San Francisco Marathon
August 3, 2008
Photo-documentation by the "Running
Photographer,"
Rodney "Pygoya" Chang for MarathonCoursePhotos.com
All images - Rodney Chang Copyright
2008
lst wave of Half Marathon finsihers completes course in the
park; I'm still at a sub- 4:30 pace as the sign refers to the first wave
of starting elite runners. Willerie has long ago left me in the
dust. I last saw that powerful and enthusiastic SF runner on the way
back to SF on the Golden Gate Bridge. A second group of Half Marthoners
finish at the Full Marathon finish line. Different groups, different
spectators cheering different groups, all diluted the cohesive experience of
running the marathon along with only other full
marathoners. I simply did not know if the person next to me, ahead or
passing me, was running the full marathon too. It didn't feel
like a unified group effort, with all adjacent runners at the same point of 26
miles and with the same amount of expended energy and distance yet to
traverse. This is different from most other marathons I have experienced.
Note even as one group of Half Marathoners completed their race, there's another group only 4.9 miles from our own finish line, for both groups, 8 miles away. Will this park run ever end? I start to yearn at this point for some urban photo shots. Bring on the SF I know!
Nice white flower bed and bronze sculptural figure.
Nice grove of palms reminds me of home (Hawaii). Hmm, on this
run, never ran into another runner from my home state. Maybe
the scarity because of the price of airfare to come and go from the middle of the Pacific
Ocean for a race? The cashier in the sphaghetti
restaurant we hate lunch in said "I haven't seen a Hawaiian license I.D.
card in a long time."
A last cool shot of the park. Must be more colorful if it wasn't totally overcast this day. Great, however, for running the marathon.
Behind us is one entry to the park so we're back on the
streets of San Fran! Note the trolley powerlines above this intersection.
A dropoff at this entrance of the park?
Nice to have a change of scenery but we start off on an incline after the park.
More incline; entering the "Hippie" area of Haight
Street. Great, cuz I love graffitti art! What a change from the long park
run
segment (6+ miles) of the course.
Yeah, bring on the art life!
Cool place to visit as a tourist, I imagine, at night.
No time to stop for a tatoo.
Lovely distractions from the miles endured and yet to go!
Powerlines overlay uniform grey overcast skies to create interesting graphic patterns, characteristic of San Francisco.
Nice legs!
Lovely Victorians along Haight Street. I left my heart...in San Francisco...
Ah, 20 miles in the books, downhill looks nice.
Still on Haight. Interestingly, hardly anyone to cheer the runners here along Haight. Wild times the previous (Saturday) night?
The street IS ALIVE - with color!
Love the historical architecture!
Passing side streets the runners are cognizant of the residential packed hills of the city.
An aid station at 21 miles.
The 22 mile mark is at a mini-mall with the likes of Ross and Safeway. We are definitely out of Haight and the hippie lifestyle.
And now, instead of color and gaiety of the streets, it's industrial blandness. Note the barbwire on the fence.
The bright red doesn't cover up the blightness of this industrial section of the city.