'We're just going to go for it' Bay to Breakers runners brace for the rain

ByLiz Kreutz KGO logo
Sunday, May 19, 2019
'We're just going to go for it' Bay to Breakers runners brace for the rain
The Bay to Breakers run is well known for many reasons. Rain is not one of them.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Bay to Breakers run is well known for many reasons. Rain is not one of them.

This Sunday, however, the roughly 40,000 runners signed up to participate in San Francisco's annual tradition are bracing to get soaked as the second round of storms hits the Bay Area.

RELATED: Bay Area gets soaked in second round of storms

Charlie Hedgarty is running Bay to Breakers for his 35th consecutive time. He started in 1985 as a college student at San Francisco State. He said it's been more than two decades since there's been rain during the race.

"Probably 1990, that was a tough one because it rained all day, rained all race," Hedgarty recalled. "1998 was another rainy day."

Hedgarty also pointed out it rained in 2011 but stopped just before the race started.

Bay to Breakers organizers say the race is moving forward with as planned and that the only change they've made is the time runners should arrive. Instead of the corrals opening at 6:00 am they are now opening them at 6:30 am to give runners an extra half hour to stay dry.

They plan to update on their social media any further delays. Runners can also receive text updates by texting "B2BSF" to 888777.

Even if the rain Gods aren't on the race's side, runners don't really seem to care.

"It's so alive, the race itself, there's so many costumes and so many people," Stephanie Ibanez, who is running for her fourth time, said. "I don't really appreciate the naked people, but it's part of it, too. It's the whole San Francisco culture and this is what California's about."

And, as Hedgarty will say, it could always be worse.

"Rain is actually better than heat," he said. "The ones that kill you are the ones where we have a 75 or 80-degree morning in San Francisco like we've had on a few occasions."