Race Report Part 1: Escape From Alcatraz Swim

Oh where to start with this one.  I’ll try to make it quick.

Packet Pick-Up
Uneventful.  The so called ‘Athlete Village’ was about the third the size of Iceman Cometh Expo.  Very disappointed, although I did save a lot of money. 

I didn’t bring my normal nutrition gels (Gu).  I figured I could pick them up at the expo.  I was wrong.  There was a Gu vendor there, but they didn’t sell their own product.  The one bike shop there only sold Gu Chomps.  No Gu gels in sight anywhere. I couldn’t figure why I couldn’t find Gu anywhere.  Well, a couple days later I figured out why.  From one of the pre-race newsletters:

A note about gels... We do NOT allow gels on course. This is due to strict rules in the local, State and National Parks where we swim, bike, and run. We do allow more solid items such as Energy Chomps and Energy Bars, but there is NO LITTERING on course and if you are caught, you are subject to a disqualification. Please help us keep San Francisco clean so they will continue to allow up to hold this race in their beautiful city.

Transition Set-Up and Ferry Ride
I arrived at transition at 4am and was set up by 430am.  The transition area was all grass which I really liked.  I didn’t have to buckle in my shoes, I could just run in them.  I was on the bus and headed to the pier by 4:40am. 

Prior to boarding the ferry, the announcers recommended that you drop off your swim bag, which included the outfit you wore to the pier, etc.  You could bring the bag on the boat but you wouldn’t get it back until later in the day. I didn’t know how much later so I opted to drop the bag off prior to boarding, however in hindsight, I should have kept my bag with me (and packed it with nutrition)

I sat on the boat for over 90 minutes.  I had minimal nutrition which really hurt me later.  It’s my fault for not looking at the amount of time we’d be on the boat.  I should have prepared better for this. 

Swim
The swim start is crazy.  They need 2000 people off the boat in 6 minutes.  I didn’t even have a chance to think about the swim.  Next thing I knew, I was in the water.  Once I hit the water, the concept of 51 degree water became a reality.  It literally took all the air out of my body.  I was gasping for oxygen as waves crashed over my head. 

I started my swim ‘across the river’.  From the diagram below, the orange arrow represents my target.  The green line is my actual swim course.  The current pulled you toward the Golden Gate Bridge.  As you can see I over-shot my landing by 100 yards.

Sighting shore was a serious issue.  The cold water caused me to lose my equilibrium.  My head was spinning so I had to swim for a good 15 minutes before actually sighting shore.  This gave me time for my head to settle down and warm up. 

This was easily the hardest swim of my triathlon career.  Between the cold water, waves crashing over my head, the current and swallowing gallons of salt water, I seriously questioned my safety during this swim.  It was a mental battle. I just had to trust my training and keep at it. 

Once I hit shore and stood up, my legs cramped up causing me to fall back into the water.  Just my luck, I come to shore in what is known as a ‘gut’.  This is basically an area with heavy under-tow.  The waters tried to drag me out to sea.  Adding to the difficulty was my cramped legs. I wasn’t in any danger and was actually laughing through the pain.  I couldn’t get out of the F^#$% water. 

The run back to transition was .8 miles.  My swim exit bag was available, but I didn’t use it. I opted to run in my swim socks, which worked out fine.  I did lay down a 7 minute mile to transition. 

There is some sad news.  A swimmer did die during the swim. I found out after the race during lunch.  This kept me up at night as I though about his wife and three kids.  I did find out his wife was on the pier as they tried to revive him.  The details haunt me to this day.  It’s scary to know just how dangerous that swim is.  Racer’s who did this swim before said it was the hashes conditions they’ve ever experienced. 

Lesson’s Learned From The Swim
Bring nutrition on the boat.

Spend time the day before in the water

Spend more time on the boat sighting shore and getting a good idea of where to swim too.