registered runners, but an estimated 60,000 people joined the event including gate crashers.

I found out tonight that I finished 1,472 out of the 45,000 registered runners with a time of 1 hour 53 minutes and 51 seconds. Not bad for not someone who didn’t really train for this race.

About the race. I was really gunning to win the race in the beginning and it meant beating the Kenyans and the Russian women. But, I had one slight problem. The event personnel placed me in the back of the line. This did not discourage me being a happy trouper that I am.

I ran with determination the first mile trying to catch up with the leaders. Then, I got tangled up with the centipede team. No problem, I got up and wiped the tar off my clothes. I was then trampled by Elvis. Not just one, but it seemed like dozens of them.

I kept running. I was getting a little tired after mile 2. So, I kept my head down to concentrate on the job at hand. I look up and then I saw this naked man in front of me. My natural reaction was to run back, and that is exactly what I did. That’s when Wonder Woman and Spiderman ran me over. Mile 6.

My legs and feet are no longer working. I started to walk. Then, I saw little kids and old women passing me. Then, I heard a man on the loudspeaker say, “You can still win this race.” And he was right. That’s how I finished. I didn’t win, but I finished.

Seriously now. I really didn’t mind the time. I just wanted to finish the race. I ran a managable pace. It was difficult to run in the beginning since there were just too many people. You had to weave your way through people to get going, nevertheless it was hilarious to watch everything that was happening around me.

I ran into some problems later in the race when my leg muscles started to cramp. I had to walk and run several times especially towards the end of the race, starting at mile 6 until the finish line. Boy, I’m really feeling it tonight. My legs are ok now, but my feet are killing me.

The Bay to Breakers race is one of those experiences that you just have to experience at least once in your life. What makes the Bay to Breakers unique? It’s the other runners. The costumes, the centipede runners, numerous sightings of Elvis, Spiderman, Wonder Woman, fairies, and all kinds of odds and ends.

Oh yea, there’s the bare to breakers runners who prefer running with nothing on but a pair of sneakers and a cap. How about running next year? Sure! I would love to do it again next year.

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