Escape from Alcatraz

http://www.escapefromalcatraztriathlon.com

June 8, 2008 San Francisco

Swim 1.5 miles, Bike 18 miles, Run 8 miles

OVERALL:  This is a fantastic race with a beautiful course in a great city and it’s very well supported and is superbly organized.  If you’re looking for something a little bit different, very fun and challenging – this is the race for you. 

PRE-RACE WEEK:  Before I left Toronto I was really worried, actually really scared, about the swim portion.  The website describes it as “icy cold water with 2 ton sea lions” swimming is my worst event and the last thing I want to think about is swimming next to a sea lion or shark.   I arrived in San Fran a few days before the race and I took the opportunity to swim in the water.  My first day in the water I saw a sea lion pop his head out of the water (I almost walked back to my hotel room).  Yes that water was 55degF and cold.  My hands and feet froze and when I tried to have a conversation with another swimmer I realized that my face was frozen too.  It’s pretty much the same feeling when your face is frozen in minus 20degC.  My second swim day in the water was still cold but my body seemed to adapt much quicker.  Please note that I was in a full wetsuit and hoodie.  There were many swimmers just in bathing suits (local locos).  I will say that it’s a VERY refreshing swim. 

There were a couple race meetings prior to the race where they went over the course and told you everything you needed to know about the race.  They were very informative and they basically told you how to navigate through the water, how to handle the bike course, and what to expect on the run.  The message was to have fun and that the organizers wanted you to succeed and finish the race.  They really meant that – there were over 80 kayakers in the water with us that day, a few emergency boats, and one helicopter. 

RACE DAY: My day started at 3:45AM. Transition opened at 4:30AM and I was supposed to be on a bus at 5AM.  Shopping until the stores closed and eating dinner at 10PM the night before seemed like a good idea at the time…. I was REALLY tired that race morning.  I slept on the 15 min bus ride from Transition to Pier 3 and fell asleep again sitting outside waiting to board the boat.  We got all numbered up by the volunteers at Pier 3.  I’ve never had so many numbers written on me – hands, thighs, calves, arms. Kudos to all the volunteers who had to wake up even earlier than me. 

SWIM: At 7:30AM all 2000 participants boarded the one boat.  It was standing room only. I started putting on my wetsuit and took my first 2X caffeine Espresso GU gel.  Before we knew it we were there and people just started jumping off the boat.  It was time to go and just jump in and pray that no one jumps on top of you – so you better swim away quickly.  The water was great that day.  It took a few strokes to get my head in and start swimming properly but we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.  The current was strong and there were some waves to contend with, so sighting was really important and I had to realign myself continuously.  I paused for a few seconds and looked back to enjoy the view of Alcatraz right there from the water.  And they said that no one could ever escape because the water was too cold. It was 56degF on race day.   I almost missed the beach exit and had to swim against the current for a little bit and then of course a huge wave washed over me to pushed me right up to shore.  Volunteers handed me my first bag with my running shoes so I quickly ripped off my wetsuit and put on my running shoes to run the 1-mile to transition. 

Swim time was 42mins :30 secs

Transition from Swim to Bike was 8:02 which included the 1-mile run.

BIKE:  It starts flat for the first 2 miles and then the hills start and they don’t stop until the last 2 miles.  Climbs were long and the downhills would have been great except they had really tight 90 deg turns at the bottom.   My turns went very wide and I was just glad that I didn’t end up kissing the pavement.  Lesson learned – I need bike handling lessons quite badly. 

Bike time: 1hr:5mins

Transition from Bike to Run: 2:23 mins

RUN:  This run course is quite unique in that you run on flats, up steps, down steps, hills, on the beach, on the road, and up 400 sand steps.  I’m SERIOUS! At first I was like why do you torture us this way?  But then I realized it’s the “Escape from Alcatraz” so you just have to smile and take it for what it is and HAVE FUN! There were a number of competitors dressed in prison stripes too.  I’ve never had stomach cramps on a run and I had them for the first 5-miles.  I was really frustrated with myself because I struggled with the pain and just couldn’t get into my running pace – everyone was passing me.  I made it out of the water and off my bike safely so at this point though I didn’t really care because I knew I would finish this race even if I had to walk all 8 miles.  By some miracle after the sand steps at mile 5 the pain seemed to have disappeared and for the last 3 miles no one passed me again.  It felt so good to cross that finish line with hundreds of spectators cheering you on. 

Run time: 1:19:59

Total time: 3 hrs : 18 mins

I had so much fun at the race I would’ve done it again the very next day.  If you don’t think you can do this race I want you to know that there was an 11-year old girl and 9-year old boy that finished this race.  Lottery opens up towards the end of the year.  Good luck!