I Cheated

  

I Cheated

The first time I participated in the Break to Breakers was on May 20^th 2017. Ok, I didn’t exactly participate in the race. I went there to take photographs. However, after everyone started moving forward, not necessarily running, I decided to join the crowd in spite of the pain in my knee. My plan was to walk a few blocks, take a few pictures and go back home. Four hours later, I found myself at the finish line on the beach, with hundreds of images of the participants. Many of them dressed for the occasion, or not dressed at all. The next year I decided not to go, since our puppy Max was too young for me even to consider the trip. This year on the day before the race, the newspaper warned that the rain might “spoil the parade”; and besides, a seven mile walk could be too much for a young dog. So, I decided to cheat. At about noon, I took Max and we drove to 45^th Avenue and Lincoln, which I knew was close to the finish. In the park, we melded with the other walkers (the runners finished the race long time ago). People wanted to pet Max while I photographed my encounters. As predicted, it finally started to rain, and we returned to the car. There was an interesting coincidence related to the race. While finishing my next book, which my wife suggested to title “42 Encounters in San Francisco, Volume Two,” I decided to use one of the images from the race in the book, with the word “FUN,” as the story coincides with the image.

Cheating or not, the Break to Breakers event is really fun. It also has an amazing history. If I hadn’t checked online, I would never have guessed that the race began in 1912. In 1986, it had a record of 110,000 participants. If you’ve never taken part in the Break to Breakers and do not like to cheat like me, it will take place again next year on May 17, 2020 at 8am. I might see you there. Meanwhile, start running (or walking).