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Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace in San Francisco, California on the third Sunday of May. The phrase "Bay to Breakers" reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarcadero (adjacent to San Francisco Bay) and runs west through the city to finish at the Great Highway (adjacent to the Pacific coast, where breakers crash onto Ocean Beach). The complete course is long. The event is well known for many participants wearing costumes, and a few engaging in varying degrees of public nudity.〔 〕 From 1986 to 2010, it was officially the world's largest footrace with 110,000 participants, until it was surpassed by City2Surf event in Sydney.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=Noteworthy Years in Race History )〕Attendance in 2015 was reported at roughly around 50,000. In 2015, Zappos.com signed on as a multi-year title sponsor of "Bay to Breakers" and the name of the race became "Zappos.com Bay to Breakers". In the cult film, The Room, which takes place in San Francisco, the main character Johnny runs Bay to Breakers (but his friend Peter doesn't want to attend because of all of the 'weirdos' there). This was a reference to the time writer/director/actor Tommy Wiseau signed up star Greg Sestero for the race one night before.〔http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a25096/tommy-wiseau-bio/〕 ==History== Started as a way to lift the city's spirits after the disastrous 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it is the longest ''consecutively'' run footrace in the world (other races' courses and lengths have changed over time). During World War II participation sometimes slipped below 50 registrants, but the tradition carried on. With 110,000 participants, the Bay to Breakers race held on May 18, 1986 was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest footrace.〔 That record number was partly the product of the running boom of the 1980s; currently the average participation is between 70,000 and 80,000. Many participants do not register, of the estimated 60,000 participants in 2008, 33,000 were registered. The ''San Francisco Examiner,'' a former sponsor of the race, published a list of the first 10,000 finishers the day after the race each year. Large numbers of participants walk the route behind the runners. Some participants dress in elaborate costumes, thus lending a party atmosphere to the event. One festive tradition is the tortilla toss, during which crowds of runners waiting to cross the start line throw tortillas at one another to pass time (similar to balloon-batting at rock concerts). Other oddities are always on the scene, including traditional characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man, as well as other unique characters spawned for the race. At least 40 pairs of Blues Brothers participated in the 1985 edition. Every year, some runners dressed as salmon run "upstream" from the breakers to the Bay. The route is typically dotted with various local bands performing. At the end of the race is a Finish Line Festival, a gathering where participants and spectators can enjoy musical performances by various musical acts. In February 2009, city officials and race sponsors announced major changes to the race regulations. The regulations included an official ban on floats, alcohol, drunkenness and nudity. The changes were made to assuage the concerns of San Francisco residents along the parade route, who say the race has gotten out of hand in recent years. The news sparked outrage amongst many Bay Area residents who said the changes would destroy everything that has made the race a national treasure for most of the last century.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bay to Breakers」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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