CALIFORNIA BEAT STAFF REPORT

The organizers of this year’s ING Bay to Breaker’s footrace in San Francisco have eased a ban on floats during the event, a spokesperson for the race told reporters Thursday.

Sam Singer, who handles public relations for the race, told the San Francisco Chronicle that floats will be allowed during the race so long as they are not used for carrying alcoholic drinks. A recently implemented ban on alcohol during the Bay to Breakers event still stands.

Those restrictions have received fierce outcry from participants who claim that limits on booze, floats and nudity (the nudity ban has since been eased as well) destroy the unique character of the race. Race officials said that the bans were put in place to avoid a repeat of last year’s race which left garbage strewn all over the race route and participants publicly urinating on doorsteps.

Earlier this week, opponents called for the boycott of race registration after negotiations apparently came to a stalemate between race officials and leaders of online communities calling for the rules to be eased.

It is unknown whether the boycott call played any role in the reversal of the ban on floats.

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