Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

Escape from Alcatraz is one of the oldest triathlons in the country—it’s celebrating its forty-fifth anniversary this year—and one of the most iconic. It involves jumping from a ship near Alcatraz Island into the cold waters of San Francisco Bay for a 2.4 km swim, a 29 km hilly bike ride through the Presidio of San Francisco and Golden Gate Park, and a scenic 12.9 km run through national park land. It’s a bucket-list race—between 10,000 and 12,000 people entered the lottery for this year’s race, with 2,300 accepted.

After signing up for the lottery late last year on a whim, I was surprised to find out I was one of them.

Escape from Alcatraz changes starting procedures for this year’s race. The swim start for this race seems chaotic—athletes jump from the San Francisco Belle into San Francisco Bay en masse, and the entire ship is emptied in less than eight minutes. From what I’ve read, last year’s start was more rushed and disorganized than in previous years, which led to an athlete being paralyzed after someone landed directly on his head during the swim start. Needless to say, I’ve been fairly anxious about this since I signed up for this year’s race, so it’s encouraging to hear that the organizers are making changes to this year’s start procedure. According to this year’s athlete guide, there will be three start locations on the ship instead of the usual two, which should space people out more, and race staff will signal athletes to jump only when the landing area is clear. Hopefully these changes are enough to make the start safer for everyone.

T-2 weeks to Escape from Alcatraz. I’ve been reading a lot about this race to prepare for it, including this race report from Ray Maker, this course preview from two-time winner Eric Lagerstrom, and this race review by Kelly O’Mara, and suffice to say, I’m more than a little anxious about the swim. To ease my anxiety, I built a swim conditions dashboard for San Francisco Bay southwest of Alcatraz, using forecast data from NOAA’s San Francisco Bay Operational Forecast System. Not sure it’s helping with the anxiety part, but it looks cool and gives a good idea of what to expect in terms of currents and water temperature.

I’m Escaping from Alcatraz next June. I entered the random drawing for a race entry for next year’s Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon on a whim, and to my surprise, got a slot in the first drawing. It’s a bucket list race, which involves jumping from a ship near Alcatraz Island into the icy cold waters of San Francisco Bay for a 2.4 km swim, a 29 km bike ride through the Presidio of San Francisco, and ending with a 12.9 km run that includes climbing 400 steps up Baker Beach’s infamous Sand Ladder.

I’m not quite sure of what I have gotten myself into, but I’m equal parts excited and terrified.