Dancehall DJ and producer Diplo managed to get 13,000 people in SF to do his EDM-fueled early morning 5K run and live performance last year, so Diplo’s Run Club is returning to SF this October, but this time it’s in Golden Gate Park.

It is now Burning Man time of year (the gates open Sunday), so you’d figure that world-famous DJ Diplo is busy planning his Burning Man microdoses, costumes, and DJ sets, or perhaps another Popeyes chicken sandwich promotion. But Diplo presumably has a team of people running his affairs, and they have been busy, as KRON4 reports that the Diplo’s Run Club 5K footrace is returning to San Francisco on Saturday, October 11 at 8:30 am in Golden Gate Park.

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We had this Diplo’s Run Club thing here for the first time last year, and it sold out at 13,000 participants — and of course you get a big ol’ Embarcadero rave with Diplo on the decks afterward. It was the first-ever iteration of this event, though Diplo then took it on the road to Seattle the following week. This year eight cities will get the Diplo 5K run, with Seattle going first, San Francisco second, and a few cities’ events extending into 2026.

“Starting Diplo’s Run Club in San Francisco last year was some of the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” Diplo said in a press release. “Bringing so many people together to run and celebrate is really all I ever want to do.”

If you were a Diplo's Run Club runner last year, be aware this year’s race has a different route. While last year’s event was along the Embarcadero and at Oracle Park, this year’s event is billed as happening in Golden Gate Park. There is no detail yet on the where the Starting Line is located, though KRON4 says that “post-race music experience will take place at Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park.”

This is the same day as a recently announced concert by R&B star Khalid, also scheduled at Robin Williams Meadow, so one would think they’re using the same stage and setup for both shows. And I’m sure people who live out in the Avenues will be just thrilled about that.

Regardless, it’s $84 to register for this October 11 race. You can also splurge on a VIP registration for $212.80, which gets you “exclusive perks such as: dedicated exclusive viewing area, exclusive sponsor activations, VIP event entry & free day-of check-in.”

Wow, those “exclusive sponsor activations” sure sound exciting. Who knows, maybe you'll even get another Popeyes chicken sandwich promotion for the price of your VIP ticket.

Related: DJ Diplo Inaugurated Series of 5K 'Run Club' Races In San Francisco Sunday [SFist]

Image: Diplo's Run Club via Facebook

Civil rights leaders and elected officials are demanding the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) reinstate a gold medal stripped from 16-year-old Salinas sprinter Clara Adams who celebrated her win by spraying her cleats with a fire extinguisher in tribute to Olympian Maurice Greene.

As reported by KTVU, Adams was disqualified from the competition for celebrating her 400-meter state championship victory by briefly spraying her cleats with a fire extinguisher — while standing on a grassy area, away from the track and other athletes. The gesture was a tribute to Olympic gold medalist Maurice Greene, who celebrated the same way in 2004.

Adams' father handed her the extinguisher after her uncle, a former firefighter, showed her how to use it safely. “My feet were on fire,” she said. “I just ran 53 seconds in the 400 for the second time in my life. That was a big moment for me.”

As KGO reports, despite the celebratory nature of the act, CIF officials quickly ruled it “unsportsmanlike conduct,” disqualified Adams, stripped her of the state title, banned her from running the 200-meter event, and, according to her family, physically escorted her from the infield. “I was just like, ‘what?’” she recalled. “I can’t even explain what was going through my mind.”

The incident unfolded at the same CIF championship meet where transgender athlete AB Hernandez’s top-tier performances were similarly undercut—this time by a last-minute policy shift that redefined podium placements, as reported by SFist. That rule change, enacted days earlier, came in response to political pressure from the Trump administration and reshaped how medals were awarded to avoid declaring Hernandez an outright winner. In both cases, CIF has faced mounting criticism for decisions that appear more reactive to politics and optics than athlete well-being.

The CIF has not responded to multiple requests for comment. Civil rights attorney Adante Pointer accused the organization of being arbitrary and heavy-handed by disqualifying Adams: “They robbed her of her achievement and have yet to explain what they based their actions on.” His firm is exploring legal options, including compensation for emotional distress. Co-counsel Marlon Monroe added, “You have a young girl who should be celebrated as a champion, but instead was publicly humiliated.”

According to NBC Bay Area, Adams said she’s now in counseling, adding, "I’ll never get that back. I’ll never get that back to enjoy the medal  around my neck around everybody. And I’ll never get that back to run the  200, and we’ll never know what could’ve happened.”

Support has poured in from both Democrats and Republicans, including California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo. “Officials clearly overreacted,” Alejo wrote. The Monterey County Republican Party also issued a statement calling her win "a source of pride."

Meanwhile, Adams has received attention from universities like UCLA and Princeton, and Nike has reportedly reached out with interest. “I’m going to bounce back,” she said. “That’s the kind of athlete I am.”

Image: eyetoeyePIX/Getty Images

Previously: Trans Athlete AB Hernandez Wins Triple Medals at CA Track Finals Amid Policy Change, Protests

A local runner named Lenny Maughan used one of those running apps to draw Frida Kahlo's face on a map of San Francisco via a 29-mile run.

This feat was accomplished with the app MapMyRun and Strava, and it was picked up by the app Favorite Run which then posted the pic to Facebook, and in came the applause via Likes.

Runner's World caught up with Maughan, who said he started using Strava a few years ago and noticed how some runners would upload map-pics of body parts (mostly dicks) and other "silly stuff," but not anything resembling art. So he started out by doing the Vulcan salute from Star Trek using downtown SF streets.

Maughan says he carefully sketches out his runs ahead of time, and when he's doing one of these drawings, he's not paying attention to speed or elevation. The Frida Kahlo one took about six hours to complete (Maughan trains for a lot of marathons).

He also did this elaborate pig back in February...

... and this one of the iconic "mudflap girl" from truckers' mud flaps.

Maughan says his designs average about 20 miles, and if he ever makes a wrong turn, he will usually have to start over again another day — because, clearly, he's a perfectionist.

Although running up and down San Francisco's hills may be hard on the knees, the views it affords are easy on the eyes. Another plus: Cool, consistent weather makes for good running conditions year-round. Regular joggers may have all their favorite routes mapped out, but for those looking to get started or just to switch things up, here are a few favorites. Because the best place to start a run is from your front door, it's hard to prescribe a route that works for everyone. Instead, here are 10 great running hubs. Plot a route toward one and explore from there.


Buena Vista Park/Corona Heights
A quick and easy way to add some elevation to a run near the Haight or the Castro is to head uphill to Corona Heights Park and/or Buena Vista Park. Buena Vista is actually the oldest park in the city, and it has primarily one main loop of a path through it, accessibly from pretty much all sides — see some example runs from the Haight here and here. For a trail-running experience with views unblocked by trees, Corona Heights Park offers a 0.9-mile loop that's moderately busy, and includes 121 feet in elevation change. An added bonus: There are plenty of pretty wildflowers in the spring. Jay Barmann

The Embarcadero. Photo: kapshure

John Loo via Flickr

Woody (nose, left) and Gnocchi ponder the vastness of a car-free Great Highway. Photo: Eve Batey/SFist

Photo: joki.photo

via Save McLaren Park

duluoz cats via Flickr

Scott Hess via Flickr

Photo taken from the popular Twin Peaks lookout: Marco Hamersma

In addition to running one of the largest advertising companies on the planet, Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg does a lot of goofy stuff — remember the only eating what he kills thing? Well, he's now trying to run 365 miles this year, and Zuck apparently felt like knocking off a few miles while in Beijing for an economic forum. There's just one problem, the air in the Chinese capital city is notoriously toxic — and the Associated Press reports that amused citizens took to social media to lampoon the Palo Alto resident for his obliviousness.

"The human-flesh smog vacuum is better when it's American-made," observed journalist Peng Yuanwen, apparently referencing a Beijing joke that the city's toxic air is filtered by its residents' lungs. According to the AP, the day that Zuckerberg went jogging Beijing's air pollution index was roughly 15 times what the World Health Organization considers safe.

"It's great to be back in Beijing," wrote Zuckerberg in text that accompanied the photo. "I kicked off my visit with a run through Tiananmen Square, past the Forbidden City and over to the Temple of Heaven."

This elicited scorn from internet users as well.

Others, the AP informs us, criticized not Zuckerberg's apparent obliviousness but rather what appeared to be a transparent play to curry favor with the Chinese government.

"Kissing up?" the AP reports Tom Wang, a Chinese environmentalist, as asking. Indeed, with the social media company officially banned in China, it is not outrageous to speculate that Zuckerberg's post is an attempt to portray the Capital in a positive light — something that running with a breathing mask, or simply on a treadmill in his hotel, would have failed to do.

At present, over 3,000 people have "wow'd" the photograph. Indeed.

Related: Mark Zuckerberg Resolves To Spend Free Time Building AI Butler To Watch Over His Child

The underground competitive drinking contest known as the Beer Mile had a milestone event on Treasure Island Saturday, with the Beer Mile World Classic bringing the drinking game's world record holders together for their first-ever head-to-head competition on the same track. SFist was on the scene, and even competed (poorly) in this mile-long race in which runners must chug an entire 12-ounce beer each quarter mile. “This is the Beer Mile of the century,” race co-producer Nick MacFalls told SFist before the race. “We have seven of the top ten fastest [Beer Milers] ever. We have the last four world record holders. We have three of the four guys to break five minutes.”

Even with all of the elite runners flown in from around the world, more than 300 regular boozebags like me also ran in the Beer Mile amateur heats. Saturday’s racers left it all on the track, often including the content of our stomachs.

Beer Milers refer to vomiting as a “reversal of fortune”, and cookie-tossers are forced to run a penalty lap. The first retch of the day was committed by Bushbaby (above left) who did indeed run the race in a penguin pajama onesie. “I was basically just glad that I could open the field for everyone else to puke afterwards and feel comfortable about doing that,” Bushbaby told SFist.

Drinking four beers while sprinting a mile proved far more difficult than many of the runners had anticipated. “I’m a runner, so why not have four beers while I run?” competitor Jessica “Squibber” Otero told SFist after her race. When I asked Squibber her time, her friend informed us that it took her twenty minutes. “Bullshit! Twenty minutes?”, she protested.

“It was pretty bad, baby,” her friend said.

Image: Joe Kukura

My Beer Mile effort was pretty bad, too — it took me 10:34 and I lost to a guy who was juggling rubber balls the entire mile. But I held my puke until after I crossed the finish line, so I was not assessed the penalty lap. “Go feed the fish, Fat Elvis!” race announcer Josh Muxon taunted me as I staggered to relieve my stomach into the bay.

But the elite men’s and women’s fields offered outstanding Beer Mile performances, and the videos below show how the pros do it. “We’ve got the best Beer Milers in the world puking it out,” said elite men’s racer James Nielsen (USA), the first runner ever to do a Beer Mile in under five minutes. “Everyone is in peak running shape and peak drinking shape.”

A Beer Mile is the most hilariously slow-starting race you’ve ever seen. Runners must pound the contents of the whole 12-ounce beer before beginning their run. Here we see the opening gun of Saturday’s elite men’s race, with the runners’ short-shorts reflecting their nations of origin.

With each quarter-mile lap, racers must fight the urge to puke and chug yet another beer. Just look at the form of Lewis Kent (CAN), who finishes his third lap/beer and still shows flawless chugging technique. Not so for former world record holder Josh Harris (AUS), who loses his lunch and the race along with it with a reversal of fortune at the :31 mark.

The boozy Canadian Kent did not break his world record time of 4:55, but he still won the inaugural Beer Mile World Classic with a 5:07. “A lot of guys can set world records, but they can’t win at world champs,” Kent said after the race. “I didn’t want that to my name. So I proved I’m the best in the world right now.”

The women’s elite heat, featuring Bay Area track stars Lyndsay Harper (Berkeley) and Tori Tyler (Los Altos), was won by Caitlin Judd (Charleston, S.C.) with a 6:48 time.

But the real prize should have been awarded to Fred Carter, who spent his afternoon tending to the vomit buckets situated by the track’s beer chugging station. “It sucks. Don’t stand behind the bucket,” Carter told me, just before the men’s elite race. “So far we’ve had about ten [vomiters] which is not bad. More men than women.”

“It’s usually just foam,” MacFalls insisted.

MacFalls and the other Beer Mile organizers should be proud of an event well done, considering the challenges of getting the city to OK a drunken puke race. “The permitting process was very difficult,” MacFalls told SFist. “We had a lot of rejections.”

The same could be said for the runners’ stomachs at Saturday’s race.

Arrived safely back in Chile! Leg 1 down in 4 hours 36 minutes. Leg 2 starts less than 19.5 hours after leg 1 began. Nap time. Thanks for everyone's support.

A photo posted by Tim Durbin (@24901experiences) on Jan 17, 2015 at 4:04pm PST

7 by 7 by 7. That's a week of marathons on a new continent each day. Generally embarrassing all of us, a local man has completed this herculean feat.

31-year-old Tim Durbin completed the final race in his World Marathon Challenge today in Sydney, Australia, clocking in at 4 hours and 55 minutes. In total, it's 24,901 miles down, which also happens to be the distance around the equator.

"It's probably going to take a few weeks to process," Durbin told SFist by phone from Australia, "I was super winded at the finish. Legs are sore and now i'm just sitting around having a few beers with everybody thinking about what's next." There's no 8th continent, so Durbin can't easily one-up himself. "I have no idea what I'll try next," he said, "My wife has an Iron Man in July, so I'll be supporting her for that like she supported me for this."

Durbin will be back in SF in time for a Super Bowl and welcome home party. He was sent-off by friends at Robberbaron on Polk Street before beginning his challenge. "I love all the support I've gotten from everyone back in the states and in San Francisco and that's kept me going," he said.

“When thinking about the World Marathon Challenge during the numerous 'lonely’ hours spent running or walking around San Francisco in 2014, I realized that even if I do finish 'last’ I won't be finishing last at all,” reads Durbin's online journal. “I dared to do something that most people view as impossible.”

As the Chronicle reports, Durbin spent most of his rest time on planes, sleeping. He flew business class and spent nearly $40,000 with money from his savings all while fundraising for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

Here in San Francisco, our workout options are somewhat limited due to the fact that it's a hell of a hilly town and it's freezing (for Californians, anyway). But going to the gym isn't thew most desirable option for those of us who cannot afford it or cannot stand the stares of fellow gym membership cardholders. And with that, take a few deep abdominal breaths and give it up for the city's best non-gym workouts.

LYON STREET STEPS: San Francisco is lousy with hills. As a local, you've probably figured out how to avoid them unless you happen to live at the top of one, but the same steep grades that have tourists sweating through their brand new polar fleeces can work to the advantage of anyone looking to increase their heart rate without shelling out for a gym membership. Of all the routes up San Francisco's hills, the Lyon Street Steps are a perennial favorite among the local fitness masochists.

With the Presido's eucalyptus groves on your right and Senator Dianne Feinstein's house on your left, the route rises a total of 244 steps (about 150 feet of altitude change) over two blocks from Green Street to the end of Billionaire's Row on Broadway in Pac Heights. At 20% grade, it's a thigh-burner for sure. Add in an extra block up the hill to Pacific Avenue, and you'll be rewarded with sweeping views from the Golden Gate Bridge to Mount Diablo.

Don't want to brave the Marina? A jog up the Telegraph Hill stairs from Washington Square Park to Coit Tower ends in postcard vistas if you're not worried about scores of tourists slowing you down. For a more secluded altitude change, head to Strawberry Hill in Golden Gate Park for a staircase winding up above Stow Lake and ending in wooded views of the city and the outerlands.

ROVING ATHLETICS PERSONAL TRAINING: Hiring a personal trainer was, quite literally, one of the best things we've done to improve both our physical and mental well being. Going to the gym—something we've done far too many times in the past—resulted in bogus fees, lines for equipment, and the unforgettable sight of saggy butts in the locker room. (Don't even get us started on the stench.) So, when we hired Tim Ehhalt of Roving Athletics to train us, we were surprised at not only the money we saved, but also the tailored workouts made to do around the house.

Coming up with programs for friends for years, he officially started training people in 2008. When asked to tell SFist if he thinks non-gym workouts are ideal, Ehhalt explained, "One thing isn’t necessarily better than the other, it’s what works for you. The pros of doing in-home/non-gym training are that you don't have to get yourself to your gym and back, which can save time and helps keep some people from procrastinating. Another benefit is that unlike the gym, if you’re working out at home you won’t ever have to wait for equipment, and you can use your own bathroom. But some people find working out at home too distracting (phone, kids, etc) and they need to get to the gym. So, really, what’s better is what gets you working out."

A couple of exercises that he considers important to feeling better each day? Ehhalt reveals, "If you had a gun to my head (please don't), I'd say the two exercises I would recommend are the psoas/hip flexor stretch and the squat.

Sure, Roving Athletics will still go to the gym to help you (if you must), but having a home-based experience is perfect for those of us who want to get tighter and leaner in private without the glaring eyes of 24 Hour Fitness members undressing us.

AIDS LIFECYCLE: This charity-based training program is certainly popular. Get those quads in shape and lose at least ten pounds by way of training for the AIDS ride, which happens every post-Memorial Day, the first week of June. There are so many people who do this around here that there are plenty of training group options involving pretty bike rides. And then you will have to beg all your friends and coworkers for money and spend seven days on a bike riding to LA.

JOGGING AROUND THE GOLDEN GATE PARK LOOP It doesn't have to be Bay to Breakers for you to take a run to the beach via the park, and the roads through Golden Gate Park are popular with running types. This is all well and good when it's clear and sunny to the coast, which we all know is a rarity. Most other days, you're going to be running into thick fog and back.

EMBARCADERO TO FORT MASON RUN: Another popular route—especially because there are no stop lights or curb breaks—is running along the piers of the Embarcadero, starting down around the ballpark. You can continue on past the Aquatic Park to Fort Mason and Crissy Field, but be aware of how you'll make the return trip, especially if you run out of steam by the time you hit the Marina.

ROLLERSKATING: When all else fails, grab a pair of skates.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

- Strolling from the Castro to Noe Valley

- Renting an apartment on Upper Market/Twin Peaks

Some dude was spotted running around the Richmond leaving piles of white powder next to telephone poles, all along Balboa from the beach eastward. The SFFD hazmat team was subsequently called in to test the powder, which turned out to be flour. The culprit turns out to be some kind of running club, but for god's sake... this would have never flown ten years ago in the wake of all that anthrax panic.

The Hash House Harriers, which dubs itself "a drinking club with a running problem," are to blame, as they often use flour to mark their courses. (They held on event on Sunday, hence the marking.) And according to the Richmond Blog, they're amused by all this anxiety they caused. DON'T THEY KNOW WE ARE STILL LIVING IN A WORLD WRACKED BY TERRORISM?!

[Richmond Blog]

PREVIOUSLY: White Powder Discovery Prompts Downtown San Jose Post Office Evacuation

SF Citizen was on the ball and snapped shots of the winners of this morning's race. For the second year in a row, Kenyan long-distance runner Sammy Kirop Kitwara, who, interestingly, is a policeman by occupation, scored the fastest time. Fellow Kenyan Lineth Chepkururi won the fastest women's time.

Tommy the Pink Gorilla (pictured above), who nabbed the first costumed runner slot, had the right idea by wearing the snuggly warm costume on this chilly morning. We saw lots of shivering people in short shorts, knee socks, and sweatbands, a few of them stopping to pee, on their way to the race this morning. We would guess the gorilla suit would eventually get pretty dang hot though?

The first naked winner was smart to carry his shorts the whole way, so he had something to wear home.

Check out SF Citizen for the other winners.

Warning. Tomorrow is, ugh, National Run at Work Day. Which is also known as National Come to Work And Stink Up The Place With Your Rank Body Odor And Sweaty Ass Crack You Selfish Jerk Day. That said, jogging is a great way to get in shape. In addition to helping you "maintain a healthy weight," it also "raises your energy levels, makes it easier to fall asleep at night, and strengthens your immune system which can prevent illness," or so says the fine ladies over at Fit Sugar.

But still, if you must run during this dubious annual holiday, you might want to do it after work, not before or during your lunch break. No one likes a stinky, musty office.

Happy running.

This weekend is the US women's olympic trials for the marathon in Boston. It's really tough to qualify to get into the trials and the team that has the most members that qualified for the trials is the the San Francisco Impala Racing team-- a team that was formed specifically for competitive women racers. Best of luck to Lisbet Sunshine, Betsy Keever, Megan Daly, Chris Lundy, Shalluin Fullove, Caroline Annis who will all be competing. Run like the wind!