San Francisco Running Superstars

Making Apple Sauce: At 1,017 acres, Golden Gate Park is larger than New York's Central Park.

23 YEARS
AGO IN SF RUNNING HISTORY

1986

Grete Waitz and Ed Eyestone win Bay to Breakers, which sets a Guinness World record for being the world's largest footrace, with 78,769 registered runners. Throw in bandits and the number is estimated to be 110,000 runners!

Holy sourdough chowder bowls!!

RACE PHOTOS

View 577 photos from the 2006 Emerald Nuts Across the Bay 12K

WHO SAID
WHAT

"Start Slowly....
Then Taper off."

Walt Stack
SF Running Legend

"I am not a
little boy!"

Mary Boitano
Dipsea Champ

"You can't stand
on the track!"

The Track Na**

SUPERSTARS OF SF RUNNING

Lotsa people have made San Francisco the greatest running town on Earth. There
are many sung and unsung heros who deserve special kudos for making running
in SF especially unique, fun, exciting, and even scary. Here are some of them.

If you'd like to add someone to the growing list of Superstars or
make comments on Superstars already listed below, click here!

As this list grows, it'll get more organized. Keep sending in suggestions!

	PETER GILMORE SF MARATHONER SUPERSTAR The Bay Area lays claim to a current world class marathoner in Peter Gilmore, who recently competed at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. Peter, a 2000 Cal alum, first made a name for himself by finishing in the top ten in the PAC-10 Championships for three consecutive years. During his first year at Cal he finished fourth at the USA Outdoor Junior Track & Field Championships and 24th at the World Junior Track & Field Championships. Peter made his marathon debut at the 2002 Chicago Marathon, finishing with a time of 2:21. In 2004, his training and dedication paid off when he finished second at the 2004 Cal International Marathon with a time of 2:14. Peter continued to perform at a consistently high level as he finished eighth at the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:15. In 2006, he finished 7th overall at Boston in 2:12, a personal best, and was the first American finisher and 10th overall at the New York City Marathon in a time of 2:13. Peter currently continues to train and compete in local SF races. He also works part-time as a special education teacher and a coach for a youth track team. Read an interview with PG here!
CLICK HERE to hear Johnny singing one of his greatest hits!	JOHNNY MATHIS SF CROONER SUPERSTAR As a student at SF's Washington High School (ie. The Turkey's alma mater) in the early 1950s, Johnny was not only a very popular student and well known for his singing abilities, but also a star athlete on the track & field team, as a high jumper and hurdler, and was also on the basketball team. In 1954, Johnny enrolled at SF State University on an athletic scholarship, with the intention of being an English and physical education teacher. There, Johnny set a high jump record of 6' 5-1/2", which is still on the top 15 list, and was only 2 inches short of the Olympic record of the time. Johnny's name was frequently mentioned in the sports sections of the Northern California newspapers. He was often referred to as "the best all-around athlete to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area." Johnny's record-setting high jump at SF State earned him an invitation to the 1956 US Olympic Trials. At the same time, Columbia Records requested that Johnny come to New York to start arrangements for his first recording session. He decided to forego an Olympics bid in order to record his first album, a jazzy collection of popular songs, at age 20, thus beginning a career as one of America's most successful recording artisists. Sports are still a major part of Johnny's life. He continues to be extremely health conscious and remains in excellent physical condition. At San Francisco State, the Johnny Mathis Invitational Track & Field Meet has been held annually since 1982 and attracts many of the Bay Area's elite runners. Johnny has often taken time out from his busy schedule to attend the meet, where he can reminisce about his own days on that field.
	MARY BOITANO SF GIRL-POWER SUPERSTAR In Mary's own words: "I first did the Dipsea, when I was five in 1968. My parents entered me as "M. Boitano." I had to wear a cap, because I was supposed to be a little boy. Women couldn't run distance races back then. During the race, someone said, "Look how fast that boy is running." I got upset and took off my cap: "I am not a little boy!" Thankfully, women no longer have to cross dress at races anymore. I trained 6 miles a day. The marathon wasn't my best distance, but I did 3:01 at age 10 in 1974." That same year Mary won the Dipsea and Bay to Breakers (43:22), and would win B2B two more times, in 1975 and 1976. She also ran for San Francisco State University. Mary says, "Running provided me with opportunities I never would have had otherwise. My advice to other parents: Support your children. If they want to run, let them. The health benefits are overwhelming. My parents are now in their 80s, still walking and running. They introduced me to the sport, and I love them for that." Source Editor's note: Name sound familar? Mary's brother would go on to become an Olympic figure skating champion and the iconic subject of the philosophical muse, "What would Brian Boitano do?"
	NANCY DITZ SF OLYMPIAN SUPERSTAR Nancy Ditz competed in the marathon at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. A Bay Area native and Stanford alumnus, Nancy won major races in the Bay Area during the 80s, including the 1982 SF Marathon in just her first attempt at the distance and the Oakland Marathon, and placed second at Bay to Breakers in 1982-83 and 1985. She was also the 1985 US National Marathon champion, top ranked US marathoner in 1987-1988, and two time winner of the 1986-1987 LA Marathon. She was a weekly columnist for the SF Chronicle and Examiner, in addition to being a commentator for the major TV networks. Recently, she has been the director of the annual US Open meet at Stanford, and the 2002 USA Track & Field Championships.
	JOHN MORENO SF RUNNING SUPERSTAR John Moreno, a 1973 graduate of Terra Nova High School in Pacifica, was that school's top cross-country runner for three years. He won all-Central Coast Section cross-country honors in 1970 and 1972, and also set a school record in the mile. At San Francisco State University, he became an All-America in both sports. In track at SFSU, he produced records in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and in the 10,000 meters. He is the only cross country All-American in the school's history. John's long-distance efforts flourished in the 1980s, as he became a world-class runner. He won more than 20 sanctioned championships on the road in California alone. His professional marathon victories include the San Francisco Marathon in 1979, Emerald City Marathon crowns in Seattle in 1983 and 1984, and the New Jersey Waterfront Marathon in 1985. He also had an impact in U.S. Olympic competition. He qualified for three marathon trials and for the 10,000 meters, all in the 1980s. He was named one of the top 10 NorCal male runners of the decade of the 1980s. He was the nation's 10th-fastest marathon runner in 1985. He was honored as the California Distance Runner of the Year that year as well. John retired from competition in 1997.
	ANDY CHAN SF COACH SUPERSTAR Native San Franciscan Andy Chan has been coaching track & cross country since 1993 at Lowell High, his alma mater, and Sacred Heart Cathedral. Under Andy, the SHC girls XC team has captured 2 sections titles and 1 league title with a best State Meet finish of 4th. SHC athlete Shannon Rowbury was a 2-time State Champion in the 800 and 1600 meters. Andy is also very proud that 6 of his former high school athletes have at one time or another joined him on the coaching staff at SHC. His first high school coach, Lloyd Wilson, has been an assistant coach at SHC since day one. In addition he has been coaching track for the Kstars and DSE running clubs since 1994. Kudos to Andy for his dedication to youth athletics and spawning the next generation of SF running superstars! Read more about Andy here.
	IMPALAS RACING TEAM SF LADIES SUPERSTARS For over 25 years, the Impalas of SF has been the country's premeire female racing team. The team was founded in 1979, a very different athletic era for females, by Sue Johnston (pictured third from left) and Karen Cox, both talented distance runners who didn't have a lot of places to run -- or much encouragement to do so. The team started with 4 members and grew to 20 by the 1980, 100 by the 90s, and currently has over 150 active members. The Impalas compete in a wide variety of track, road and cross-country events, which means they're active almost all year somewhere in the country. In 2005, the Impalas won the women's team competition at the Boston Marathon. Throughout it's history, the Impalas has produced athletes of national and international caliber, domintating local races in SF, and dozens have competed in national championships and the Olympic Trials. Read more about the Impalas here.
	BOB RUSH SF 5-STAR COACHING SUPERSTAR, AND INNOVATOR Bob Rush, coach at the College of San Mateo for over 30 years, not only oversaw one of the state's top college programs but continues to contribute to the rich national and local running scene. In 1970 Bob invented the 'chronomix' timing system (see below left) which made accurate timing of large races possible. Pioneered at the Bay to Breakers, Rush's goal was to provide everyone who crossed the line an accurate time. In 1968 Rush developed and still oversees the world famous Crystal Springs Cross Country course in Belmont, scene of countless national and state championships. Rush has also been a tireless administrator, working with USATF Olympic development, the JC coaches association, and chief timer of both the high school and JC state meets for many years.
	MAGDALENA LEWY BOULET SF MARATHONER SUPERSTAR A classic American success story! Magdalena Lewy Boulet immigrated to the US from Poland in 1989, became a citizen on 9/11, studied at Cal, and rose to become one of the top female distance runners in the US. At Cal, she was All American at the 5000 meters and in 2004, she placed 5th overall at the US Olympic Marathon Trials. Her marathon PR is 2:31. She has won the SF Marathon, was a member of the 2003 world half marathon team, and competed at the US National Track & Field meets in 2002-2004. She is also married to another "SF Running Superstar." Since giving birth, Magda continues to regularly compete at and win local SF races. Read an interview with MLB here! UPDATE: Magda competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the marathon, as a member of Team USA. At the 2008 US Olympic Trials, she finished 2nd to Deena Kastor.
	MIKE FANELLI SF 5-STAR RUNNING SUPERSTAR First as an athlete, Mike was a perennial top placer at the San Francisco Marathon in the 1970s and early 1980s and won the Pacific Rim Marathon in 1989-1990; his marathon PR is 2:25. He also held school records for 10K at both SF State University and City College of SF. Mike won many local road races and eventually became a top notch ultra runner. He ran the whole program at Hoy's Sports in the Haight. There, Mike established a top notch racing team, and turned Hoy's into one of the country's most renowned running stores. He was a long time, very successful coach of the female Impalas Racing Team, and was named the national team coach for several international races. Always a contributor to running and racing, Mike has also been the commentator for Bay to Breakers and many other races for over 20 years.
	HOY'S SPORTS SF RETAIL RUNNING SUPERSTAR Located in the heart of the Haight, Hoy's was one of, if not the only, true track & field store in the country. It carried the largest selection of racing flats in the US, and also a full selection of track and field shoes. You could walk in and purchase a Javelin Boot or 5K track spike. A pair of sisters, Saundra and Deborah Gellerman (Henderson) were the original co-founders and owners. The store was named after their father, Hoy Henderson (how's that for a bit of SF running trivia?). Mike Fanelli came to San Francisco from Philadelphia and started at Hoy's in the 80's, first in sales, and then became store manager. Hoy's was one of the first to produce a mail order catalog, and sponsored the Impalas and Hoy's Racing Teams, which continue to compete in the local racing circuit. In the early 90s, John Murtagh became a lead partner at Hoy's and installed the mondo track floor in the store. While sales and general interest in competitive racing were robust throughout the 80s, changing demographics and the nature of the sport affected the running retail industry. Hoy's Sports, R.I.P.
	THE TIKI BAR SF BOOZED-UP SUPERSTAR A Bay to Breakers tradition and highlight for many lushes, the Tiki Bar is a mobile thatch-covered hut that serves as a fully-functioning bar over the 12KM race course. Fun music blasts from the Bar, where bartenders in grass skirts and tropical shirts pour beer from a half-dozen taps and mix up blenders full of margaritas to keep participants from getting dehdyrated as they blaze ahead at a 20 min/mile pace. Not surprisingly, the Tiki Bar attracts several hundred groupies who accompany it on its slow-moving journey. Kudos to the men & women behind the Tiki Bar for their service to the SF runnin....er, walking, community. Cheers! Here's to good friends, this race is kind of special.....
	BRIAN MAXWELL SF POWER SUPERSTAR Brian was a Cal track star and coach who, along with his wife, Jennifer, founded the PowerBar company. He graduated from Cal in 1975 and was honored with the Brutus Hamilton Award for his achievements on the school's track team. He went on to coach the Bears in distance running and in 1977, was ranked as the No. 3 marathon runner in the world. Maxwell grew up in Toronto, represented Canada in a number of international competitions, and was part of the 1980 Olympic team that boycotted the games in Moscow. Brian and his wife, Jennifer, were pioneers in the field of energy supplements. In 1986, they began making PowerBars in their Bay Area kitchen. By the time they sold the company in 2000 to Nestle, its annual revenue had reached $30 million and Power Bar had become a globally-recognized brand. Both Brian and Jennifer were longtime members of the Cal community. Jennifer graduated from UC Berkeley in 1988. Over the years, the couple were generous contributors to the Berkeley campus, donating to the Haas Pavilion renovation project and the athletic department's Academic Study Center. In 2003, Kleeberger Field was renamed Maxwell Family Field after the Maxwells underwrote the full cost of replacing its artificial turf.
	JACK LEYDIG SF 5-STAR RUNNING SUPERSTAR In 1969, Jack became president of the West Valley Track Club, which continues to compete actively on the PA/USATF race circuit, and began directing races for the club. Throughout the 70s, WVTC was one of the best running clubs in the US and Jack, through his tireless contributions, was the club. Top American runners, including Don Kardong and Duncan MacDonald, joined WVTC in part because they just liked Jack. In the mid 1970s, Jack developed one of the earliest points-based racing circuits in Northern California--this would be a precursor to today's PA/USATF grand prix running circuit. Jack also managed the 5-loop "West Valley Marathon" in San Mateo, a race which was a staple throughout the 1970s and which was selected as the site for several AAU (precursor to TAC and USATF) National Marathon championships. He managed cross country races at Crystal Springs, which also served as national championship events. In 1972, Jack founded the Christmas Relays, which he directed for 27 years--the race continues to be a holiday tradition for Bay Area runners. In 1969, Jack started the WVTC club newsletter, one of the few sources of regional running information. In 1971, the newsletter was renamed the "Nor-Cal Running Review" and was soon circulating state- and nationwide. After ten years of circulation, the magazine was merged with what is known today as "California Track & Running News." While Jack was directing races and publishing, he was also selling running equipment out of his vintage '60s VW van. In 1977, he started "Jack's Athletic Supply." Yes, Jack is the "Jack" behind "Jack's Athletic Supply." Many SF runners are likely already familiar with Jack's products and services. His ubiquitous yellow stickers have appeared on almost 6 MILLION local race t-shirts that he has supplied over the past three decades. That's about the entire population of the Bay Area! Jack's running career also adds to the richness of the SF running community. He is a seasoned runner, with a marathon PR of 2:25 (Boston), which qualified him for the 1972 Olympic Marathon trials, along with 6 other members of WVTC. During his college years, he also ran a 4:16 mile and 9:30 steeplechase. Female superstar Ruth Anderson noted, "I always admired Jack. He was just so knowledgeable and put so much effort into those early day things. He was definitely a pioneer in event management and a heck of a good runner too." Source: "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by Mark Winitz. (Runner's Schedule, May 1998)
	JOAN ULLYOT MD SF RUNNING DOC SUPERSTAR Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Joan Ullyot MD, a San Francisco resident and member of the West Valley Track Club, had both an impressive running career and a significant impact on women's running and sports medicine. She wrote the best-selling book, "Women's Running" in 1976, followed up by "The New Women's Running" and "Running Free." For many years she wrote a monthly column on sports medicine for Women's Sports and Fitness magazine, and was an editor and columnist for Runner's World magazine. Dr. Ullyot took up running at the age of 30 to lose weight and to rid herself of the lingering effects of a smoking habit. A few years after struggling to complete a single lap of a track, she improved enough to compete in the World Marathon Championships. In 1971, she became one of America's top distance runners, and was a member of the U.S. national marathon team from 1974 to 1979. Her wins included the Golden Gate Marathon in 1979. Dr. Ullyot continued to improve her race times into her 40s and remained one of the top competitors for her age. As a master, she won two gold medals in the World Veterans' Games. Trained as a pathologist, Dr. Ullyot switched her specialty to exercise physiology after she became a runner. She carefully monitored the effects of training and racing, both on herself and her patients, as she and they performed the tightrope act of running enough to improve but not so much that they broke down. Dr. Ullyot first popularized the 10% prescription in the 1980s. Dr. Ullyot's golden rule prescribed that runners increase training mileage by no more than 10 percent per week.
	DON PAUL SF MARATHONER SUPERSTAR In addition to being a competitive runner in San Francisco for over three decades, Don Paul is also a record producer, performing artist, poet, author, and peace activist who lives in the city's North Beach. Don qualified for the U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in 1980 and 1988, and clocked a 2:16 at Boston Marathon in 1981 and a 2:17 at the Cal International Marathon in 1984. His running resume also includes the New York Road Runners Club records for 50KM (2:50 - 1982), and 50M (5:09 - 1980), in its Central Park events. His 50KM performance stood as the world record until 1994. At age 56 (2006), Don has been a longtime member of SF's Excelsior running club and continues to compete actively on the PA/USATF race circuit. (Editor's note: If anyone has more details on Don Paul, share your knowledge please!) Aside from running, Don has led or produced more than 20 recordings and a dozen albums. He has written over 20 books, including "9/11: Facing Our Fascist State" and "Waking up from our Nightmare: The 9/11 Crimes in New York City." Don also works with the organizations 'Housing Is a Human Right' and 'From the Ground Up' in San Francisco's Bay View Hunters Point.
	BOBBIE BURKE SF GIRL POWER SUPERSTAR Running historians recall Katherine Switzer's famous run at the 1967 Boston Marathon, where she disguised herself as a male runner because women were't allowed to compete. However, in 1940, seven years before Switzer was even born, the FIRST woman to run San Francisco's Bay to Breakers entered the race dressed as a man because women weren't allowed on the course. This female groundbreaker and pioneer was Bobbie Burke. She is also considered the race's first cross dresser & costumed runner, setting off a costume tradition, much imitated in other races, which has endured to this day.You go girl! Even in a city as progressive as SF, it still took another 31 years before the official women's division was inaugurated at Bay to Breakers in 1971. Frances Conley won the women's race that year.
	RENALDO NEHEMIAH SF 49ers HURDLING SUPERSTAR Renaldo Nehemiah, a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, dominated the 110 meter hurdles from 1978-1981. He was the world record holder and the first man to run the high hurdles in under 13 seconds. He was ranked number one in the world for four straight years. In 1982, Renaldo started playing for the 49ers. During his three years as a wide receiver, he caught 43 passes for 754 yards, a 17.5 average, and 4 touchdowns. He was part of the winning Super Bowl team in the 1984 season. His football career was not as successful as his track career and he returned to track in 1986. He managed to achieve world rankings four more times before retiring from track & field in 1991. (Source: Wikipedia)
	PETER TAPIA SF RACE MEDIC SUPERSTAR HELP! You need somebody? HELP! Not just anybody? When your blisters need patching, your sprains & scrapes need mending, and your child is nowhere to be seen because you recklessly ignored him while you went off to run, Peter Tapia (left) and his medical crew are on hand at many SF races to save the day. Race medics and EMTs are the friends you want at races....but who you never really want to see. Distance lends enchantment.
	OLIVE (DIANE) GONG SF HIGH SCHOOL SUPERSTAR Olive (formerly Diane) Gong, one of the finest high school runners in SF history, entered Lowell High in 1976, just as girls high school sports in SF began to blossom. Olive was a member of the first cross country team at Lowell, and placed second in the inaugural girls XC meet as a sophomore (finishing behind her sister, Jennifer), and then won the meet in her junior and senior years. She went on to place fourth in the Northern California Cross Country Championships as a senior. Olive also excelled in track, where she won the mile event in the first-ever girls all-city track meet in 1978 with a time of 5:28. As the number of track events for girls expanded, so did Olive's medal haul. She had a lock on the 880-yard, one-mile and two-mile events, sweeping all three as a junior and senior. Olive won every all-city track event she entered during her high school years, going seven for seven, and her record-setting times stood for more than a decade. Beyond San Francisco, Olive finished 10th in the 3200-meter run at the state track meet as a senior and was Western Regional Junior Olympic 3000-meter champion. She continued to compete in cross-country and track at Stanford University and now lives and works in San Francisco.
	JAMES THOMAS SF HIGH SCHOOL COACH SUPERSTAR James Thomas coached at Lowell High School for 29 years in track and field, cross country and girls’ basketball. His teams earned 41 titles and he was voted basketball “Coach of the Year” four times by students during his 35 years in the San Francisco school district. Thomas said his high school athletic career led him to become a coach. “I went to Washington High School and I was on track, cross country, basketball and football,” he said. “I was on the championship teams for track and basketball.” The highlight of his athletic career came 20 years ago when he was inducted into the Washington High School Hall of Fame. Thomas became a coach after working as a middle school counselor. “I found out some of the teachers needed help coaching, so I volunteered,” he said. “I thought being a counselor was kind of impersonal and coaching was more personal. I enjoyed getting to know the kids outside of the classroom.” His favorite coaching moment was at a well-attended indoor track meet in Los Angeles. “I was so happy when Class of 1980’s Diane Gong (also an SF Running Superstar--see above) won the 1600-meter run,” he said.
	HARRY CORDELLOS SF VISIONARY SUPERSTAR Harry grew up in San Francisco, near the late lamented Playland at the Beach amusement park, suffering both from a heart murmur that he later outgrew and from a congenital glaucoma that dimmed his childhood sight and started a series of ultimately unsuccessful surgeries. He was totally blind by age 23. A family friend told him about the California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation's Orientation Center for the Blind, located in Oakland. "There I learned confidence," Harry said. He graduated in 1966 from Cal State Hayward and in 1968 earned a master's in physical education science. In 1971, he swam the Golden Gate Bridge crossing. He has rowed, run and water skied for three decades with the San Francisco South End Runners. He was the first blind person to enter, and complete, Hawaii's Ironman Triathlon. He has run in, among others, the Boston, Honolulu and Long Beach marathons. Harry has a self deprecating sense of humor. Harry was running in SF in 1978, when a guy came up to Harry and said, "I've been blind in one eye for 16 years and I can't see how you do it." Harry replied, "I've been running for 20 years, and I can't see how I do it either." Harry stands among this evidence of a life defined by accomplishment, and he talks about God. "I have a lot of faith in God," Harry says. "And I believe in using the body he gave you. I'm not a religious extremist, but if I didn't have faith in God, I wouldn't be here now." Harry is one of a rare breed: those who do, no matter what. His list of achievements puts the average couch slug to shame. Harry continues to run and is a frequent fixture at weekly DSE runs in SF. Read more about Harry.
	BRIAN RICHTER SF COACH SUPERSTAR Brian Richter is is regarded as one of the top high school coaches in SF history. Having coached and taught at St. Ignatius High, he has led his high school squads to numerous WCAL and CCS championships in both Track and Cross Country, and even led the 1997 Varsity Cross Country team to the California State title. Meanwhile, he has placed very high in nearly all of his races as a member of the Excelsior racing team. One of his highlights includes his high finish at the Boston Marathon, where he ran sub-2:30.
	SISTER MARION IRVINE SF MASTERS SUPERSTAR Sister Marion Irvine did not start running until age 47. She was overweight and smoked two packs a day. Looking for a way to relax after a day as a grade school principal in San Rafael, Sister Marion took up running. ''I needed to use up some pent-up energy, so I decided to give it a go,'' said the 54-year-old Roman Catholic nun, who was soon going 70 miles a week. She started out half-running and half-walking. In 1984, she qualified for the US Olympic Trials in the marathon by running 2:51 at the age of 54, becoming the oldest to ever qualify for the OTs. She was a member of SF's DSE running club, and her PR times included: 19:13 - 5K; 31:16 - 8K; 37:43 - 10K; 58:41 - 15K; 1:26 - 20K; and 1:51 - 25K. Her PRs all came at the age of 54 and over. Sister Marion is a member of Road Runners Hall of Fame and the Masters Track & Field Hall of Fame. Today, at age 76 (2006), Sister Marion continues living in San Rafael and is active in lobbying state and national legislators on issues of social justice. < Photo from 2006 DSE 40th Anniversary run.
	ANDY LEONG SF COACH SUPERSTAR Yet another coaching superstar by the name of Andy. This Andy has been cross country coach at SF's Lowell High School (his alma mater) since 1990, and has led the varsity girls' team to 15 championships and the varsity boys' team to 13 champioinships. In addition, he has been the head track and field coach for 18 years, with 18 varsity girls' championships, and 10 varsity boys' championships. Students rave that Andy has "built a hugely successful and popular program - the best in the city by far. He always pushes everyone to do the best they can and a little more."
	SIR DAVE & WENDY HORNING SF RACE DIRECTOR SUPERSTARS If this were the United Kingdom, the Queen would have knighted Dave Horning by now. Dave may be best known for popularizing trail running in the Bay Area. The Guttenberg of the SF trail runnning world, Dave has made once-intimidating trails more accessible to runners through his brand of Envirosports races beginning in the 80s. While the trails were once the dominant territory of Dipsea cult fanatics, there are trail races almost every weekend now in the Bay Area, and Envirosports has spawned a cast of imitators, which, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. In addition, Dave is the inventive mind behind classic "only in San Francisco" events such as the Escape from Alcatraz and the Cable Car Chase. Along with his wife, Wendy (left), and Kellie Chittenden, Dave continues to offer a packed running and triathlon menu for Bay Area athletes.
	WALT STACK SF ICONIC SUPERSTAR In 1966, before becoming the world's most famous senior-citizen distance runner, Walt Stack and a couple of other runners hatched plans for San Francisco's first running club, which became known as the Dophin South End Running Club (DSE). In his role as club sage, Stack exhorted his flock to "Start slow... and taper off." The message conveyed both unimpeachable wisdom and a sense of enthusiasm for middle and back of the pack fun runners, and is emblazoned on all the club's jerseys. Whether as a master of award ceremonies or whilst holding court after a local fun run, Stack's jokes and stories were generally off color. Yet he never offended those who might be sensitive if he knew there world be a problem, and was always a real gentleman when appropo. After Dolphin South End Running Club events, Stack invariably invited the winning females to a congratulatory kiss. Walt was president of the club between 1966-1985. For 27 years, from 1966 until 1993, Stack persisted in covering a set training route. His highly visible training routine made him a San Francisco institution. "I'm going to do this 'til I get planted," Stack decreed. Starting on his bike, he would ride six hilly miles from his Potrero Hill home to Fisherman's Wharf. Once there, he'd strip off his shirt, displaying tattoos of peacocks, wild horses, and bathing beauties across his broad chest, and thence proceed to run a 17 mile route over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and back, after which he would take a one-mile swim in the treacherous currents of the Bay near Alcatraz. (Source: Wikipedia)
	RUSS KIERNAN SF MASTERS SUPERSTAR Russ Kiernan ran his first Dipsea in 1970. No one who saw the craggy-faced 32-year-old huff his way to a middle-of-the-pack finish would have guessed that he would become one of the most successful runners in the history of this race. Over time, says Kiernan, now 67, his pain threshold expanded along with his knowledge of the course. He has since won 23 black shirts (awarded to top-35 finishers), none for a finish lower than 16th. He has won the Dipsea twice, come in second three times, and recorded an astonishing 22 top-10 finishes. A fearless descender he is renowned for devouring Steep Ravine four steps at a time he is also a repository of timewhittling shortcuts, and has shared, with anyone who cares to read them, a highly useful list of Dipsea time checks. This generosity is offset by Kiernan’s miserliness when it comes to sharing his hard-earned “alternate routes.” As he wrote in his popular “Dipsea Tips,” first published in the Tamalpa Gazette, “You’ve all been well brought up by your parents. They taught you proper etiquette: not asking people their ages or how much money they make. Dipsea shortcuts belong in the same category. It’s not proper to ask.” If you don't understand any of this, read up on the intricacies of the legendary Dipsea race here.
You should be over 18 if you're looking at this.	BARE 2 BREAKERS SF NAKED SUPERSTARS Bare 2 Breakers is the organized nude group of the Bay to Breakers runners. The enthusiasm and effervescence of the Bare 2 Breakers demonstration is definitely an established part of the Bay to Breakers wackiness and pandemonium. The Bare 2 Breakers are a notoriously dysfunctional group of fun loving demonstrators who peaceably assemble only once per year as a political affiliation of individuals to exercise their Civil and First Amendment rights of Free Speech. The Bare 2 Breakers express their pro-nudity views by demonstrating in the merriment and excitement of the Bay to Breakers stark naked, as a constitutionally protected demonstration against the insane phobia in the U.S. over the nontextiled human body. Their nude demonstration's rhapsody on the transformative well-being of nudity has received prominent public acceptance in the SF running community.
	JEFF SHAPIRO, MD SF ORGAN SUPERSTAR The Relay, a 199 mile relay from Calistoga to Santa Cruz, was founded in 1995 by a group of avid runners. The idea of dedicating the relay to raising awareness for organ donation came the next year from one of those runners, Dr. Jeff Shapiro, who worked in transplant medicine as the Director of Stanford Medical Center's Critical Care Transport Department. The Relay has been held for over ten years, and benefits Organs 'R' Us (ORU). ORU was founded in San Francisco and supports 90,000 Americans waiting for organ transplants. Through athletics, ORU has generated $25 million in publicity promoting the need for donors. Dr. Shapiro is a coach for ORU and reminds Relay participants, "In the long run, organ donation saves lives." Through running and walking, ORU members showcase their fitness proving that transplantation restores health.
	DAVE RHODY SF RACE DIRECTOR SUPERSTAR In 1984, Dave Rhody, SF's premiere race director, founded RhodyCo productions, a well-oiled machine that has been producing some of the country's largest, oldest, and best organized road races, including Run to the Far Side, Nuts Across the Bay, Bananaman Chase, Up & Running 10K, and the SF Half Marathon, among many other Bay Area running, walking, and cycling events. Several races have become classics and San Francisco running institutions. If you are an SF runner, chances are you're a Rhody Roadie and have experienced the fruits of his impassioned labor.
	"PEANUT" HARMS SF CHILOPODA SUPERSTAR Peanut Harms sports an impressive superstar resume, competing for the Aggies racing team, and having been a longtime track coach, including once being a coach for the Nigerian Olympic team and for the U.S. track team. He is a member of the UC Davis Athletic Hall of Fame. Peanut Harms and the Aggies reserve a special place in San Francisco running history for introducing centipede racing (13 runners linked by nylon banner) to Bay to Breakers in 1978. Though the Aggies are not the dominant centipede force they once were, the legacy that they and Peanut Harms left is celebrated each Spring when some of the Bay Area’s best runners team up for the centipede challenge at Bay to Breakers. (PS. Go Aggies! Beat Sac State!)
	SHIRLEY MATSON SF MASTERS SUPERSTAR Tamalpan and overall phenom, Shirley Matson didn’t even jog until her early thirties. It was six more years before she worked up the nerve to enter a race—a three-miler around Lake Merritt in Oakland in 1977. She came in second, and thus was born a stellar age-group running career. Matson, age 65 in 2006, went on to set a jaw-dropping 187 U.S. National Age Records (62 age group, 125 single age). In 1992, she was the nation’s top over-50 female runner. In her first year of running the Dipsea, Shirley finished second behind the defending champ, a ponytailed 10-year-old named Megan McGowan. A year later, Matson held off former Olympic marathoner Gabriele Andersen to win by 30 seconds. Matson’s subsequent victories in 2000 and ’01 made her the first woman to win three Dipseas. She went on to win again in 2004.
THE TRACK YOU KNOW WHAT SF runnners who frequent the track at Kezar Stadium are familiar with The Track Nazi, an icon of the SF running community. To maintain orderliness and the condition of the all-weather track at Kezar, she boisterously warns runners, "You cant stand on the track!!!!" This is now the Kezar mantra. She is actually very friendly, although she has earned a few colorful names that can't really be published on this website. However, Seinfeld's soup gestapo comes to mind. Click on video below to view & listen.
	SHANNON ROWBURY SF HIGH SCHOOL SUPERSTAR Update: Shannon competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 1,500 meters, making it all the way to the finals and finishing in 7th overall. As a freshman at Sacred Heart Cathedral High School in San Francisco, Shannon Rowbury joined the cross country team as a way to keep in shape for the spring soccer season. Four years later, Rowbury graduated from Sacred Heart a two-time California state champion (once in the 800 and once in the 1,600--the only girl in state history to win both events), and a multiple-time league and sectional winner. She also won the 800 meters at the National Scholastic Championships and Arcadia Invitational outdoors, and was nationally ranked #2 in the 1500 meters (4:30.28). She credits much of her success -- as a runner and a person -- to her family and Sacred Heart head coach Andy Chan. In 2002, Shannon headed to Duke University, where she attends on a full track scholarship. Read more about Shannon here.
	RAY PIVA SF ULTRAMARATHON SUPERSTAR At age 79 (2006), San Francisco’s Ray Piva is giving Father Time a run for his money. A phenomenon who has broken age-group marks in distances ranging from one mile to one hundred miles, the versatile, white-haired Piva didn't begin running until he was 54. Initially, Piva struggled to jog a single quarter mile; yet 23 years later, at the age of 77, Ray set an American age-group record by running just over 109 miles, or 436 laps around a quarter-mile track, at the US 24-Hour National Championships. He has also run the "Western States" race five times. That's a torturous trail that begins in the icy Sierras and traverses rivers and sun-baked canyons for 100 miles. He's the only competitor over 65 ever to win the silver belt buckle, awarded to those who finish in less than 24 hours. Piva’s records span ultradistances from 50K to 100 miles and include road and trail. His most recent age-group world record was running 105.2 miles in 24-hour at the 2005 USATF 24-Hour Championship. His other age group world records include: 50K in 4:50, age 75-79 (2002); 50M in 8:34, age 75-79 (2002); and 100K in 10:59, age 75-79 (2002). Ray is also active in San Francisco's Italian Athletic Club, which sponsors one of the oldest races in the country, the Statuto Race. Read more about Ray.
	"ELVIS PRESLEY" SF PELVIS SUPERSTARS Bay to Breakers might just as well be called off if the traditional pack of running Elvises are not present at the starting line, beer in hands and lined up side by side with Olympians and world class runners from across Africa and Europe. The Elvises are a mainstay at the race and have, in part, defined Bay to Breakers. An "only in San Francisco" moment, the running Elvises typically act as race rabbits, sprinting ahead of the elite runners for about 10 meters before they desperately fall off pace and join the naked and quirky mass of insanity behind them. The Elvises are to Bay to Breakers what fog is to the Golden Gate Bridge. (Hmmm, yes, mull that one over a little.)
	KEES TUINZING SF 5-STAR SUPERSTAR Kees Tuinzing was a founder of the Tamalpa Runners Club in 1976, the Club's first president, a race director, and has coached and mentored literally thousands of Marin runners in the years since--he has been leading workouts at the College of Marin track for decades. In 1983, he and his wife, Sandy, began publishing "The Schedule," the popular, free monthly guide for all Northern California races, which included paper entry forms (remember those???) for major local races. The Schedule continues to be the most comprehensive Bay Area guide to races. In addition, Kee's mother, Els, was the oldest runner to have finished the Dipsea, at the age of 73. Some family genes!
	HENRY LOUIE & CO. SF VOLUNTEER SUPERSTARS If you've ever run a race in San Francisco, then you've likely seen Henry Louie, Jeannette Wing (both pictured at left), David Siu Ying Yuan, Rose Chan, Homer Chan, Connie Hom, and Calvin. For years and years, this dedicated group of volunteers has been showing up at local races almost every weekend, supporting race organizers and runners. Races do NOT happen without the generous time volunteers give, so be sure to thank them at your next race! Or better yet, volunteer at a race yourself!
	JIM TRACY SF COACH SUPERSTAR During a dozen years as head coach of Cross Country and Track at San Francisco's University High School, Jim Tracy has helped build a running dynasty. Jim was recognized as girls' cross country coach of the year in 2004 by the California Coaches Association. In his first 11 years of coaching, the Cross Country teams combined for twenty-one Bay Counties League or Conference titles and seventeen North Coast Section titles (ten for the girls and seven for the boys). In 2004 both teams captured NCS titles. The girls' team has won the state title 3 of the past 4 years and the boys' team set a record for best overall performance at the NCS championships last year. The six state titles are unmatched by any girls' cross country program in California. (Source: UHS)
	NAMELESS & FACELESS SF RACE DIRECTOR SUPERSTARS Race Directors, who are often nameless, faceless, and unnoticed, plan our 5K fun runs and marathons several months to a year in advance of race day. These would be the Dave Rhodys and Peter Nantells of the SF racing scene who are busting butts to make races flow seamlessly; so seamlessly that many runners think they are being ripped off by what are really very reasonable entry fees! For many local races, the work of a race director or race committee is done at a grassroots level. They coordinate volunteers, obtain permits & insurance, promote & market, coordinate timing, mark & measure courses, haul heavy equipment, solicit sponsors, plan logistics, etc. Whether the races you run attract 20,000 runners or just 200, there is lots more to organizing a race than meets the eye! Love your race directors & volunteers!
	MARIA TRUJILLO DE RIOS SF MARATHONER SUPERSTAR In 1984, Maria, a naturalized American, competed for her native Mexico in the first women's Olympic marathon. Maria is a 1978 graduate of Alisal High School in Monterey, CA, but she didn't begin competitive running until she went to Hartnell Community College in Monterey and ran track. Her talent won her an athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona, and in a little less than six years out of high school, she was an Olympic-class marathoner. In addition, Maria has run in every US Olympic Trials marathon since its inauguration in 1984. She has competed in 52 different marathons since tackling her first in 1983. Her wins include the 1986 San Francisco marathon and the 1997 Silicon Valley Marathon. Her PR marathon was run at Boston 1990, where she ran 2:28 and finished 3rd overall. Today, Maria is an outstanding masters runner and actively competes at local San Francisco races on the PA/USATF circuit, where she regularly wins the masters division. Since turning masters, Maria has finished 12th overall at the 2000 marathon Olympic Trials, and ran a 2:46 at Grandma's Marathon in 2003. Maria, her husband, and baby currently live in Los Gatos. "I'm just happy to be running," no matter what the results, Maria says.
	MIKE DOVE SF MASTERS SUPERSTAR Mike Dove was born and raised a 3rd generation San Franciscan, and graduated from Cal, where he was a member of the golf team. Mike started running when he was 38 and became a masters superstar. He is a four time winner of the Stanford 50+ race. At age of 49, he set a world age group record in the 5K, in a time of 15:36. He also ran 16:10 5K at the Carlsbad 5000, and 32:58 in the 10K, both at age 50. Mike ran 2:48 at the Boston Marathon, and holds age division records at the Big Sur Marathon and Kona Marathon. He has been a winner of virtually every Bay area race in his age group, and has been listed in Running Times magazine's age group national rankings almost every year since turning 45. Mike, now 59 (2006), lives in Monterey. He is on the Board of Directors for the Big Sur Marathon and writes a running column in the Monterey Herald. In addition, he started Just Run, a youth running program in Monterey.
	DON CHOI SF ULTRAMARATHON SUPERSTAR In 1980, San Francisco postal delivery worker Don Choi organized the first modern era six day race, on a track in Woodside, California. This is the extent of info obtained through lots of googling. If anyone has more info on Don Choi, please let me know!
	SF COSTUMED SUPERSTARS Resigned to the fact that they will never make an Olympic team or achieve financial success through road racing, certain runners create their own niches by competiting in costume and drag. Goofy, jaw-dropping, cute, crude, frightening, or odd, these creative runners lighten our loads, focusing attention away from our own race pain & suffering, as we point and snicker at them, masquerading as cows, centipedes, pilgrims, indians, Cher, Elvis, Britney Spears, chicken, the Transamerica pyramid, reptiles, egg yolks, etc, etc, etc. The hilarity of some costumes causes stress fractures to the funny bone. < Getting into the spirit of Thanksgiving, at San Francisco's Turkey Beach Trot.