The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon – A History Lesson

Ah yes, The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon, known as the race even marathoners fear, but do you know much else about this race and the history behind it? Here’s a brief history lesson. Held annually since 1977, except for 1988 when the event was called off due to lack of interest, the inaugural San Francisco Marathon was organized ... More

The Running Traveler: Embrace a New Place With Your Feet!

Beautiful views, trails, and lots of runners to share the road with: living in Colorado makes running a natural activity to take up. With all this beauty and open space, why would you want to run far from home? Yet, it’s only natural that after some time you stop ‘seeing’ your run. You gravitate to same routes, the same races, and as ... More

The San Francisco Marathon and Elevation Pacing

ATTENTION: Due to course changes over the years, this guide is no longer accurate. A new, updated elevation and pacing guide has been published for the 2025 San Francisco Marathon.
“It seemed like a matter of minutes when we began rolling in the foothills before Oakland and suddenly reached a height and saw stretched out ahead of us the fabulous white city of San Francisco on her eleven mystic hills with the blue Pacific and its advancing wall of potato-patch fog beyond, and smoke and goldenness in the late afternoon of time.” -- Jack Kerouac, On the Road... More

Boston Stronger

The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon Ambassadors were out in force at the 2014 Boston Marathon. Like for many other runners, this marathon was our chance to honor the victims of the tragic events of last year, and also to pay tribute to the great people of Boston. The Boston Marathon, more than ever, has shown to the world that it is the ... More

TSFM Loves Boston

Year after year, we revere the third Monday in April, arguably the most sacred and meaningful day for the marathoning community: Boston Marathon Race Day. For over 100 years, Marathon Monday, Patriots Day, has been a day of celebration in the commonwealth—and for those lucky schoolkids and employees, a day off from school and work—but today, on the first-year race anniversary of an atrocious act of violence on our sport's most hallowed ground, we can proclaim, with a conviction so deep and real that it's palpable, that today is the most celebrated day in the running universe.... More

Simple Truths of Training

I started running when I was a just a kid. I ran my first race (that I can remember, at least) when I was six-years-old and cruised in for a mile time of 8:22. Not bad, right? I must admit, as I grew, I took many hiatuses from running for various reasons. But, I’ve always come back to it. I suppose it took me a while to fully appreciate and ... More

Saving the Farm Animals

We have a lot of amazing marathoners who are running The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon for a cause. Check out the story below and find out how you can do good with your run. Simone Hasenbein - Davis, CA Running For: Animal Place   My husband and I are running the San Francisco Marathon for Animal Place, a sanctuary for farmed ... More

What Moves You?

“Running is a mental sport and we’re all insane” ~bumper sticker on my car. I think it is safe to say that the majority of healthy adults could finish a marathon.  Maybe they couldn’t run the whole way or qualify for Boston, but they could finish. So why has only approximately .5% of the US population actually accomplished this goal? It isn’t because their bodies can’t do it, it’s because their MINDS think they can’t. A marathon is run with strong legs, healthy lungs, pumping arms, a clear mind and an open heart.... More

The Soundtrack of a Marathon

Whether or not to listen to music while running can be a hot debate in the running community, but when I started running several years ago, I never even questioned it. It was just a given that I would. Seriously: Music was as integral a part of my early running experiences as shoes were. About 90% of the reason I started running in the first place was to have an excuse to buy a new iPod Nano, complete with Nike+ iPod kit. My husband's first running-related gift to me was a mix of running songs from the iTunes store. I loved picking out new tunes and podcasts, making playlists, and developing deeply held opinions on the best headphones.... More

Empowered Children. Transformed Lives.

We have a lot of amazing marathoners who are running The Biofreeze San Francisco Marathon for a cause. Check out the story below and find out how you can do good with your run.

Sara Jones

Running for: Children of Grace

I am running the SF Half Marathon to raise money for Children of Grace, an amazing faith-based Non-Government Organization that provides education, mentors, basic healthcare and hope for orphans who have lost their parents to the the AIDS pandemic in Uganda. ... More