I left the house at a little before 4 am. I timed it so that I would arrive some time between 4:30 am and 4:45 am. When I pulled up to the gatehouse for the City Center Parking garage, I saw that the gatehouse was empty with the gate arm raised. There were no signs directing you where to go, but I assumed it was the parking structure straight ahead. For the most part, I saw that on the first 2 levels, the spots were clearly marked as reserved for a few off brand car rental companies. As I got up to the third level, it wasn't quite as clear. The instructions from Spothero were only to not park in the spots marked reserved. The spot that I ended up parking in wasn't marked reserved, but it did have a sign that was folded. There weren't many cars around, so I assumed that this was an okay parking spot. Per the usual, I took a picture of where I had parked before grabbing my bags to start my walk over to LAX. As I reached the bottom of the stairwell, I ended up stepping on some shit most likely left by some homeless guy. Thankfully, I noticed the squishiness in time so that I didn't fully step in it! Was I going to regret parking here just to save money?
City Center Parking Garage
Originally, I had thought that it was just a half mile walk. Boy, did I underestimate the distance! It ended up being closer to 2 miles to reach terminal 4! Along the way, at about the Hilton hotel, someone heading in the opposite direction told me that he had run out of gas and asked if I could spare any money. Dude, if I did, would I be walking at dark o' clock over to the airport? I was a sweaty mess by the time I had reached the line for TSA security screening. The TSA agent asked me why I was so sweaty as he patted me down. After that I got in line to take a shuttle ride over to the American Airlines Regional Terminal. It turned out that I didn't to rush as the flight was delayed due to the usual bay area morning marine layer which caused a reduction in the arrival rate of planes.
Shuttle ride over to regional terminal
No more plastic water bottles
Time to board after short delay
Bloody Mary mix
Even with the short delay, the plane landed pretty much on time at SFO Airport at a little after 8:30 am. I got off of the plane into terminal 1. After using the restroom, I headed out of the terminal to catch a ride on the AirTrain. At the gate for the BART train, I wasn't sure if my digital wallet would just scan my default credit card. It instead scanned my digital Clipper card which was empty. I added $15 on it before trying again. It was $11.80 for a ride out to Montgomery St Station.
AirTrain
BART ride on a yellow line train to Antioch
Back during the COVID pandemic, I had deferred my 2020 entry to 2022. It was then where I discovered that they no longer offered free round trip bus rides from Market St over to Fort Mason for the race expo. Then in 2023, I didn't get around to registering for a late July race until late November where I discovered that SFM was at $249! I ended up not registering for a race. Then in 2024, I opted for a double at Jack & Jill. When I returned in 2025, I was able to set a meager course PR. This year, I was at it again for year number 13 for this event. From the BART station, I made the long walk over to Fort Mason. One of these days, I should save my legs and either pay for public transportation or take an Uber ride!
Fort Mason
Race expo at Festival Pavilion
The first thing that I noticed when I entered the Festival Pavilion was that the restroom near the entrance was out of commission. The note said to use the ones in the back. Just like last year, I made the mistake of heading down the right hand side. Once I had waded through the sea of people and made it all the way to the back of the pavilion, I realized that bibs for the full marathon and first half marathon aka bridge half marathon were over on the left hand side. Along the way there, I made my usual stop at the large Taiwan booth to speak to folks there in Taiwanese. I caught the lady off guard a bit. I could tell that she doesn't speak it on a regularly basis.
Participants map
Taiwan flyers
After I got my bib, I had to head back towards the back to pick up my long sleeve race shirt, my SF/LA Challenge medal, and a pair of socks for being a loyal runner. The girl that gave me my shirt seemed a bit excited when she saw that I was holding onto some of the Taiwan flyers. I asked if she was Taiwanese. She said yes, so I spoke a little bit of it to her. Unfortunately, she only knew some very basic words and phrases. As for the challenge medal, it always felt a bit strange to receive it before I had completed the marathon on Sunday. I supposed that that would cut down on the chaos at the finish line on race day. As for the socks, they were given to those that had run in this event in multiple years regardless if they had been run in consecutive years. Those that had run in at least 3 consecutive years were considered legacy runners. In addition to the socks, they also received a pin. Those that had run in at least 10 consecutive years received an addition item that I did not see. I definitely must be getting old because it made me happy to receive another pair of socks! :D
Long sleeve race shirt
Back of race shirt
SF/LA Challenge medal
Back of SF/LA Challenge medal
A pair of socks for loyal runners
On my way out, I had a brief stop at the LA Marathon booth where they gave me a couple of stickers and a finisher magnet for having finished the race earlier this year. I didn't really check out the rest of the expo because I was not liking how crowded it was. As I stopped by the Athletic Brewing booth, my friend spotted me. As I was ready to take a selfie, another friend hopped into the photo. Always a perfect time for a photobomb!
LA Marathon stickers and magnet
Willie and Almi
After I was done with the expo, I headed over to the Safeway across the way to buy the usual gallon of water, a bottle of Gatorade, and some salty snacks. Instead of the usual bag of chips, this time I decided to go with a box of Triscuit.
Gallon of water
Pokémon Goldfish!
Safeway
I got in line to use one of the self checkout kiosks to pay for my items before heading out to get lunch. For lunch, I decided to check out Bun Mee over on Steiner St near Chestnut St. They looked to be a chain with this particular location being pretty new. The primary reason for choosing this location was because it was participating in the AAdvantage Dining Program. I had checked out their menu prior to the trip, so I knew that I wanted to try their ribeye steak dip. It was their most expensive sandwich on their menu. It was a bit pricey at over $20 after employee health surcharge, tax, and tip. However, it was probably the best Vietnamese bánh mì sandwich that I had ever eaten.
Bun Mee
Ribeye steak dip, hold the cilantro
After lunch, I decided to finally walk over to Presidio to check out the Lucasfilm building. I was a pretty sweaty mess since I was carrying my bag and a gallon of water. I decided to just check out the Yoda fountain outside. I'll have to check out the lobby some other time when I'm not so gross.
Presidio
Yoda fountain
Selfie with master Yoda
After taking a selfie with master Yoda, I walked over to the nearby Starbucks to get my usual tall flat white and the bacon & Gruyère egg bites to work towards the weekly bonus stars challenge. I found an open small table to eat the egg bites and drink my coffee before heading out. It was quite crowded, so as soon as I got up, someone snagged the table.
Tall flat white, bacon & Gruyère egg bites
I definitely will need to plan to set aside some time to visit The Walt Disney Family Museum. On a future trip, I will need to come out a day earlier so I wouldn't be hauling around my bags. For some reason, I decided to go check out the nearby Lyon Street Steps on my scenic route over to my timeshare for the weekend. It was quite the climb to be doing the day before the marathon, but I still thought it was worth it. I thought that these steps were much better to check out versus the more famous windy Lombard Street.
Eadweard James Muybridge Statue
Philo T. Farnsworth Memorial
Chestnut Gate
Lyon Street Steps
So many stairs!
More stairs
Even more stairs
After that, I made my way over to Broderick St to go check out the Tanner House from the famous TV sitcom in the 80s, Full House. I then headed over to Japantown to check things out. I was hoping to pick up an onigiri or some other snack from Nijiya, but it was super crowded with their inventory pretty much depleted. I ended up getting nothing. I wasn't sure if it was always this busy, but it would turn out that The Golden Gate Card Show was taking place this weekend. I then headed up to Bush St to keep heading east. I took a picture of the Trinity+St. Peter's Episcopal Church while waiting for a green light. If I didn't have my bags with me, I probably would've also headed down to The Painted Ladies at Alamo Square.
Tanner house
Nihonmachi (Japantown Plaza)
Trinity+St. Peter's Episcopal Church
When I finally arrived at WorldMark San Francisco, I was pretty worn out. I left arm and shoulder were absolutely dead from carrying that gallon of water! I recognized the lady at the front desk. She was the one that checked me in last year. She gave me one of those tiny water bottles as well as a small notepad as a check-in gift. I was assigned to room #711. Then it was that dreaded stop at the concierge station. It looked to be an entirely new team. I can only imagine their turnover rate. The young guy was tasked to give me the usual spiel. He wasn't too persistent when I told him that I didn't want to attend another owner update. Just as I was ready to leave to head up to my room, then the older guy stepped in, who I assumed was his boss. He introduced himself as Buddy. He really didn't want me to get off without attending an owner update. I was way too tired to resist, so I relented after warning him that I was not in a financial position to make a purchase. Like they gave a shit. Their job was to just get me to go. The incentive was a $125 Tango gift card for a one hour sales pitch. For some reason, this time they gave me $25 more for the gift card versus an AMEX card. It was normally the opposite. They collected the usual $40 deposit in case I was a no show. It was scheduled for 8:30 am on Monday. I told him the earlier the better. He jokingly told me 5 am which I would've gladly taken. :D
Check-in gift
WorldMark San Francisco
After getting settled into my room and going through the race packet, I relaxed a bit before going back out to pick up an early dinner. In past years, I had almost always opted for a delicious Super Duper burger. However, I decided to check out The Melt. Again, the primary reason was because they were participating in the AAdvantage Dining Program. Both burger locations weren't that far from each other on Market St. When I arrived, I used one of the ordering kiosks to place my order for their Double Meltburger. Per their menu: 2x 1/3 lb of Angus & Wagyu beef, chopped and grilled with 2 slices of Cheddar, pickle-jalapeño mix, and Melt sauce on an artisan bun. I subbed cheddar for provolone. I took it back to my room to enjoy. It was a pretty substantial burger! I liked it. However, I was not sure if it was smart for me to eat anything spicy the night before a marathon!
Double Meltburger subbed cheddar for provolone
After finishing dinner, I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's marathon. Then I took a shower to start winding down before calling it a night. Thankfully, the hot shower helped quite a bit with my dead left shoulder.
Flat runner
Sunday 7/26
I left the timeshare at about 4:15 am for the walk over to the start line. Per the usual, it was a brisk walk while dodging homeless people out on Market St. It only took about 15 minutes to reach the Ferry Building. With a start time of 5:15 am for corral A, I'm always surprised at how empty the corrals are when I arrive. There were no lines for the portapotties just southeast of the Ferry Building. After using another portapotty closer to corral C one last time to empty the bladder, I positioned myself near the front of corral B. Eventually as the start of the race approached, the corrals would become packed.
Ferry Building
Corral B
Runners behind me
Moving up to the start line
Here we go!
I didn't cross the start line until 5:22 am. I started the race off at a pretty comfortable pace. However, I noticed that both of my ankles felt sore. More specifically, it was the left arch and right Achilles. Definitely some tendinitis going on. I will need to keep an eye on that before it gets out of hand! I was able to keep a pretty steady pace through the first 5 miles. When I saw how clear the sky was, I just had to pull over to take a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge! As I was making my way up Battery E Trail, I heard a pace group slowly come up behind me. The pace leader was talking about how she used to be a Marathon Maniac. I responded by saying that it was kind of like the Marines... once a Marathon Maniac, always a Marathon Maniac! Oorah! It would turn out to be Joyce, pacing the 4:20 group. I knew who she was from some of my friends' Facebook posts, but this was my first time meeting her in person. I ran with them up to the bridge, but I could not keep up after that. 2018 was the first year where we switched to running on the sidewalk versus the road when crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. I still wonder what it would take for us to go back to running on the road. The bridge crested at about mile 7, so I was able to pick up some speed on the way down towards north vista point. Although we got a nice stretch of downhill on Alexander Ave, the road was heavily cambered. At just before reaching Sausalito, I turned onto Fort Baker Rd to start heading back towards the bridge. As I approached mile 11, I started the climb up Conzelman Rd. Unlike last year, I was not able to jog up this section. I saved what little that I had left for the bridge crossing. Once I got to the other end of the bridge, I would reach the halfway point along the California Coastal Trail. I got there in about 2:17.
1: 9:24
2: 9:23
3: 9:40
4: 9:45
5: 9:50
6: 10:33
7: 10:43
8: 9:35
9: 11:07
10: 9:59
11: 11:13
12: 12:51
13: 10:43
Mile 5.4: Fort Point
What a clear morning for a view of the Golden Gate Bridge
Mile 8.4: Golden Gate North Vista
Time to head back on the bridge
Holy smokes, I was pretty wiped out with another half to go! I walked all the way up to Lincoln Blvd before I started to jog again to try and let my legs recover. I tried to take advantage of the downhill stretch through Presidio, but it wasn't much as my legs were very heavy. As I made my way to mile 15, I turned left onto 27th Ave to head towards Golden Gate Park. I pretty much hit the wall at about mile 16 when I made the right turn into the park at Crossover Dr. Shortly after pulling over for a picture of Naga, the sea serpent, I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was my fellow Marathon Maniac, Sammy! It was pretty uncanny, but just like last year, he caught me right before we made the right turn for a loop around Blue Heron Lake. I had to take extended walk breaks for the next few miles as my legs were cramping up. I ate the Skratch energy chews whenever I could to try and revive the legs. As I approached mile 19, the course had us on the sidewalk. This was not good as the leaders in the 2nd half marathon were quickly approaching! The course was way too narrow at this particular section. They had cyclists try and clear space for the leaders, but eventually they had to pull over due to the congestion. One of the runners forged on ahead and tried to pass, but there was a collision. Thankfully, no one went down. It was much better once I made it up to Haight St. I was still unable to run much, so I pulled over to use a portapotty near mile 20. As I resumed I picked up a lei from one of the spectators. Finally, after reaching mile 21, I was able to run down some steep downhills along Buchanan St, Hermann St, and Guerrero St. With about 4 miles to go, I couldn't manage any sustained running as my legs were once again cramping up. When I reached Oracle Park, I knew that I had about a mile left. I wanted to run it in, but my legs were definitely not cooperating. Once I finally reached the Bay Bridge, I finally was able to convince my legs to run the final stretch.
14: 12:56
15: 12:34
16: 13:06
17: 15:27
18: 13:26
19: 15:11
20: 14:04
21: 14:00
22: 11:52
23: 13:19
24: 14:06
25: 13:24
26: 12:55
26.2: 4:49
Mile 16.5: Who's that Pokémon?! Naga, sea serpent at Rainbow Falls Pond
Finish: 5:15:58
Click here for my Garmin data.
This was my 13th time running in this event and my 10th SF Marathon overall. My initial reaction was of disappointment as I was hoping to at the very least finish in under 5 hours. However, when I took the average of my 9 previous SF Marathons, I finished only 6 seconds slower. I had to remind myself that I needed to celebrate every time I crossed a finish line!
After receiving a bottle of water, I pulled off to the side to take a quick finish line selfie before continuing down the finisher chute. I then received my finisher medal. a banana, and a couple of post race snacks. I checked the app to see how my friends did. I saw that my friend that usually finishes around my time, had a good day. I knew that she had to be long gone from the finish line area. Per the usual, it was an absolute pain in the ass trying to exit once I had reached the end of the chute. People were just crowding the exit point. I made my way over to post race festival to pick up a can of Athletic Brewing beer before heading out.
Finished!
Finisher medal
Finisher medal opened up
Finisher medal with lei
Post race festival
Post race goodies
I was feeling pretty wiped out after the race. After getting out of my dirty clothes and had taken a shower, I really didn't want to go back out to get food. Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed to go get food at the nearby Starbucks on Sutter and complete my weekly challenge for 100 bonus stars. I also decided to load $100 on my Starbucks card for 50 bonus stars instead of the usual $30 for 10 stars. I ordered my usual tall flat white and the double-smoked bacon, cheddar & egg sandwich.
Tall flat white, double-smoked bacon, cheddar & egg sandwich
WorldMark San Francisco
At almost 6 pm, I was just hungry enough that I forced myself back out to get dinner at The Melt. I liked it enough for a return visit. This time I ordered the Double Spicy Mission Meltburger. Surprisingly, this burger was even messier than the first one that I had yesterday! This burger was spicier and had avocado, so it was definitely my favorite out of the 2 that I had on this trip.
Double Spicy Mission Meltburger
Monday 7/27
I slept pretty well and had no trouble getting up early enough to pack my bags ahead of my 8:30 am owner update. As planned, I walked over to the Starbucks to pick up breakfast. On the way there, the stairwell down to Sutter had a homeless guy messing around with cardboard boxes, so I went across to use the other one. As to be expected, this Starbucks was packed and busy at just after 7 am. I ordered my usual flat white and double-smoked bacon, cheddar & egg sandwich.
Flat white, double-smoked bacon, cheddar & egg sandwich
At a little past 8 am, I got a call from the concierge that she had ordered me an Uber ride over to the Club Wyndham Canterbury for my owner update. She told me to be down at the curb waiting no later than 8:20 am. It was a ridiculously short ride, but hey, if they're going to keep yanking me around with these useless owner updates, they'll need to pay for it. I thought it was funny that the family that rode the elevator down to the lobby with me wanted to make sure that their ride was not one of those self driving Waymo cars. If I had to pick, I would pick a Waymo over a human driver every time!
They really were short staffed as they had a 2nd alternate give the group presentation. It was the same spiel that I had heard on numerous occasions. After that we met our assigned sales rep. Mine was Ken. I had a decent conversation which was always the case. After hearing that I was born in Taiwan, he even told me how he flew to Taiwan once for a date. Then there was the sales pitch. Before it was over, then came in the second guy. They always ran the same play, that there was no way that they could offer me credits at that rate which was about $2 per credit cheaper than the current going rate. Shocking that each time that I attended these that they were somehow able to offer me this deal that was supposed to be going away. This time wasn't too bad. It went just a tad over an hour. When I went to sign out for my gift, the guy wanted me to confirm that it was for $125 Tango airfare. I corrected him and said that it was for a regular Tango gift card. He had to call someone to okay the change. After I took care of that, he asked if I wanted an Uber ride back. I told him that it was downhill back, so I declined the ride and opted to walk back.
Another owner update at Club Wyndham Canterbury
I got my bags and dropped off my keys at the front desk before heading out for the airport. I walked over to the Montgomery St Station to catch a BART train. I loaded my Clipper card with an additional $10 before going through the fare gate. For some reason, the people ahead of me on the escalator weren't moving especially when you could hear the train pulling into the station. It looked to be a 6 car red line train heading for Millbrae. The girl in front of me finally runs to catch the train before the door closed. Since I had my bags, I decided to just wait for the next one which was a yellow line train.
Dragon Gate
Once I had reached the airport, I got on the AirTrain to head over to terminal 2 for my Southwest flight. After going through TSA security screening, I headed over to my gate in concourse D. While charging my phone, I overheard a conversation among a group of youngsters that had also run in the SF Marathon. The crowd certainly had gotten a lot younger! For this flight I had a middle seat. The young lady in the window seat next to me was very pretty. Unfortunately, she was wearing a ring and most likely half my age! :D
Gate D6
The plane landed at LAX at a little after 2 pm. Thankfully, Southwest was at terminal 1. The LA area was right in the middle of a heatwave, so I was tempted to try and sneak on a Westin hotel shuttle. However, I was pretty certain that their drivers would kick me off. So I started the long trek back to my car. I thought that there wouldn't be anyone out there walking in the heat, but there were 3 others that walked a good portion with me. Two people were headed to the Metro station. There was a pilot behind me heading to his hotel. Once again, I was a pretty sweaty mess by the time I had reached the parking garage. It took me a second to find my car as the place looked different in the daytime. On the way out, I stopped by the gatehouse just to make sure that everything was alright. The guy, in very broken English, asked if I had entered on Saturday and parked on the third floor. When I said yes, he told me that I had parked in a reserved spot. I tried to explain to him that there were no signs marking it as reserved. I'm not sure he understood what I was saying, but in the end, I told him that I would not park on that floor if there was a next time.
Park Cheap LAX
