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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 16: Runners cross the Golden Gate Bridge during the 2013 San Francisco Marathon and Half-Marathon on June 16, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO – The World Cup is over, but San Francisco isn’t done with major sporting events just yet. The San Francisco Marathon is being run on July 26, and residents and commuters should be prepared for road closures.
Over 30,000 runners are expected at the starting line at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday, but there will be events held throughout the weekend. The race route will wend its way across San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge to Fort Baker and back.
The weekend will also feature a 5K race and an Ultra marathon on Saturday, at 8 a.m. and 10:15 p.m. respectively. Sunday will also feature two half-marathons at 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., a 10K at 7:15 a.m. and a 5K at 9 a.m.
Street closures will go into effect at 9 p.m. Saturday night, and will be in place until 3 p.m. on Sunday, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced.
“We have a strong track record delivering service dedicated for special events in San Francisco, and as we prepare for these events every year, we’re ready to move people to and form where they need to be. The unprecedented volume of traffic that caused gridlock on the Fourth of July was an anomaly constraining Muni service delivery,” the SFMTA said in a statement. “Public transit is the most affordable and reliable choice for all special events in San Francisco.”
Local perspective:
The race route
Marathon participants will start their run at the Ferry Building. The route stretches north along the Embarcadero and through North Beach and the Marina before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Runners will double back across the bridge and into the Presidio, then Golden Gate Park, Haight Ashbury, the Lower Haight, the Mission Potrero Hill and Dogpatch, before finishing at Rincon Park.
The Golden Gate Bridge will still be open to traffic during the race, and the sidewalks will be open for use: the east side bridge sidewalk will open at 9 a.m. to bikes and pedestrians, the west side bridge sidewalk will open at 10 a.m. to bikes only.
What we know:
Saturday Road Closures: Embarcadero between Folsom and Washington Streets Sunday Road Closures: From 12:01 a.m. to 3 p.m. Northbound Embarcadero between King Street and BroadwayKing Street between 3rd Street and northbound EmbarcaderoSteuart Street between Howard Street and southerly TerminusHoward Street between the Embarcadero and Spear Street (local access allowed on Howard and Steuart Streets)Southbound Embarcadero between Broadway and 3rd StreetEastbound Washington Street between Drumm Street and EmbarcaderoEmbarcadero between Broadway and Jefferson StreetJefferson Street between The Embarcadero and westerly terminusVan Ness between North Point Street and Northerly terminusWestbound Beach Street between Marina Boulevard and Baker StreetHaight Street between Stanyan and Buchanan StreetsScott Street between Haight and Waller StreetsWaller Street between Scott and Buchanan StreetsBuchanan Street between Haight and Market StreetsHermann Street between Buchanan and Laguna StreetsDuboce Avenue between Market and Guerrero Streets From 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Spear Street between Howard and Folsom Streets From 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Westbound Beach Street between The Embarcadero and Polk StreetPolk Street between Beach Street and North PointWestbound North Point between Polk Street and Van NessSouthbound Van Ness between North Point and Bay StreetWestbound Bay Street between Van Ness and Laguna StreetNorthbound Laguna Street between Bay and Laguna StreetsHoward Street between The Embarcadero and Spear StreetSpear Street between Howard and Harrison StreetsJefferson Street between The Embarcadero and Leavenworth StreetWestbound Beach Street between Leavenworth Street and The Embarcadero From 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Folsom Street between The Embarcadero and Spear StreetSpear Street between Folsom and Harrison StreetsHarrison Street between Spear and Main StreetsMain Street between Harrison and Bryant StreetsBryant Street between Main Street and The EmbarcaderoNorthbound Embarcadero between Broadway and Beach StreetGrant Street between North Point Street and The EmbarcaderoWestbound North Point between Grant Street and The EmbarcaderoSpear Street between Howard and Folsom Streets
Dig deeper:
The following Muni routes will face delays, reroutes or cancellations:
F Market and WharvesN OwlN Judah BusT Third Street Bus6 Hays/Parnassus7 Haight/Noriega8 Bayshore12 Folsom/Pacific15 Bayview Hunters Point Express19 Polk22 Fillmore24 Divisadero27 Bryant29 Sunset30 Stockton33 Ashbury/18th Street37 Corbett39 Coit43 Masonic44 O’Shaughnessy55 Dogpatch
The Source: San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority