San Francisco Marathon: Golden Gate Challenge
Up the Hill!
By Diane Rudholm
Photo at right: The San Francisco Marathon includes an out-and-back run across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. Photo by Kevin Connors
There’s a certain dreamlike quality to running across bridges, especially in the early morning hours before dawn. Mornings that start that way are some of my favorites. And, it’s the love of that exact experience that has me looking forward to running the San Francisco Marathon on July 27.
The 26.2-mile route takes runners on an incredible tour through the city — along waterfront roads (wave to the sea life), through parks and neighborhoods, over the Golden Gate Bridge (not once but twice), over a hill or two or a million perhaps, past the AT&T ballpark and under another bridge. Phew.
My husband and I have been in training mode since January. We started out with a modest running base of about 25 miles a week, and have been adding a few miles here and there, adding hills — oh the hills — and stairs — oh the stairs! — and doing a little extra strength training to help with said hills and stairs. (Burpees — ack, the burpees!)
Our household mantra has become “Up the hill!” — a phrase our three-year-old son delights in hollering at the top of his voice from the comfort of his jogging stroller. If at any point during a family run we come to a fork in the road, you can bet we’re following the hillier path to prep for the hundreds of feet of elevation gain we’ll experience at the marathon.
It’s not all quad-burning pain, though. There’s plenty of delight to be had. Our busy schedules mean that we have had to get creative with training. And by get creative, I mean we have to be willing to run in the dark, and accept the fact that we’re basically training for the same event separately.
That means I get to run bridges by myself in the early morning hours. At that time of day, the trails, roads and bridges are pleasantly quiet, wildlife is less skittish and — when the sky is clear — there are stars. Running under starlight is its own wonder.
The San Francisco Marathon is known for its pleasant weather, its hills — oh, its hills — and its glorious bridge — and I am looking forward to exploring each of these aspects of the city in this unique way.
Learn more about the San Francisco Marathon at www.thesfmarathon.com
Diane Rudholm is the managing editor and social media manager of OutdoorsNW. Check in for more San Francisco Marathon training highlights on the first Tuesday of each month. Have questions or comments? Send an email or tweet @OutdoorsNWmag
Other posts about the San Francisco Marathon. . .
>> I. Up the hill!
>> II. Rain or Shine
>> III. Shift, improve and grow
>> IV. San Francisco or bust!
Hill Seeker, 1 year ago
The above comments about The San Francisco Marathon course are a common misconception. The Full Marathon is a loop course, so you end up at equal elevation. The Start Line elevation is 10 ft, the highest peak on the course is 330 ft, and the total amount of elevation is roughly 880 ft.
Editor, 1 year ago
Hi Hill Seeker,
You are absolutely correct. Thank you for your comment. Our editor was referring to total feet climbed during the duration of the race, not the elevation related to sea level. Sorry if that wasn’t clear.
According to the mapmyrun map set up by JoJo, the overall number of elevation gained (not including going back down the hills) is in the realm of 385788 FT. You can check it out here – http://www.mapmyrun.com/us/san-francisco-ca/san-francisco-marathon-route-37004132
We’ll update to make sure the phrase is a little more clear.
Happy running to you!