There's no event that captures the spirit of San Francisco quite like Bay to Breakers. It's essentially a costumed bacchanal masquerading as a footrace, with entire neighborhoods transforming into street parties, complete with sidewalk DJs and chefs slinging elaborate sandwiches inspired by House of Prime Rib.

As is the tradition, Sunday's event began with a ceremonial tortilla toss at the starting line near the Embarcadero and ends at Ocean Beach. Although the morning was bright and sunny, high winds were forecast, worrying those more concerned with their race times than their costumes.

At its height in the 1980s, the race drew 110,000 participants, setting a Guinness World Record. Last year attracted a fraction of that — 16,700, however that doesn't count the thousands of "runners" who treat the event as less of a 12K run and more of like an excuse to celebrate in the streets. The route through the heart of San Francisco requires shutting down lots of major traffic arteries, so be sure to consult our roadmap if you're traveling throughout the rest of the day.

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Although some people do take the race component seriously — and were sorely disappointed by a lack of medals last year — it's the race's oddball........

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