BART to Open Early Sunday for Bay to Breakers

BART has announced longer trains and an early open time for this weekend's Bay to Breakers event in San Francisco.

Service for the 101st Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco Sunday, May 20, will begin at roughly 5 a.m. at all BART stations; trains running before 8 a.m. will run at 20-minute intervals. Bikes won't be allowed in trains until after 8 a.m.

Download the special train schedule for Bay to Breakers service.

The world-famous race attracts thousands of runners and spectators from the Bay Area and beyond. BART encourages riders coming from the East Bay to disembark at the Embarcadero Station, a short distance from Howard and Spear streets, where the race begins.

Runners can save time and trouble by getting a Clipper card in advance of race day to pay their fare. Those who do are reminded to be sure to load enough cash on the card to pay for a round trip fare. Clipper cards are available at transit ticket offices and at most Walgreens and other retail locations.

Wet or damaged BART tickets will not work in fare gates, so runners who keep a round-trip ticket in their pockets while running seven miles — and presumably sweat — may be disappointed when they try to get home. BART suggests that runners who don’t have a Clipper card should buy two one-way tickets: one ticket before heading to the race and the other before catching the train home instead of buying a single round-trip ticket.

Lastly, while race costumes may fall into the "anything goes" category -- or, in some cases, "nothing goes" -- BART requires all riders to wear shoes and "proper attire" on board the trains.

We'd like to see your photos and videos from Bay to Breakers if you can avoid the buck naked runner photos. You can use the "Upload Photos & Videos" button at the top of the Walnut Creek Patch homepage or you can email to the editor at lance.howland@patch.com