San Francisco Marathon

The San Francisco Marathon is an annual USATF-certified road running event held in San Francisco, California, that includes a full marathon, two half marathons, an ultramarathon,[1] a 10k,[2] and a 5K.[3] With the exceptions of 1988, 1993, and 2020, the marathon has been held annually since 1977.[4] The marathon starts and finishes on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building and crosses the Golden Gate Bridge.[5] It is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.[6]

San Francisco Marathon
DateJuly
LocationSan Francisco, CA
Event typeRoad
DistanceMarathon, Half Marathon, Ultramarathon, 10k, and 5K
Established1977 (47 years ago) (1977)
Official sitewww.thesfmarathon.com

History

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Jared Fogle at the San Francisco Marathon in 2011

The first San Francisco Marathon was organized by the Pamakids Runners Club.[7] Athol Barton, a taxicab driver who at the time lived in Reno, Nevada won the inaugural on July 10, 1977 in a time of 2:24:59. Athol was born in Aotearoa, New Zealand and was of NZ Maori and Scottish descent. [4][8] Fewer than 900 ran this inaugural race.[8] The event's all-time record for marathon finishers came in 1983 with 7,231.[9] An estimated 7,800 runners participated in the various events in 2004[10] and 11,290 in 2005.[11] This number had increased to approximately 19,000 in 2008[12] and 21,000 in 2009[13] The 2009 event was hosted by ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes and Runner's World columnist Bart Yasso.[3]

In 2005, 356 of the 4,873 finishers qualified for Boston.[14] Of the 4,021 finishers in 2006, 277 qualified.[15] 2010's race produced 462 qualifiers,[16] 468 runners qualified in 2011,[17] 377 qualified in 2012,[18] and 2016's race produced 296 qualifiers.[19] 2018's race produced 324 Boston Marathon qualifiers.[20]

The purse has also varied from year to year. In 1977, Barton took home a t-shirt for his efforts.[8] When Pete Pfitzinger won in 1986, he earned $5,000 and a new car.[8] Although many top runners were attracted to the $35,000 purse that was offered in 1998 ($10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place, $2,500 for third place),[21] no prize money was offered from 1999 through 2001.[22][23][24] From 2002 to 2004, $10,000 was divided among the winners.[25][26][27] Prize money has not been offered since 2005, primarily due to lack of large sponsors.[28][29][30]

The 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all registrants given the option of running the race virtually, or transferring their entry to 2021 for a US$39 fee.[a][32][33][34] The 2021 race was held on September 18-19th, 2021.

In 2024, participants of the half-marathon found out two days after the race that the course had only been 12.6 miles instead of 13.1, due to a miscalculation by race organizers.[35] There are two half marathon races offered, a "city half" and a "bridge half"; the "city half" half-marathon was the course that was short.[36]

Course

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The current marathon course forms a loop that starts and finishes on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building.[3] The course runs past many notable landmarks in San Francisco including Fisherman's Wharf, Aquatic Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, and Oracle Park.[37] The course briefly enters Marin County at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge.[38]

The marathon course has undergone a number of changes since its inception.[4][8][25][39] In the late 1980s, the start was moved from Marin County to San Francisco.[40] In 1999, race organizers made a number of changes to make the course faster.[22] That year the course was altered to start and end near the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park and the run across the Golden Gate Bridge was eliminated.[22] Previous routes have taken the marathon along the Great Highway.[25] In 2002, the start/finish at Golden Gate Park was moved to the Embarcadero with a run across the Golden Gate Bridge.[41]

The first half marathon originally crossed the Golden Gate Bridge along the full marathon, but was eliminated in 2018 due to security and safety concerns. Previously, the full marathon and first half marathon ran on the roadbed of the bridge, shutting down automobile traffic for two lanes.[42]

There are two half-marathon races offered, a "Bridge Half", which ends near the Golden Gate Bridge, and a "City Half", which begins in Golden Gate Park.[36]

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In 2002, the San Francisco Marathon was the fictionalized backdrop for an episode of Monk entitled "Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man."[43]

Winners

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Date Men Country Time Women Country Time Finishers
July 27, 2024 Charlie Lawrence   United States 2:22:30 Jenna Wolfrum   United States 2:52:10 5770[44]
July 23, 2023 Brice Daubord[45]   France 2:26:17 Leandra Zimmermann[45]   United States 2:45:59 4979
July 24, 2022 Simon Ricci   United States 2:31:42 Brooke Starn   United States 2:44:38 4080
September 19, 2021 Gregory Billington   United States 2:20:42 Judith Corachán Vaquera   Spain 2:55:33 3189
July 28, 2019 Gregory Billington   United States 2:25:25 Nina Zarina   Authorised Neutral Athletes 2:47:01 5226[46]
July 29, 2018 Jorge Maravilla   United States 2:27:56 Bonnie Tran   United States 2:54:09 5242[47]
July 23, 2017 Jorge Maravilla   United States 2:28:23 Devin McMahon   United States 2:52:49 6510[48]
July 31, 2016 Max Haines-Stiles   United States 2:30:42 Tori Tyler   United States 2:49:51 6270[49]
July 26, 2015 Chris Mocko   United States 2:26:22 Anna Bretan   United States 2:49:42 6026[50]
July 27, 2014 August Brautigam   United States 2:32:17 Anna Bretan   United States 2:47:51 6580[51]
June 16, 2013 Francois Lhuissier   France 2:25:15 CR Anna Bretan   United States 2:42:26 CR 5827[52]
July 29, 2012 Nathan Krah   United States 2:26:44 Devon Crosby-Helms   United States 2:44:02 6494[53]
July 31, 2011 Michael Wardian   United States 2:27:06 Emily Field   United States 2:50:24 6020[54]
July 25, 2010 Keith Bechtol   United States 2:23:28 Emily Hardin   United States 2:51:54 5992[55]
July 26, 2009 Andrew Cook   United States 2:26:32 Yoko Shibui   Japan 2:46:34 5101[56]
August 3, 2008 Chad Worthen   United States 2:31:52 Lauren Gustafson   United States 2:52:33 4,354[57] 4,447[58]
July 29, 2007 Andrew Cook   United States 2:25:57 Yolanda Flamino   United States 2:43:41 4,250[59] 4,275[60]
July 30, 2006 Andrew Cook   United States 2:26:46 Julia Stamps   United States 2:54:55 4,021[15][61] 4,062[60]
July 31, 2005 Tony Torres   United States 2:31:57 Sarah Hallas   United States 2:56:55 4,869[60] 4,873[14][62] 4,918[11]
August 1, 2004 John Weru   Kenya 2:33:41 Susan Loken   United States 2:50:21 2,665[60][63]
July 27, 2003 Patrick Kamau   Kenya 2:35:11 Lucy Carr   United States 3:02:00 1,891[64]
July 28, 2002 Nate Bowen   United States 2:31:46 Magdalena Lewy   United States 2:50:11 1,920[65]
July 8, 2001 Vytautas Ezerskis   Lithuania 2:30:53 Micha Lowe   United States 3:12:10 2,249[66]
July 9, 2000 Michael Buchanan   United States 2:32:49 Lisa Murphy   United States 3:08:15 2,345[67]
July 11, 1999 Brad Hawthorne   United States 2:24:36 Patti Smith   United States 3:09:44
July 12, 1998 Hamid Oubadriss   France 2:23:54 Salina Chirchir   Kenya 2:45:36
July 13, 1997 Hamid Miloudi   Algeria 2:26:49 Kristen Orre   United States 3:02:33
July 14, 1996 Brad Lael   United States 2:37:27 Margee Brown   United States 2:57:45
July 9, 1995 Hector Lopez   Mexico 2:23:38 Lisa Kelp   United States 2:51:12
July 31, 1994 Patrick Muturi   Kenya 2:17:34 Karolina Szabo   Hungary 2:44:34
July 18, 1993 Driss Dacha   Morocco 2:20:02 Tatiana Titova   Russia 2:40:32
August 30, 1992 Sergio Jimenez   Mexico 2:16:44 Irina Bogachova   Kyrgyzstan 2:36:54
June 23, 1991 Daniel Martinez   United States 2:15:31 Lesley Ann Lehane   United States 2:35:33
July 1, 1990 Antonio Niemczak   Poland 2:13:48 Janis Klecker   United States 2:39:52
July 9, 1989 Ernest Tjela   Lesotho 2:15:01 Stephanie Robertson   United States 3:09:08
1988 not held
July 19, 1987 Mehmet Terzi   Turkey 2:14:07 Eileen Claugus   United States 2:39:02
July 20, 1986 Pete Pfitzinger   United States 2:13:29 Maria Trujillo   United States 2:37:58
July 21, 1985 Ric Sayre   United States 2:15:07 Kersti Jakobsen   Denmark 2:38:04
August 19, 1984 Simeon Kigen   Kenya 2:10:18 Katy Laetsch   United States 2:35:56
July 24, 1983 Pete Pfitzinger   United States 2:14:45 Janis Klecker   United States 2:35:44 7,231[9]
July 11, 1982 Miguel Tibaduiza   Colombia 2:14:32 Nancy Ditz   United States 2:44:05
July 12, 1981 Harold Schulz   United States 2:15:17 Laurie Binder   United States 2:38:04
July 13, 1980 Antonio Ramirez   United States 2:18:15 Joann Dahlkoetter   United States 2:43:20
July 8, 1979 John Moreno   United States 2:18:54 Carol Young   United States 2:49:46
July 9, 1978 Steven Palladino   United States 2:21:15 Sue Petersen   United States 2:50:15
July 10, 1977 Athol Barton   New Zealand 2:24:59 Tena Harms   United States 2:53:20
  • CR = course record since the addition of the Golden Gate Bridge out and back[68]
Countries Winners Represented
Country Male Female Total
  United States 26 36 62
  Kenya 4 1 5
  Mexico 2 0 2
  Algeria 1 0 1
  Colombia 1 0 1
  Denmark 0 1 1
  France 2 0 2
  Hungary 0 1 1
  Japan 0 1 1
  Kyrgyzstan 0 1 1
  Lesotho 1 0 1
  Lithuania 1 0 1
  Morocco 1 0 1
  New Zealand 1 0 1
  Poland 1 0 1
  Turkey 1 0 1
  Russia 0 1 1
  Authorised Neutral Athletes 0 1 1

NOTE: Due to World Athletics policies, the 2019 win by Zarina is legally listed as an Authorised Neutral Athlete because of policies related to Doping in Russia.

Notes

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  1. ^ It had initially been postponed to 2020.11.15 before being cancelled.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Ultramarathon - The San Francisco Marathon". The San Francisco Marathon. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  2. ^ "10K". The San Francisco Marathon. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "The 2010 San Francisco Marathon: July 25, 2010". The San Francisco Marathon. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Heyworth, Malcolm; Winitz, Mark; Leydig, Jack (July 27, 2009). "San Francisco Marathon". Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
  5. ^ "Full Marathon".
  6. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon: Full Marathon". www.runsfm.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2010.
  7. ^ "Welcome to Pamakid Runners". Archived from the original on February 12, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e Curtis, Jake (July 29, 2004). "The emphasis is on fun in this run". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  9. ^ a b "San Francisco Marathon presented by Runner's World: Press Coverage". www.chroniclemarathon.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2005.
  10. ^ "San Francisco Marathon presented by Runner's World: Press Coverage". www.chroniclemarathon.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2005.
  11. ^ a b "First Time Victors Lead Record Turnout for San Francisco Marathon". Cool Running. August 1, 2005. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  12. ^ "Archived" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 15, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2023.[dead link]
  13. ^ Bulwa, Demian (July 27, 2009). "S.F. Marathon: 26.2 miles of feel-good pain". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  14. ^ a b "Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Popular Qualifying Marathons- 2005". Marathonguide.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  15. ^ a b "Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Popular Qualifying Marathons- 2006". Marathonguide.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  16. ^ "Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Popular Qualifying Marathons- 2010". www.marathonguide.com. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  17. ^ "Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Popular Qualifying Marathons- 2011". www.marathonguide.com. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  18. ^ "Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Popular Qualifying Marathons- 2012". www.marathonguide.com. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  19. ^ "Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Popular Qualifying Marathons- 2016". www.marathonguide.com. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  20. ^ "Boston Marathon Qualifiers - Most Popular Qualifying Marathons- 2018". www.marathonguide.com. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "Frenchman Captures Victory at the Providian San Francisco Marathon; Kenyan Dominates the Women's Field" (Press release). Providian Financial. July 12, 1998. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 19, 2009. With $35,000 in prize money, this year's Providian San Francisco Marathon attracted many top elite runners,
  22. ^ a b c Weinstein, Brad (July 10, 1999). "Change in Course Just One of Many For S.F. Marathon / Event forges fresh identity, and there's no money to be won". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  23. ^ Giesin, Dan (July 10, 2000). "Novice Buchanan Runaway Champ / San Ramon's Murphy dusts women's field in Chronicle Marathon". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  24. ^ Cooper, Tony (July 17, 2001). "Chronicle Marathon is for serious runners". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  25. ^ a b c Crumpacker, John (July 26, 2002). "S.F. marathon picks charity over fame". The San Francisco Chronicle.
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  27. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon - 27th Anniversary San Francisco Chronicle Marathon Next Weekend". Marathonguide.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
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  29. ^ "California Track and Running News - Regional News Article". Caltrack.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  30. ^ Cadelago, Chris (August 4, 2008). "Marathoners tough it out on streets of S.F". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  31. ^ "Covid Updates".
  32. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon - November 15th, 2020". www.thesfmarathon.co. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  33. ^ "Print" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  34. ^ "2020 Cancellation FAQ - The San Francisco Marathon". Archived from the original on August 28, 2020.
  35. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (July 31, 2024). "San Francisco Marathon organizers address significant course mistake". San Francisco Chronicle.
  36. ^ a b Simon, Alex (July 30, 2024). "SF Marathon quietly admits to mistake that infuriated hundreds of runners". SFGate. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  37. ^ "Full Marathon".
  38. ^ Spitz, Barry (July 26, 2008). "Et cetera". Marin Independent Journal. MediaNews Group. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
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  40. ^ Barry Spitz. "Sunday marathon through Marin canceled due to lack of interest - Marin Independent Journal". Marinij.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
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  42. ^ "This month's SF Marathon runs into obstacle at Golden Gate Bridge". SFChronicle.com. July 1, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  43. ^ ""Monk" Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man (TV Episode 2002)". IMDb.
  44. ^ "Athlinks". www.athlinks.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
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  52. ^ "San Francisco Marathon 2013". Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  53. ^ "San Francisco Marathon 2012". Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  54. ^ "San Francisco Marathon 2011". Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  55. ^ "San Francisco Marathon 2010". Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  56. ^ "San Francisco Marathon 2009". Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  57. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2008". Marathonguide.com. August 3, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  58. ^ "2009 Marathons". K2jfitness.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  59. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2007". Marathonguide.com. July 29, 2007. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  60. ^ a b c d "The San Francisco Marathon - race results, information and statistics on". Race360.com. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  61. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2006". Marathonguide.com. July 30, 2006. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  62. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2005". Marathonguide.com. July 31, 2005. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  63. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2004". Marathonguide.com. August 1, 2004. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  64. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2003". Marathonguide.com. July 27, 2003. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  65. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2002". Marathonguide.com. July 28, 2002. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  66. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2001". Marathonguide.com. July 8, 2001. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  67. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon Race Results 2000". Marathonguide.com. July 9, 2000. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
  68. ^ "The San Francisco Marathon: Elites". www.runsfm.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010.
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