Race Report: 2018 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon
By Ken de Jong, Barrie Baydogs Member
The Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon is something I have wanted to do since I heard about it 3 or 4 years ago. The race takes place in San Francisco and includes some special challenges. I heard once, that a pro athlete was asked on a podcast what his all-time favorite triathlon was. He said he had two: the triathlon in Phuket, Thailand and the Escape from Alcatraz. I can now see what was so special about it. Because of its limited number of entries (due to the capacity of the ferry boat), they use a lottery system to determine who can participate. I have lost this lottery for the past 3 years, so I opted for another way to enter. You can raise money for one of the designated charities and can be guaranteed one of their allotted spots. I chose “LiveStrong”, as I have many coworkers who have lost their battle with cancer. This gave special meaning for the race as well and I met numerous inspirational people to enhance my experience at the race.
The Swim
While you don’t actually set foot on Alcatraz Island, you get a substitute that is unique in itself. You enter the water by jumping off a very large ferry boat, the “San Francisco Belle”. The scene is like lemmings jumping off a cliff. You then swim to the 2.4 kilometer distance to shore, battling the cold water (55 deg F), the current, the high chop, the other swimmers, the threat of sharks and the disgusting briny sea water.
My Swim Experience
The exit from the ferry boat was a blast! There was definitely some heightened anticipation because you slowly creep to the ledge behind the hundreds of other racers and when it’s your turn – there is no delay! Jump in, start swimming or someone will jump right on your back! The water was a little on the disgusting side as it was briny but also appeared like leftover spinach smoothie mixed with water!
I had certain “concerns” with the swim as the event approached. I was told your hands and face get pretty numb after about 5 minutes and I even though they assure you there are no sharks around, they say there is “wildlife” in the form of seals and sea lions. Even knowing this, seeing a large dark figure would probably scare the beegeezers out of me! It turned out neither of those were an issue. It wasn’t that cold and I saw no ominous dark wild things!
What I didn’t expect was how much you had to respect the current. I gauged myself as a pretty good “sighter” but with the swells and high chop, some of the sight points just couldn’t be seen well. You had to adjust using the larger sight points and that led to me to drop my guard when the shore came closer. When I lined up with the left edge of the beach shore, I realized I wasn’t going to make it at my current pace. I had to swim like crazy and while I wasn’t panicking, it wasn’t the best way to finish the swim.
Transition and Bike
Once you make it to shore, you have a half mile run to the transition area. This is partly because the swim exit area is a small beach in front of the San Francisco Yacht Club and partly because the organizers want to warm you up a little before you handle your bike controls. The bike spots are numbered (according to bib number) which I like because you don’t have to “fight” for a good spot.
The bike section has its challenges as well. San Francisco is known for its hills and it’s hills you get! Out of the dozens of ups and downs, there are a very small number of flat spots. Some hills are fairly challenging (not quite like the killer hill on Line 8) but many were long long long. Just when you thought you were at the crest, the road would turn and you would face another section of hill. Of course, for every up there is a down. Some of these downs end in an abrupt turn, so you must stay focused on your speed and brakes for safety’s sake.
My Bike Experience
I took their advice and included shoes in my “swim exit bag”. Others ran in their bare feet or neoprene booties, but when they are full of water, they are a little unstable. There was also advice to tape ski type hand warmers to your handle bars and have arm warmers ready as well. I did not require either of these as my hands warmed up just fine along the transition run. The rest of the transition is a normal triathlon transition. You walk your bike out, mount at the line and away you go. The Marina Green park area is a beautiful boat marina setting and as you proceed out of the area, you immediately have the Golden Gate Bridge in your sites.
The first 5 minutes is flat, but then you start into the hills. The route is beautifully lined with trees and eventually becomes a mix of residential and park-like areas. As I mentioned, the hills are constant and while I did pass a few people who got off their bikes, I feel a reasonable athlete should be just fine. Yes, you had to use the “granny gear” on a few occasions, but most of the route was quite comfortable. There are glorious views from high up cliff areas and there are sections right along a beach area. You also travel along golf courses and wooded parks. Even the residential areas are enjoyable as they are the iconic San Francisco type with plenty of supportive residents and volunteers.
Transition and Run
Again, the transition is a typical transition where you return you bike to the rack and switch to run gear. The run section takes place in the same vicinity as the bike, but it utilizes different trails and terrain to make it seem like you are in a whole different part of the city. Again, it is quite hilly. At about the halfway point, they include a very memorable challenge involving sand and a “sand ladder”. Pylons are placed to encourage you to run in unstable sand (although I saw people venture to the wet sand for better footing). The sand ladder is comprised of steps to lead you back up to a roadway through the dunes. The ladder is made of logs that have holes drilled and cables secured to form steps. A railing is also available with cable. The instability and the steep incline is the challenge here and the event website assures you that even the pros use the railing.
My Run Experience
As many of you know, about a week before the event, I broke my foot and while it was a back and forth debate, I decided to attend anyway and make the best of it. I stabilized it with tape and the swim and bike went without issue. To minimize the damage, I chose to walk the whole run. As people jogged past me, I considered a hop-hop-step approach, but after doing a quick calculation of the walk pace, I knew I could finish under the cut-off time (5.5 hours total) and I didn’t want to aggravate the break in any way.
Because of this, I didn’t even break a sweat! I also had the time to really enjoy the scenery (which was incredible). The weather was perfect, so the views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the open water, the rugged shorelines and the sandy beaches were just wonderful. It was very difficult when people would think you were just gassed out and share supportive “you can do it” comments, but there were also a few times where you got to talk to others with their own challenges and make small connections with the other racers.
This is the 38th year of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon and they announced people that had done it over 20 times. With the travel cost and lottery system as they are, I don’t plan to return any time soon, but I can certainly see why it’s a favorite among amateur and elite triathletes worldwide. A huge thank you to everyone for their supportive phone calls, texts and social media posts throughout this adventure. It was very overwhelming to feel so cared for and to share the excitement of the trip! I appreciate it!