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2026 Bay to Breakers

12K2026-05-17

This historic 12k fun run through the streets of San Francisco is over 100 years in the making.

RegisterOpen signupactive.comWebsiteOfficial race sitebaytobreakers.comLocationSan Francisco, CARace start area

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Course format

Park course with a big late-race hill

Point-to-point.

Elevation profile

15 ft net up

329 ft up and 316 ft down across the 12K. Net uphill overall. The biggest climb hits late-race.

Pressure point

Late-race climb

The key move builds from about mile 5 to 5.5, gaining roughly 177 ft.

Weather bias

Tailwind-friendly

0% of historical years had a tailwind lean, though heat may still matter more than wind.

Free training plan

Build a free 12K plan for this race.

Keep race research first. When you want it, open a quick planner that uses the selected distance, the selected race date, and the course itself.

Course Profile

2026 Bay to Breakers 12K course profile

Full course view

This course section is built from a mapped route and elevation profile so you can understand how the race is likely to run.

Synced course focus

12K checkpoint 2

Mile 3.7 · 23 ft · Built from the stored course profile in Supabase.

Course trace

The route line and elevation chart reflect the selected distance.

Pressure model

Pressure points highlight where pacing or effort may change during the race.

What comes next

Use the course, weather, logistics, and reviews together to build your race-day plan.

Difficulty Meter

12K race demand

Course-based read
68/100
Course detail
Detailed
Weather detail
Historical + forecast
Race-day detail
Detailed
Weather view
Live forecast

Weather read

Strong headwind penalty

Route-aligned wind gives you a quick feel for how the day may race before you dig into the full weather section.

Jump to weather analysis

Weather Analysis

2026 Bay to Breakers 12K weather outlook

Forecast + history

Weather blends the live forecast with the race's historical weather patterns to help you plan.

Route-aligned wind

-8.4 mph

Interpretation

Strong headwind penalty

NOAA race-window forecast is live. Wind is scored relative to the course bearing where possible.

Course bearing 254.1 degAverage wind 8.7 mphDominant direction W

Estimated weather effect

+2.06%

Heuristic read

Major weather drag

Help score

-37

Historical profile

Historically weather-dragged

Based on 7 years of race-weekend weather in the archive.

Avg start temp 57.0FAvg wind 11.2 mphAligned wind -10.26 mph

Tailwind years

0%

Headwind years

86%

Helpful weather

0%

Forecasts use current race-area weather, and history looks at past race-weekend conditions to show what runners have typically faced.

Weather history

2025 race-weekend conditions

Race date

May 18, 2025

Avg temperature

65.3F

Avg wind

11.1 mph

Aligned wind

-11.59 mph

Severe headwind year

+3.17% estimated finish-time effect · 9 hourly observations

Start

58F

Mostly Clear

10.0 mph · WSW

Mid-course

56F

Mostly Cloudy

8.0 mph · W

Finish

56F

Patchy Fog

8.0 mph · W

Course Breakdown

Where the race starts costing more

Pacing watchpoints

Active segment

Middle rhythm

This is a deterministic pacing band built from the available course trace and race distance.

Avg grade +2.1 ft/miFocused mile 3.7Pacing watchpoint

Race-Day Logistics

2026 Bay to Breakers 12K race-day logistics

Race-day detail

Past editions

8

Multiple race years are tracked for this event.

Distance offerings

1

The main race distances for this event are available on this page.

Race-day details

1 items

Planning details such as policies, swag, and logistics are available for this race.

Entry type

Open registration

Use this to understand how the field is organized before race day.

Course Map

Route shape, city context, and key course moments in one view.

Map + course context

Map overview

This map follows the available route for the selected distance and stays in sync with the elevation chart.

Highlighted point

12K checkpoint 2

Built from the stored course profile in Supabase.

Mile 3.723 ftOpening settle

What to watch

Use this map to spot turns, neighborhoods, and where the race starts to feel different.

Course coverage

Route shape and elevation are available, while aid stations and spectator overlays may still be added over time.

Why it matters

San Francisco, CA should still be easy to plan around, even when some course details are lighter than others.

Planning

Use the 12K at 2026 Bay to Breakers as a planning target rather than a qualification race.

Open entry

Entry posture

Open entry

There is no qualification signal in the current event record.

Race framing

12K planning

The page emphasizes course, logistics, and weather rather than qualification standards.

2026 Bay to Breakers official siteRegistration

Race History

Race history overview

Some history available

Past editions tracked

8

Recorded race years

Archive

Current route view

Available

12K

Current

Benchmarks

Growing archive

More historical context will be added here as the archive grows

In progress

Review Radar

Runner signal for 2026 Bay to Breakers 12K

Runner reviews live
CourseCourseLogisticsLogisticsCrowd supportCrowd supportAid stationsAid stationsFinish areaFinish areaRecommendRecommend

Course

60/100

Logistics

30/100

Crowd support

100/100

Aid stations

60/100

Finish area

80/100

Recommend

80/100

Your draft saves locally as you answer.

Common questions

FAQ

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