2016 Dipsea Race

 This year was the 106th running of the Dipsea race. It's not the first time I have shot the race, but it is one of my favorite annual assignments to cover.

 For those of you who don't know, the Dipsea is a race that starts in Mill Valley and continues over Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods and finishes in Stinson Beach.  I photographed the starting line up to the Dipsea stairs for the Marin IJ. It is the oldest trail race in America.

 Its such a festive atmosphere at the start, with many locals running the race.

 Another fun part of the contest is it has runners as young as seven years old, and some that are 79 years old.

 From downtown Mill Valley the athletes make it up Throckmorton Ave. ...

 ...and into Old Mill Park.

 After the park is where the accent begins up the Dipsea path.

 The path includes a daunting series of steps.

 The stairs are grueling for the runners.

 Climbing the first set of stairs feels like a huge accomplishment.

From there you can run on a road or take a shortcut straight up the hill.

Unfortunately that's where my coverage ended for the race. To see more check out the Marin IJ's coverage.

Copa America - Argentina vs. Chile

 Argentina and Chile, two powerhouse soccer countries from South America, met up for a Copa America group match at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

 It was a great atmosphere, even for fans visiting from other parts of the galaxy.

 After an incredibly tense first half full of beautiful soccer, Argentina scored two goals early in the second half to open up a lead.

 Chile scored a late goal, but it was not enough to get a result.

 One of the most interesting aspects of the game was watching a fan catch a soccer ball hit of bounds and not returning it.  I wrote a blog post about it on SFGate.

Argentina fans were excited by the result. They won without their best player, Lionel Messi, playing.

It looks like Argentina is the team to beat this Copa America Centenario.

USA vs. Colombia, Copa America Centenario Opening Match

Finally, the Copa America arrived on the shores of America, and with it the crazy passionate soccer fans of South America.

The opening match for Copa America was held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and featured Colombia, the number three team in the world, against the host country the United States.

There were many USA fans at the game...

...including a large group of American Outlaws fans that marched into the stadium from the tailgate.

Before the start of the match, there was an opening ceremony event...

...that featured hundreds of people who had to work together in harmony to pull it off. It was quite a site to behold.

The American Outlaws brought some TIFO for the game...

...but the Colombia fans were soon cheering after going up 1-0 within 10 minutes.

The USA fans looked on in stunned disbelief...

...before getting back to cheering on the home country.

But the Colombia fan's prayers of an opening game win were soon rewarded...

...by James Rodriguez scored a penalty kick right before halftime.

After a quiet second half, the Colombia fans honored former player Andres Escobar, was killed after scoring an own-goal against the USA in the 1994 World Cup.

Many of the other Colombia fans celebrated the victory which put them securely in first place in Group A of the Copa America tournament. The USA will need to regroup before playing Costa Rica on Tuesday in Chicago.

Bay to Breakers 2016

The largest and craziest party in San Francisco once again hit the streets of San Francisco on Sunday.

And some people decided to bare all as a result.

Much to the delight of some spectators.

Although it's a race, Bay to Breakers is a crazy, costume street party for all San Franciscans to enjoy.

The crowds are overwhelming.

People share drinks (nonalcoholic of course!)

The race attracts people from all over the galaxy...

...ALL over the galaxy.

You never know what you will see...

...and that's what makes it so much fun as a photographer.

Here is a video of the scene in San Francisco on Sunday:

 For more photos, check out the SFGate story.

UC Berkeley Cal Graduation Commencement Ceremony

There is something magical about a university graduation ceremony. It was an honor to be the photographer for Cal Athletics during the 2016 undergraduate commencement ceremony at UC Berkeley.

 At the start of the ceremony, the graduates marched into Cal Memorial Stadium filling almost the whole field. Friends and family packed half the 100,000 seats in the stands. 

 Some of the top graduates, including star student-athlete Rachel Acker (center waving), were lucky enough to be on stage during the commencement.

 Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave an emotional keynote speech for the graduates...

...which was warmly received. 

 Some students decorated their caps with important messages.

 Each school of the university asked the students to rise and honored for their hard work...

...and many students could not contain their excitement....

...at the end of the ceremony. When they were confirmed to be graduates, hundreds of students threw their caps into the sky. 

Congrats to all the UC Berkeley undergraduates of 2016!

For more photos of the student athletes graduating in 2016, please click here.