A Black man and woman sit on the stair during their training session and chat, combining their marathon training and social life

Balance Social Life & Marathon Training in 5 Simple Steps

It's Friday evening and your colleagues have invited you to a bar. But what about that early morning long run tomorrow? Now it's Saturday night and your friends are organizing an awesome Sunday brunch, but you have a 15-mile training run planned and want to get it done before the heat kicks in. Sounds familiar? Balancing your social calendar ... More
An aerial view of the dominant Salesforce Tower in San Francisco at night

Art in San Francisco: The Salesforce Tower | SFM Ambassador Scott Benbow’s City Guide

If you’ve seen a photo of San Francisco’s skyline in the last few years, chances are you’ve spotted a sleek, silvery needle that rises high above the City: the Salesforce Tower. At 1,070 feet with 61 stories of glass and steel, it’s the tallest tower in Northern California. However, this skyscraper is more than just a big office ... More
Alexi Pappas, Olympian

Low on Running Motivation? Get Your Inspiration Back with Olympian Alexi Pappas!

Get back on track with powerful running motivation from Olympian Alexi Pappas. Running Is Hard—And That’s Exactly Why You’re Doing It The runner’s high and finish line thrill are what we live for. But what about the miles that feel impossible? If you’ve hit a plateau, lost your momentum, or need a reset, you’re not alone. Even ... More
An overhead view of one of the Castro neighborhood's intersection with rainbow pedestrian crossings

Running Through Pride: Explore San Francisco’s Castro Neighborhood!

June in San Francisco is synonymous with Pride, a time when the city bursts into a rainbow of colors and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community's resilience and history–and the epicenter of the City’s LGBTQ+ community is the Castro neighborhood. Written by SFM Ambassador Scott Benbow Edited by Pavlína Marek Monuments of Memory Between ... More
Union Iron Works Historic District at Pier 70 in Dogpatch, Potrero Point in San Francisco - California, United States

The Dogpatch, Its History & Its People | SFM Ambassador Scott Benbow’s City Guide

Another month, another city guide by SFM Ambassador and San Francisco local Scott Benbow! This time, let's explore the Dogpatch neighborhood, which got its name after the packs of stray dogs who used to roam its streets in the 1960s. Written by Scott Benbow Edited by Pavlína Marek You’ll enter the Dogpatch neighborhood between miles ... More
Damaris Gutierrez

A Q&A with SFM Community Manager Damaris Gutierrez | Meet the Team ☺️🖤🫶

Damaris Gutierrez is a San Francisco Marathon Community Manager, a mother, and a runner. She's the happiest when she gets to treat herself to food after a run with her friends. She joined the SFM team in 2023 as an ambassador and has been a steady source of inspiration not only for SFM runners but her colleagues, too. ... More
San Francisco Marathon Ranked #8 Marathon in the World

SF Marathon Ranked Among World’s Best and #3 in the USA

We’re not saying we’re elite, but the world kind of just did. The San Francisco Marathon has officially been named one of the Top 10 Strongest Marathon Brands in the World, landing at #8 globally and #3 in the U.S., just behind the legendary Boston and New York City Marathons. In a study released by Brand Finance and reported by MSN, ... More
A set of four types of running shoes from minimalist shoes to maximalist shoes, simple drawings

Barely There: Yay or Nay? The Great Minimalist Shoe Debate

Some love them, some despise them: minimalistic shoes. Not even researchers can get a clear "yay" or "nay" answer. In this first article of an upcoming two-part series about running minimalism, let's discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of minimalistic running shoes. Written & edited by Pavlína Marek Minimalism in Running Shoes ... More
Haight Street view of the stockinged legs hanging out of the window. Haight Street comes after the famous Alvord Lake Bridge during the SF Marathon.

Alvord Lake Bridge & Haight Street | SFM Ambassador Scott Benbow’s City Guide

The San Francisco Marathon is a city race, but much of the course lies in quiet parks on both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge. Because the race begins before sunrise, there aren’t too many spectators along the course for the first nineteen miles. That, however, changes once you run under the Alvord Lake Bridge onto Haight Street. Written ... More

Your Updated San Francisco Marathon Elevation & Pacing Guide

Elevation Profile The total elevation gain for the SF Marathon is about 1,303 feet (about 300 feet more than its older versions) with a corresponding loss of 1,303 feet. This is much hillier than the California International Marathon in Sacramento (gain 663 ft, descent 1,003 ft) and Boston (gain 815 ft, loss 1,275 ft), but much less hilly ... More