Expect the Unexpected

It is this time of a year when I and Hiro would finalize our idea and plan for the Bay to Breakers costume and start making it to be ready by the 20th of May for the race. Brainstorming ideas would take a couple of months and making a costume about a month. We worked very well with Hiro and were super compatible, so every costume project was so much fun. We would choose the best ideas and often combine them and then plan how to build the costume. Hiro was a great designer and engineer, so he knew what materials we would need and how to construct the costume so that it would last in a windy weather while running or walking for 7.5 miles. That's hard! We had to test the prototypes against these conditions to make sure they would last till the end of the race without breaking and that we would make it to the spot where all media were to attract them to get a picture of us. And, we would make it to the newspaper pretty much every year. Hiro was so proud and happy. You cannot imagine his joy and satisfaction! And, yes, his costume would be something unexpected, something you could not predict. However, his costume represented strongly how he wanted to be acknowledged - as a unique human being with his original way of thinking.

For those who are not familiar with Bay to Breakers race, here is a quick overview. The race started after the famous 1906 earthquake to lift the spirits of people. It is about 7.5 miles (12km) long and its name suggests its course - from the Embarcadero (next to San Francisco Bay) to Ocean Beach (where breakers crash). It became famous not only because of its history but also because at one point it broke Guinness World Record with 110,000 participants. Moreover, it has professional runners who run first and then the general public that join 20 to 30 minutes after. Traditionally, the race had a costume contest, allowed alcohol drinking and nudity, photo shoot along the way, and a festival with multiple music bands. The idea was to embrace all the people and their unique expression. Costumes included a team costumes such as multiple people carrying a Golden Gate Bridge or individual costumes. The costume contest awarded the top 10 costumes chosen by the jury that were published in the local newspapers until 2012 when the costume contest was cancelled. The cancellation, however, did not change the fact that most participants continue to wear a costume till today and local newspapers still publish the most appealing costumes.

For Hiro from the first years in San Francisco, Bay to Breakers had a special place in his heart. For him this was a challenge of creativity. It was the time apart from Halloween when his uniqueness could shine and stand out, when everyone who knew him would be assured that when it comes to original ideas, creativity, humor and costume execution, Hiro was certainly hard to beat. I mean, how many people out there are going to spend 3 months on coming up with and making a costume? Unless you do this for living, probably unlikely.

I am sure, most of you have pictures of Hiro's Halloween costumes because they are just unforgettable and so original! It is something you want to show others to have a good laugh and break the ice during the conversations! I'd like to share some of our costumes with you and encourage people to post their costume pictures with Hiro on the Forum. I would love to see them all.

Unfortunately, 2020 and 2021 Bay to Breakers races were called off due to pandemic, but Hiro still made a Halloween costume even for a virtual Halloween working remotely for his company last year. We love your creative spirit, Hiro!

Our regular photo spots were by the waterfall in the Golden Gate Park and by the wind mills by the Ocean Beach. We also collected all the medals, bibs and T-shirts from every race and kept them until 2020 when Hiro decided to throw away most things from his past and focus on Zen and simple life.