Bay to Breakers Boots Race Organizer After KnowTheCEO Exposes Right-Wing Ties

Bay to Breakers has parted ways with Capstone Events, the North Carolina race organizer whose founder and top executive is an active backer of right-wing politics. The iconic San Francisco road race made the move as a result of KnowTheCEO’s report last year that exposed Capstone Chairman John Kane’s contributions to Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and other extremist, anti-LGBTQ politicians.

In KnowTheCEO’s first report on Kane in May of 2022, we outlined the thousands of dollars he has given to U.S. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan, to U.S. Senators Josh Hawley and Rand Paul, and to other conservatives through the Winred PAC. Our report led to widespread media coverage, including in the San Francisco Chronicle, SFist, KRON TV, and others.

Despite the high-profile controversy, race executives and top sponsor Zappos refused to comment on their relationship with Capstone or condemn Kane’s political activity. And, in fact, the race made no official announcement when it dropped Capstone. Instead the news was quietly delivered in one line of a February 7 press release from the race’s new managing partner, San Francisco based production company Silverback: “In October 2022, Motiv Sports acquired Bay to Breakers from Capstone Event Group…”

Following that release, the San Francisco Examiner reached out to Silverback CEO Kyle Meyers, who acknowledged the race’s troubling relationship with Capstone and said they plan to handle things differently. "As stewards of such an historic event, our number one goal will always be to deliver a safe and inclusive experience," Meyers commented.