It was a dreary, overcast day. Fog enveloped the Golden Gate Bridge in what might as well have been outtakes from “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” So much so, that I wouldn’t have been surprised if an ape swung down and snatched a runner or two along the way!
The majority of my photos didn’t come out — the misting fog and hanging water vapor made for blurry lenses, subjects, and bad hair days. But here’s a shot from along the way — I’m running right past the street that had my AirBnb place!
This whole week I’ve been haunted by ghost stories of past and present. As this was a repeated marathon, it too had that sense of “I’ve been here before… only it was different.” The last time I ran the Golden Gate, it was a bright, sunny day. And I can’t recall a few of the out and back U-Turns the course today took. I do know they had the Mile 17 marker in the wrong place… I passed it and my Garmin read 16.55 miles… and then it was A LONG way to their Mile 18 marker… approximately 1.5 miles. So they got back on track eventually. But seeing that marker did mess with my head, making me think I’d missed a turn. Fortunately, fellow runners had the same sense of displacement.
As far as spectators, it was a surprisingly sparse turnout. Was it the weather or the time of day that limited the crowd sizes? I can’t recall there being huge numbers in prior years either but it did feel light today.
Still, there’s worse ways to spend a Sunday morning… like driving. The LONG drive home was replete with drivers who should not be on the road. This does not bode well for Steve and my 13 hour drive to Santa Fe tomorrow. But at least I’ll have good company, riding along in the automobile with my brother!