Yesterday, over 70,000 'runners' assembled at San Francisco's picturesque waterfront to participate in the 99th annual Bay To Breakers, often described as the world's wackiest race - An apt description considering the starting line is shared by some of the world's fastest runners and . . . . . adults wearing baby bonnets and sucking on binkies!

While the serious runners take less than an hour to complete the course that snakes through the city and includes some of its steepest hills, fun-seekers take all day to run/walk or stumble through the approximately 7.5 mile distance that ends in - Yes you guessed it - A big party in the city's beautiful Golden Gate Park!

And, since this is San Francisco, the runners come dressed for the occasion. This year, the parade included a carrot, a man posing as President Obama, a box of Crayola crayons, an army of Vikings, a team of elegant flamingos and, a giant centipede, trying to set a new world record by having more than 2026 'legs'. Shrek's Gingy also joined in the fun, cruising on his scooter, the entire way.

And then, there were of course the serious runners, who almost get forgotten in this mayhem. Defending champion Sam Kitwara won the race, beating fellow Kenyan, Peter Kirui by a few seconds with his time of 34.15 minutes and earning himself a cool $25,000USD. In the women's category, 22-year old Lineth Chepkurui, also from Kenya, not only broke her own record, but shattered a five-year Bay to Breakers record with her photo finish, which took a mere 38.07 minutes.

While the race may sound wacky to people around the world, it is a revered tradition for the fun-loving San Franciscans. We can't wait to see what the race will be like next year, when it celebrates its 100th year!

Sources: SFgate.com, Wikipedia.or, examinier,com