While my brethren at City Church got soulful with Reverend Fred Harrell yesterday morning at their annual picnic, two of us pounded our soles for 7.46 miles in an outdoor sanctuary called San Francisco's Bay to Breakers.

The 2004 Bay to Breakers Elite Runners

The Healthy

The 12K race attracted "the healthy" led by Benjamin Maiyo of Kenya (34:50) and Albina Ivanova of Russia (39:56). Maiyo ran the race not just for the $7,500 purse, but as a training run for the Athens Olympics. Ivanova came with the goal of winning the race, in part, as a 27th birthday present to herself. It also comes on the heals of qualifying for the upcoming 2004 Olympic Games in Greece. She will be running the marathon with the Russian team.

Had James Koskei, winner of the last three Breakers, won again yesterday, he would have joined Arturo Barrios (1987- '88-'89-'90) as a four-time champion. Instead he came in second place with a time of 35:01 -- just eleven seconds behind Maiyo.

The top two male and female American runners: Peter Julian (36:18), a thirty-three year-old from Boulder, Colorado, who finished eighth, and Chris Lundy (42:52), a thirty-three year-old veterinarian from Sausalito.

The first Bay Area man to cross the finish line was Greg Jimmerson (36:33), a twenty-nine year-old Stanford graduate.

Autodesk won the centipede competition.

And Mayor Gavin Newsom finished in 1 hour, 8 minutes.

Other Bay Area Top Finishers:

Peter Gilmore of Menlo Park, the winner of the 2003 San Francisco Marathon, in a time of 36:53

7th place, Mary Huang (45:24) from Portola Valley

San Francisco's Katy Hollbacher who came in ninth (46:45)

Menlo Park's Jennifer Glare (47:39) in 11th

San Francisco's Sara Gigliotti (49:03) in 13th

Sara Paul (50:23) of Palo Alto who placed 15th.

The Adventuresome

This year, as always, the Bay-to-Breakers attracted "the adventuresome." Before we jumped in at 1st and Howard, we watched at least two dozen "invigorated" nudists go by wearing nothing but tattoos and neon yellow hats. One of the nudists had a snake tattooed on his pelvic bone. You can guess where the head was.

While nude running was supposedly outlawed by the race promoters this year, it didn't stop anyone. The police, including SFPD Officer, Jeff Roth, looked the other way. The only violations given were to those who crossed the finish line in exhibition mode.

SFPD Officer Jeff Roth looks the other way as Chronicle photographer, Frederic Larson, captures a half dozen bare behinds.

The Soulful

Of the 100,000 who came out to run, walk, skip or party, a sample of the "soulful" included a band of Elvis look-a-likes, Jesus, who turned out to be part of a mock-World Wrestling Federation, the Organs 'R' Us (ORU) Centipede, and a Jews for Jesus troupe handing out flyers at the end of the race.

S.F. Chronicle Photographer, Frederic Larson, Shows Off the Elvis Show-Offs

The most inspiring of all, other than the elite racers at the front of the pack, were the seniors we saw power-walking, jogging and some even, running past us. One older couple ran the entire distance holding hands.

And...

Those in the "and..." category included: Doctor Seuss' Zig and Zag, American Idol Diva wannabe's La Toya London, Fantasia Barrino and Jennifer Hudson, Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket, and a group of I Dream of Jeannies.

There were many who helped add spirit to the morning adventure including the live bands, Low Carb Karaoke, U2 cover band Zoo Station, and Fine By Me, to name just a few.

In addition to Alhambra H20 and flavored vitamin mineral water, we were served Zola Acai Brazilian Berry Power Juice which tastes a bit like the Noni Juice we drink every morning. (Acai is pronounced AH-sci-EE.)

Dressed in mere tank tops, sarongs, our running shoes, and a fanny pack, we couldn't have ordered a more quintessential morning.

After "training" five days a week through Alamo Square since the beginning of March, we were prepared for the Hayes Street Hill and the long jog through Golden Gate Park.

When we hit Queen Wilhelmina's Tulip Garden, you would have thought someone turned on the windmill. The fresh breeze coming off the ocean was a welcome feeling as we hit the last 1/4 mile of the race.

The only time and place we stopped was to take a photo of the photographers.

Two Dedicated Bay-to-Breakers Sport Photo Photographers

After crossing the finish line in one hour, thirty-four minutes and fifty-eight seconds (only one hour after the top runners), we joined the lot at Footstock to stretch, to soak up the sun and the sounds of Luce and Stung, and to indulge in an $8 chicken kabob and rice brunch thanks to Sonoma Teriyaki.

By 11 o'clock, we started the four mile trek home. Along our walk we decided to see if there were any other crazy folk still coming down the race track. Little did we know there would be thousands of them. An American Red Cross volunteer said, "I still haven't seen 'The Tiki Hut' serving Mai Tais. And there's supposed to be a Transamerica Pyramid made out of beer cans."

Moments later, what came strolling by but both The Tiki Hut and the tower of beer cans.

So, will I be shopping at Albertson's more often now that they were the lead sponsor of the 93rd Bay-to-Breakers?

Personally, I'm partial to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Andronico's Market and A.G. Ferrari Foods.

However, I'm happy to give their Fulton and Masonic location a plug. Their selection is outstanding. The prices are right. And the parking is free!

One thing is for certain: I'm looking forward to indulging in the Kabuki Springs & Spa early this week. The Bengay patches that were being handed out after the race were much appreciated. But there's nothing like rejuvenating your mind, body and soul in a soothing bath in Japantown.

For those of you wishing to congratulate one of the "healthy" souls in your family for making it across the finish line, or for those who at least tried, we recommend you call Jonathan Rachman and Betta Cattaneo at Fleur't.

Not only will they send over an exquisite bouquet, if you want to go all out, they'll include a one-of-a-kind piece of Italian jewelry for that one-of-a-kind Bay-to-Breakers champion. To order an arrangement, call 415.713.4779, and tell them Rugged Elegance sent you.

If you're looking to get your body in alignment today, we recommend you call either Dr. Robert J. Nathanson, D.C., QME of San Francisco Bay Chiropractic at 415.563.1888 or acupuncturist, Dr. Angela Wu of Wu's Healing Center at 415.752.0170. On Sunday, Dr. Nathanson was at the corner of Hayes and Divisadero cheering everyone on to check their liver and their pulse.

For all the people who came out to cheer us on, thank you.

After hosting a nine-year-old slumber party for fifteen girls on Friday night, I was just happy to cross the finish line. Others were not so lucky.

Today, we are praying for the man at Fell and Masonic who lost consciousness, as well as the man who had a heart attack at the top of the Hayes Street hill.

As one of the volunteers shouted as the top runners went by yesterday morning, "Here come the elite runners; that is, the other elite runners. Of course, you are all elite, in your own way."

Here's to the healthy, adventuresome, soulful elite of San Francisco, and the rest of us!

Next year, let's get the Rugged Elegance community together and race for "a youthful" cause like the Diabetic Youth Foundation, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or San Francisco's Chapter of Friends of the Children.

Speaking of FOC, Anna Yen, we're praying for and cheering you on this week!

Inspire & Be Inspired.

~Jennifer King

P.S. The race was created in 1912 to lift the spirits of San Franciscans during the tedious reconstruction following the 1906 earthquake. The 2005 race will continue in this same spirit. To join in the fun next year, go to BayToBreakers.com.

If your number was 51469, 45087, 39620 or any other, feel free to share your Bay-to-Breakers story with our monthly audience of 200,000. Click on "Comments" below and type away!

The San Francisco Chapter of Friends of the Children (FOC) hosted over 400 young people at the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Saturday night to celebrate the non-profit organization's efforts to reach out to at-risk kids. FOC Executive Director, Anna Yen, spearheaded the Second Annual "Bouncing Ball" event, which raised $16,000 alone through its live auction.

Vice-Chair, Maureen Blanc, credited Yen for her ability to attract a new generation of donors. "It is refreshing to see so many young faces here willing to give back to their community," said Blanc.

Two of the young faces in the crowd on Saturday were forty year-old, Mike Pope, CEO of the publicly-traded E-Learning Services Company, DigitalThink, and thirty-four year-old, Tony Trousset, Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank. "Thanks, in part, to their generous support," said Anna Yen, "we were able to raise over $100,000 in one night, which will go toward supporting our current Friends. This significant contribution will also help 'our kids' stay off the street and support them in breaking the harmful lifecycles that continue to plague the Bayview Hunter's Point and Sunnydale communities."

FOC Chair, Louise Renne, Mayor Newsom, an Enthusiastic Donor, and Auctioneer, Richard PioRoda

Anna Yen, together with Louise Renne, FOC - San Francisco Chair, also succeeded in getting Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney, Kamala Harris to attend the event. Both stopped by the Mark Hopkins to greet the guests in attendance.

In addition, Yen was successful in coordinating a private lunch for six with Newsom, as one of the live auction items. Of the seven live auction items, the lunch with Newsom was the hot ticket of the night -- raising $4,500. David Drummond, Vice President of Corporate Development at Google, was the winner of this hotly contested auction "get."

David Drummond

Earlier in the evening, Drummond, who has the presence of a celebrity, spoke to the crowd about the impact they can have on the four Friends employed by FOC San Francisco, and the eight kids they each serve. Drummond was invited by long-time friend and previous Wilson Sonsini and SmartForce co-worker, Anna Yen, to encourage the audience to not only give money and resources themselves, but to be proactive about getting organizations they are affiliated with to give.

Google, for instance, has recently offered Friends of the Children a Google AdSense Grant. Google's selection of FOC as a “Google Grant” recipient provides Friends of The Children with free advertising in the public service ads which Google display as part of its AdSense program. (Editor's Note: Rugged Elegance supports Google's AdSense program on this web site and is proud to feature Google's public service ads.)

Google has also created a unique Community Service Directory focused on subjects like philanthropy, volunteering & service, and more specifically, kids and teens. Since Friends of the Children's Grant is so new, the organization is not yet listed in this directory. However, some of the organizations currently profiled include "venture philanthropists," and those that offer "in kind services."

Other corporations that are helping Friends of the Children and/or that sponsored Saturday night's event include: UBS Investment Bank, California Transplant Donor Network, and Sephora.

Friends of the Children - San Francisco, started in Portland Oregon by Duncan Campbell, is one of eleven cities nationwide, that has created a prevention/early intervention program whose mission is to help highest risk children develop the relationships, goals, and skills necessary to break the cycles of poverty, abuse and violence, in order to become contributing members of society.

The San Francisco Chapter's goal is to welcome at least 16 additional children and two new mentors into the organization each year. Several factors distinguish Friends’ approach from other youth development programs:

-- Early Intervention - an emphasis on early intervention, as young as ages 6 and 7;

-- Paid, Professional Mentors – professional, not volunteer, mentors who have experience working with high-risk children; and

-- A 12-Year Program - a commitment to sustain the child-mentor relationship and provide supportive services on a consistent basis through the child’s completion of high school.

Each week, the mentors -- or Friends spend quality one-on-one time with "their children" by being present in the classroom, home, after school and on weekends. During these visits, the Friends teach valuable life skills, positive attitudes, proper behavior and the importance of education. The mentors responsibilities include the emotional and physical well-being of their children, teaching of every-day necessities like personal hygiene, exposing the children to cultural and social activities beyond what they would normally encounter, fostering of the children’s educational development and teaching the children to develop successful life strategies. The ultimate goal is to help children grow into responsible and productive adults.

The San Francisco chapter was launched in 2001 with the financial support of Steve Young's Forever Young Foundation and the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation to serve children from the Bayview Hunters Point and Sunnydale communities.

Your contribution will bring Friends of the Children one step closer to achieving their goals.

If you are inspired to help Friends of the Children's San Francisco Chapter reach their goals, please call Executive Director, Anna Yen at 415.715.0240 or write:

Friends of the Children
P.O. Box 24472
San Francisco, CA 94124

For further information go to: FriendsoftheChildrenSF.org

Inspire & Be Inspired (tm).

~Jennifer King, Trustee, Thrive Foundation for Youth