Bay to Breakers 2022: Route, Course Map, Times, Road Closures and Event Details

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For more than a century, Bay to Breakers has been a fun, exciting event for the city of San Francisco, with many participants donning costumes for the 12k race. It’s a great way to experience the Bay Area along with family and friends. 

Like many events around the world, Bay to Breakers was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic the past two years, with both the 2020 and 2021 editions canceled.

But now, Bay to Breakers is coming back to San Francisco. The 2022 running of the race is set to be held Sunday morning, and it marks a return to normalcy for the annual event.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Bay to Breakers.

2022 Bay to Breakers Information

When: Sunday, May 15

Start Time: 8 a.m. PT

Course Map: Available on CapstoneRaces.com

Road Closures: A list of road closures has been compiled by Capstone Races

Preview

The first Bay to Breakers race was held in 1912, with the event created while the people of San Francisco rebuilt the city following the 1906 earthquake. According to the race’s website, there were only 121 people who finished that inaugural run.

Over the years, the event has grown. On Sunday, there should be a large number of participants for the run—everybody must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to be part of the race.

The start line for Bay to Breakers is at Main Street and Howard Street, where the runners will begin their trek through San Francisco. They’ll end up at the finish line at Ocean Beach, having seen plenty of sights of the city along the way.

Many runners at this event wear costumes, but not everybody is running solo. Some people choose to participate in the centipede format, meaning they’ll be in groups of 13-15 and linked to their teammates by a bungee cord or a similar device. That adds to the fun and uniqueness of this event.

There will still be plenty of runners focused on finishing in the best possible time. The men’s race record belongs to Kenya’s Sammy Kitwara (33 minutes and 31 seconds in 2009), while the women’s mark was set by Kenya’s Lineth Chepkurui (38:07 in 2010).

When participants finish the race, there will be a festival waiting for them at Ocean Beach. It will feature food, drinks, live music and more. 

This race has typically been held on the third Sunday in May, and the return of costumed runners in the streets of San Francisco will be a welcome sight—the event was held in a virtual format the previous two years.

“There’s always a sense of excitement,” said Casey Bailey, a spokesperson for the Capstone Event Group, per James Salazar of the San Francisco Examiner. “People just want to come and run and have fun and be part of the Bay to Breakers spirit.”

This weekend, people in the Bay Area are finally getting that opportunity again.