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By Larry Ullrich, SCNA Board Member
Once again I participated in the annual Bare to Breakers run May 16 through the streets of San Francisco as thousands of onlookers cheered me on. Actually it was more of a slow walk, as I was stopped practically every hundred yards or so by people (mostly women) wanting to take a picture with me and hand me a balloon or cup of water. Like the people of San Francisco had never seen public nudity before?
Several of us bussed to the City that Sunday morning from Lupin Lodge, which traditionally rents a large van to carry its nude participants in the race. The 6k run is actually called Bay to Breakers, and this is its 26th year. It starts near the Bay Bridge and follows a course westerly across the city to the Pacific Ocean. But the nudist participants started calling their part of the festivities Bare to Breakers about fifteen years ago and the name stuck. I would estimate that about a thousand nudists were there – signified by their official yellow B2B hats – among the 40,000 others also racing and perhaps a half million lining the streets.
The race morning was very chilly, at first. As the whistle blows to start the race off comes our clothes. Traditionally we try to get as many nudists into a group photo as possible because once we start to run we all disperse into the crowd. Then off we go! Some run, some jog, but most do a fast walk (which gets slower toward the end).
Many of the non-nudists in the race like to dress up in costumes, many outrageously funny and some quite clever. Several just wore body paint or carried hand-painted signs. I thought the Elvis racers were quite inspired. The most popular places for nude group photos this year was in front of famous businesses, like Starbucks, Burger King, the Post Office building, and the DMV. Once you stop, it is inevitable that other bystanders will rush over to have their picture taken with you also. I think probably just to prove to their disbelieving friends later that they had a photo taken with a naked man in front of Starbucks.
We felt even more accepted this year. It felt like complete freedom. Where else can you go to do it, to run through a city naked and people cheer you? Many told us the nudity is what makes Bay To Breakers more than just another foot race through the city. I certainly will be back next year!
