The 115th annual Alaska Airlines Bay to Breakers wound its way across San Francisco on Sunday morning under cool, breezy conditions, with around 30,000 runners and a familiar carnival of costumed waves working through nine city neighbourhoods from the Embarcadero to Ocean Beach. Race organisers reported a smooth city-wide operation despite a brisk westerly headwind that strengthened along the closing seafront stretch, with the field cleared from the course in time for the post-race party at Ocean Beach.
At the front, 22-year-old Nolan Hosbein controlled the men's 12K from the long downhill on Howard Street through the Hayes Street climb and the Panhandle, winning in 37:16. Hosbein, who had targeted Bay to Breakers as part of his early-summer roads block, pulled away in the closing miles of Golden Gate Park to win by a comfortable margin. Canada's Tamara Jewett, 36, won the women's title in 40:46, leading her chase pack off the Hayes Street hill and never letting them back into contention. The non-binary 12K title went to 29-year-old David Elk in 41:47.
The new Breakers Bonus 15K, an extended option introduced last year that adds a 3K loop in Golden Gate Park to the standard route, drew another strong field. Timothy Liu, 22, won the men's bonus in 54:44, while 16-year-old Lara Slater took the women's title in 1:04:28 in one of the most striking junior performances on the day. Miguel Mercado, 37, won the non-binary 15K bonus in 1:18:21, with organisers reporting a noticeable jump in entries for the extended route in only its second year.
Costumed groups again dominated the wave-by-wave atmosphere, with the centipede teams that have become a Bay to Breakers tradition out in force despite the headwind making it harder for the linked runners to hold formation through the open stretches of the course. The race continues to function as both a competitive road event and a city festival, with organisers reporting that the share of out-of-town entries continued to climb in 2026, particularly from runners pairing the trip with the Big Sur International Marathon two weeks earlier.
City officials called the day a success, citing minimal disruption beyond planned closures and a strong volunteer turnout. The 115th edition strengthens Bay to Breakers' place as one of the world's longest-running annual footraces and as a unique blend of mass-participation event and timed competition that has, more than a century after its origins, refused to settle into either category. Attention now turns to next year's 116th edition, with organisers expected to confirm dates and a refreshed registration model later in the summer.