[…] to England and beat him but he had no money. O’Leary replied sarcastically, “T’ll build you a bridge.” This so nettled Hughes that whenever he talked of O’Leary after this he would always say bitterly, “the rapscallion told me he’d build me a bridge!”

As soon as word arrived of O’Leary’s winning performance in England, Hughes eagerly sought someone to back an attempt to surpass O’ Leary’s sixday effort in the Astl Bellevue Indoor in New York. O’Leary rose to the occasion and once again came out on top. After all the glory, O’ Leary seemed to degenerate from a great runner to a barkeeper, and Rowell seemed to get better his last few years of life, regaining his prestige. In any case, the life of the six-day runner in those bygone years was one of hardship and struggle.

1. HISTORY/TRADITION Evaluate the race’s sen

The Bottom Line

We have weighed various aspects of a marathon within a 1,000-point scoring grid. Besides the author of the article, a dozen runners at the race were randomly chosen to score the race for us. (SFM = San Francisco Marathon.)

The results follow:

1. HISTORY/TRADITION Evaluate the race’s sense of history. (Score: 85)

2. WEATHER Determine the race date based on its weather. (Score: 85)

3. SCENERY Looks at the race course quality. (Score: 95)

4. ORGANIZATION Evaluate the race organization by looking at aid stations, water stops, communications, etc. (Score: 85)

5. COST/VALUE Weighs the value of the race compared to its cost. (Score: 80)

6. COMPETITION Evaluates the racing competition level and variety of courses. (Score: 75)

7. CAMARADERIE Examine the quality of other runners and the race community. (Score: 85)

8. AWARDS/PRIZES Looks at the awards and prize structure. (Score: 60)

9. EXPO Evaluate the race expo. (Score: 75)

10. OVERALL FEEL Judges the overall feel and race management. (Score: 80)

Total Score (out of 1,000): 845

The San Francisco Marathon represents a wonderful opportunity to run on a course of exquisite beauty and tradition. In 1996, the race celebrated its twentieth anniversary. And despite changes in participation, sponsorships, and course design, the San Francisco Marathon has made a successful transition from a small regional marathon to a well-managed, national event. Runners who wish to add to their marathon portfolio and want to experience a marvelous course should mark the San Francisco Marathon as a mainstay in their running calendar.

For More Information Write to:

San Francisco Marathon

© 1997 by Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.