Don't Change Bay to Breakers

To whom it may concern,

I’ve read numerous reports of the changes that are to occur at the 100th anniversary of the Bay To Breakers road-race, and I’m writing to tell you of my disappointment in virtually all of them.  When you remove the floats, the alcohol, and the nudity, all you are left with is a foot-race like any other of the thousands that take place across America every fair weather weekend.  I’m from the Boston area, and for all the fun that the locals have on “Marathon Monday”, I can assure you that it has less to do with the Boston Marathon than it does with the annual Red Sox home game at 11am.  What I’m saying is, the Boston Marathon is to America no different than the NY Marathon, or any other major city’s event.  Is that really what you want for the Bay to Breakers, especially in its 100th year?

For the majority of its annual participants, the B2B isn’t about running at all, but rather about taking some time away from our “adult” lives and allowing our inner kids to resurface, if only for a few hours on a Sunday in May.  I still remember my first B2B like it was yesterday, and believe me when I say it, so does anyone else who’s ever hung around with me.  The fun that was had, and the camaraderie enjoyed is like nothing else I’ve experienced.  A group of my friends have been going for about 12 years, and my first year we were 32 strong.  It also happened to be the first race after an American Hero, and a good friend of many people, died protecting all of our rights that we too often take for granted.  He was one of the “original” boys that had discovered your race, and as a tribute to him, as many of us as possible made it out to San Fran in honor of him.  While our busy lives being good husbands or dad’s doesn’t allow for us all to make it back every year, the 100th was going to be something special for us all.  Identical pictures of our friend hangs on the wall in two bars in the United States….one in Boston, and one on the corner of Polk and Broadway in San Francisco.  While we would all love to sit around the picture in SF and reminisce, it an awful lot to ask someone to commit that type of money to just sit in a bar for the weekend.  The race is our excuse to spend that money, to take that time away from our families, and to let our inner kids out for a little while. 

I understand your concerns with the race, and particularly the cost of the aftermath of it, but I fear that you are vastly undervaluing the nuance of the race itself.  Bay to Breakers hasn’t been about running for as long as most of you can remember and you know it.  By making the race about running, you’re taking away from it what makes it unique…and attractive.  Sure, I could tell you about the lost revenues to the hotels, bars, and restaurants, but I have a feeling they are already doing that.  

I read an article years ago on ESPN.com that listed the 101 things every sports fan should do before they die.  B2B was described as a public run that is matched by none other.  One thing I recall thinking was “hey, this might be the only thing on the list a “fan” can actually participate in”.  Do you really want your race to be left off that list next time?

While I understand there is a cost analysis done on everything (to be honest, I believe that this is the real issue at hand here, not the “sudden discovery” that a small percentage of people drink too much on the racecourse), I would think that if the word was put out now, many of the additional costs needed (cleanup, more potties, additional police, et al) could be somewhat recouped.  I would also think that there would be some easy marketing dollars to be had as well (say a Gatorade/Powerade sponsored corner).  

Listen, I realize you guys are ridiculously smarter than I am….and you’ve probably already vetted every idea I could come up with to help offset the cost issues, but I’m still asking you to reconsider what I, and it appears many like me, view as the destruction of one of Americas most fun traditions.  I can get together with a bunch of fully clothed and sober people on every other Sunday of the year.  Please reconsider and give us all a reason to skip church on May 15, 2011.

Sincerely, 

Jeff Zima

Boston, Ma.