The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon welcomes the world’s top athletes from around the globe to take over the streets and waters of San Francisco for this prestigious triathlon. Showcasing the beauty of San Francisco, triathletes embark on a 1.5 mile swim from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shoreline, an …
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The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon welcomes the world’s top athletes from around the globe to take over the streets and waters of San Francisco for this prestigious triathlon. Showcasing the beauty of San Francisco, triathletes embark on a 1.5 mile swim from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shoreline, an 18 mile hilly bike ride out to Golden Gate Park and an eight-mile trail run out to Baker Beach and up the infamous Sand Ladder. This world renowned triathlon, in which only 2,000 triathletes can participate, sells out within hours of the registration opening each year.
The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon begins with a 7:30 am plunge from the San Francisco Belle into the icy cold water adjacent to Alcatraz Island. Participants are unloaded from the boat in less than 8 minutes. It is quite a rush when you take the leap from the ferry for the 1.5 mile swim. Triathletes will face strong currents and 55 degree water temperatures. Wetsuits and hoods are recommended. The swim finish is at the Marina Green Beach adjacent to and west of the St. Francis Yacht Club.
Upon exiting the water at the Marina Green Beach, triathletes proceed to a mini-transition area where they have the option to dry off and put on running shoes for the half mile warm-up run to the Marina Green. This run will take them beside the St. Francis Yacht Club, South on the Little Marina Green, and East on the sidewalk of Marina Blvd to the main transition area at Marina Green.
Mounting their bikes at the Marina Green, triathletes will begin the out-and-back 18-mile ride by heading west toward Crissy Field via Marina Boulevard. They will climb to Lincoln Blvd. traveling through the Presidio to Camino del Mar. They will then climb up the hill to the Palace of the Legion of Honor. They will come down the hill and make a hard right turn on Clement Street and ride west to Seal Rock Drive. They will make a sharp downhill left turn onto 48th street and then a right turn west on Point Lobos Drive and ride South on The Great Highway to Golden Gate Park. Triathletes will enter Golden Gate Park from John F. Kennedy Drive onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. They will then turn left on Transverse Drive and make another left turn onto John F. Kennedy Drive and ride back to the Great Highway on the north side of the park. After going north on The Great Highway, they will retrace the course back to the Marina Green for the transition to the run. Triathletes risk disqualification for drafting and forward motion to the left of demarcation cones.
On tired legs, the triathletes will begin the 8-mile run to Baker Beach Battery by leaving the Marina Green running west toward Crissy Field to Fort Point below the Golden Gate Bridge. From Fort Point they battle the Presidio Headlands up and under the Golden Gate Bridge through the tunnel and onto the Coast Trail. Runners will run next to the Coastal Defense Batteries (Gunnery Locations from the turn of the century) until they reach Lincoln Boulevard just past Battery Dynamite. They parallel Lincoln Blvd. on the narrow trail above the Coastal Bluffs to Baker Beach where they return to the shoreline below. They will encounter the deep sand of Baker Beach to the turn-around point and back until they reach the dreaded Equinox Sand Ladder (400 steps up the cliff). This experience will drain the legs of even the best professionals. Runners are urged to use the hand cable to help them walk up the stairs. The stairs are to the run what the currents and waves are to the swim. After reaching the top of the Equinox Sand Ladder, runners will go left on the Coast Trail and back to the finish line via Lincoln Blvd. Runners will follow their path back under the Golden Gate Bridge, pass Crissy Field, and finish in the grass at Marina Green among thousands of cheering fans.
The Aquathlon is another way to experience the thrill of ESCAPE. Following the swim-run format, whether you are warming up for Sunday’s Triathlon or challenging yourself in a new way – the Dare to Escape starts in the water.
What can you expect?
- Same breathtaking location.
- Shorter distance.
- Plenty of water safety support.
- No bike.
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Between the rock and a hard place
I have done Escape from Alcatraz in a few formats (first two included swimming to the Rock for the swim start and then the Double Dipsea as the run). Now, … MORE
I have done Escape from Alcatraz in a few formats (first two included swimming to the Rock for the swim start and then the Double Dipsea as the run). Now, it was a jump from a ferry boat in waves and then swimming to shore (the Yacht Club area).
I used a wetsuit this year and that made the swim easy (and bearable). Wetsuits weren’t allowed my first two crossings. The bike ride took us through the Presidio and then past Baker Beach and then back. The run took us through the old WWII gun batteries, down to Baker Beach, then up the Sand Ladder (a series of railroad ties as steps going up a sand embankment – photo attached).
Overall, I was pleased with my performance. I would have liked my bike time to have been faster, but I liked the format.
First of Six
I thought it might be fun to share with you a summary of my first Escape from Alcatraz race - in 1985. Back in 1985, I had entered the lottery … MORE
I thought it might be fun to share with you a summary of my first Escape from Alcatraz race – in 1985.
Back in 1985, I had entered the lottery for one of the coveted Ironman Qualifier spots – a trend that I have continued to this day. I was not drawn in that lottery – also a trend that continues to this day. Disappointed, I looked around for an alternate race. I spotted the World’s Toughest Triathlon. Aptly named, this race consisted of a 2.4 mile swim in the icy waters of lake Tahoe. Then a 112 mile bike ride which covered some of the highest mountain passes such as Ebbets Pass, Monitor Pass, Luther Pass, etc. (a mini Death Ride). Then finish it off with a marathon – which also incorporated two of those passes. OK, I thought, what the heck. I had my application all ready to go and then I read an article in Triathelete magazine about this small race that included a swim from Alcatraz. Being born in San Francisco and raised in the Bay Area, the concept of a swim from Alcatraz was very tempting. To be able to swim from the famed, escape-proof prison. OK! I switched applications and entered the Escape From Alcatraz instead.
Back then, the Escape From Alcatraz differed quite a bit from what you will be experiencing in a few days. First, there was no Tri-California. Instead it was run by a committee of various folks including David Horning (who was also a past winner of the race and now runs Envirosports) and the South End and Dolphin clubs. Second, there was no national television coverage or thick media presence. Third, there were only 110 triathletes allowed in the field. Fourth, wetsuits were NOT allowed. Fifth, the course was quite a bit different. In 1985, the race consisted of a swim from Alcatraz Island (from the actual island – not a few yards off shore) to Aquatic Park. From there, it was a 1 mile run up and down the Muni Pier to warm-up. Then it was a bike ride over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Old Mill Park in Mill Valley. Then it was the Dipsea Trail run – twice (the Double-Dipsea).
Being naive – OK, stupid- I varied my training very little for this race. I was living in Sonoma County at the time and did a lot of trail running in a park called Annadale State Park. I would pack my goggles with me and jump in a small mountain lake during the runs to get some open water swimming practice. Aside from that, it was my normal bike training through Sonoma County and pool swims. I never did a minute of Bay swimming…not once did I even stick my toe in the Pacific Ocean.
Race day approached and all the triathletes met at the Maritime Museum behind Aquatic Park. There we were greeted with some disturbing news. The waters were so rough that the race organizers were contemplating replacing the Alcatraz swim with a swim entirely within Aquatic Park. This would have eliminated the biggest appeal of the race – and the triathletes (myself included) voiced our disappointment. The organizers stated that they would make the final decision race day morning. I went to bed not knowing if I was going to be doing laps in Aquatic Park or attempting to escape from Alcatraz.
The next morning I awoke and headed to Aquatic Park. I checked-in my bike, which consisted of finding a tree next to the Maritime Museum against which I leaned my bike. Then, I met the other triathletes at the Aquatic Park bleachers. Although the water was white-capping, the swim from Alcatraz was ” a go”! We were told to sight on the twin towers behind Aquatic Park during the swim. Then it was a march, complete with bagpipes, down past Fishermen’s Warf to the ferry boat piers. We all boarded the ferry boat and headed out to Alcatraz. The waters were indeed very rough and the boat was being tossed around. We got to about 100 yards off of the island and the boat doors were opened. I looked out at the water and never thought it would be a problem. I watched other triathletes jump out and begin swimming towards Alcatraz. Some people dove off of the upper deck of the ferry boat. I lined up for my turn and then I jumped.
Have you ever experienced that sensation when you fall into a cold stream or dive into a mountain lake where your body does an involuntary gasp due to the cold water shock? Well, that happened to me….right as I went under the bay waters. That’s right, I gasped in a lung-full of salty, cold, bay water. I bobbed back to the surface, gagging and choking. I could not believe just how friggin’ cold that bay was that day. My pool and lake swimming sure didn’t prepare me for this. The temperature was sub-60 degrees and, again, I was not wearing a wetsuit. I had a thin tri-suit on with a cold water swim cap, but that was it. I could not stop shivering – it was so cold it hurt! I decided that I had better swim to the island. Back in 1985, the triathletes actually stood on Alcatraz for the start of the race. We gathered on a small cove called Rocky Beach. I decided to exit the water and stand in the wind thinking that when I re-entered the water it would seem warmer. Wrong! It was just as cold.
Next thing I knew, the ship’s foghorn was blown and the race started. I began swimming. The water was really rough and white-capping. I tried to sight on the towers, but they were too far away to see so I latched onto some feet and swam behind their toes. “Son of a b….!” it was cold. My teeth were chattering and I was hurting from the cold. I just kept swimming, praying that I would go numb. Finally I could see the towers – but only when I was on a crest of a wave. When I was in a trough, they were completely blocked out. I was only about 50% through the swim and I was beginning to feel ill – seasick from being tossed up and down in the waves.
After 30 minutes, I begain repeating my name, address and telephone number in my head. At the orientation meeting we were told that one of the signs of hypothermia was confusion and the inability to remember common facts. So far, I remembered where I lived…and kind of wished I was back there in my warm bed at that point. Finally, I saw the entrance to Aquatic Park. By this time, the cold was really getting to me. My right arm stroke was getting lazy and my jaw had stopped chattering – it was basically frozen shut.
I exited the water and walked right past my father and grandfather. I had no idea that they had come down to watch me race, but due to the cold I passed within 12 inches of them and didn’t even notice. I told my friend who had come down to watch “Never again. Never f___ing again will I do this swim!” I had exited the water number 60. I then went over to my bike and pulled on my running shoes. I grabbed on a sweatshirt that I had worn down to the race that morning and pulled the hood over my head. I left the coldwater swim cap on my head and started running. I went out and back on the pier and came back to the bike. By this time, my teeth were chattering again.
I left the sweatshirt on, climbed on my bike and popped my helmet on my head – over the hood and swim cap. Then I started riding. I entered the Golden Gate bridge and continued riding – being careful for pedestrians. We were told to put a foot down on the ground when we went around each tower, so I did. Finally, I was nearly on the Marin side of the bridge, when my teeth finally stopped chattering. I left the bridge and dropped down in a quick descent under the bridge and back out onto Marin (if anyone has done the Houlihan’s to Houlihan’s race, this was the same course in reverse). Then it was a ride through Sausalito. I had to stop at all stop lights and stop signs – police were ticketing. Soon I approached Old Mill Park in Marin. It was a relatively short ride – about 18 miles. I got off my bike – I had moved up to 45th.
I put on my running shoes, pulled off the sweatshirt and swim cap and started running. WOW! Who the hell put all these stairs here? For those of you that have never done the Dipsea, it is a 90% cross-country run that starts with a run up something like a 670 steps, goes up through Muir Woods, over Mt. Tam, and then down into Stinson Beach. For this race, we got to run back the entire way back also. Its about 7.5 mile each way. I love this course! Its not easy, but the scenery is great and its cross-country, one of my favorite type of races.
I was about 1 mile into the run when my chest started to sting. I touched it and saw some blood on my fingers. I looked down and realized that the tri-suit arm holes had chafed the hell out of my chest/underarms. It took all this time before the circulation – previously slowed by the cold water – returned to the surface so that the chafing actually started bleeding! During the race, every water stop I’d throw some water over my head. As it washed down towards my chest, the water and my sweat would cause the chafing to sting again.
Anyway, I continued to run, picking off runners here and there. As we entered Muir Woods, it was like a completely different day. I left scattered clouds and entered a rain forest. Water literally rained down from the trees. By the time I left the forest, I was drenched. I loved it!
After the forest, the trail ran along a ridge and then started to drop. Sometimes, the trail crossed some asphalt roads, sometimes it stayed on the road for a short bit. However, most of the time we were running along dirt paths and trails. After awhile, we dropped down into Stinson Beach at the turn-around. As I entered the turn-around area, someone shouted 31st. Great, I had moved up a bit more.
Now, it was a climb back out of Stinson Beach. I ran back along the paths and trails. I was picking up the pace a bit as I was looking forward to running through Muir Woods again. After another wet and wonderful run through the redwoods and ferns in Muir Woods, I started to descend some more. All along the way, I was slowly passing a few people here and there. Then, finally, we came to the top of the stairs. I flew down these – taking them 3 or 4 at a time. I passed about 6 people on the stairs alone. Then it was a short dash to the finish line. I was pleasantly surprised when I received my results: 19th individual overall. 21st overall finisher – two of the four relay teams beat me….but I beat two of the four teams 🙂
I received my finisher’s award. It was two pieces of wood, a smaller one stacked on top of the larger one, representing the Dipsea run. On top of this was a seashell screwed into the wood, representing the swim, and a small metallic cylinder, representing the bike ride over the GG Bridge. I still have this award representing my first swim from Alcatraz.
P.S. Despite my chant of “Never f—ing again.” when exiting the water, I did the same race two years later and have now swam the Alcatraz to San Francisco crossing 6 times.