Race Report: Alcatraz Swim
15 May 2023 fitness
Summary
- What: Alcatraz Swim
- When: Saturday, May 13, 2023
- Where: San Francisco, CA
- Distance: Swim 2M
- Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/9064858405
- Finish time: 1:13:02
Discussion
Last Saturday, I escaped from Alcatraz.
No, I wasn’t actually imprisoned there, and the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon isn’t for another month. But as practice for that triathlon, I completed the swim portion of the race, from Alcatraz Island back to the shores of San Francisco, with Odyssey Open Water Swimming.
I remember signing up for the event, thinking I’d have plenty of time to practice swimming in open water before attempting the two-mile course. However, the universe how other plans for me; I spent most of February and March biking and running, and was sick for most of April. I went to Aquatic Park with David a few times – three total, I think – but I never swam for very long. I spent most of my time complaining about how cold it was.
Those few sessions with David were worthwhile, though, because they motivated me to buy more gear for extra warmth. I tried a couple of different products and ended up going with Blue Seventy’s swim hood and socks. Both were way better than the competition in terms of quality and comfort. With the hood, my head and face no longer stung underwater. With the socks, my toes stopped turning white and going numb. Success!
Leading up to the event, I knew I was out of practice, but I was ready to rise to the challenge. On the day of the event, I arrived at the check-in location near Aquatic Park at around 6:30am. Warren, the organizer, briefed the group of about 60 swimmers on what to expect before, during, and after the swim. The main things were (1) don’t get caught in the current and (2) make sure to check out once you reach the shore.
After the short meeting, we said our (temporary) goodbyes to our loved ones, walked to the boat, waited for the captain to arrive, boarded, and then set sail for Alcatraz Island.
The ride to the swim start was a mixture of excitement and nerves. I chatted with passengers about their background and experience. (Apparently, Warren swam to Angel Island without a wetsuit, cap, or goggles, to test a theory for the History Channel, or something like that.) Before I knew it, we had reached the island. The prison up-close looked like something out of a movie: waves crashing against the jagged rocks at its base, seagulls circling above, and ominous fog blocking out the sun.
Without much ceremony, the captain pushed a bench against the side of the boat and started ordering people to jump overboard, one by one. When it was my turn to jump, all I could think of was the cold shock I was about to experience, but to my surprise, it never came. Thanks to the adrenaline, I submerged and surfaced without ever losing my breath. Then I took off.
Initially, we were told to aim for Aquatic Park, directly south of the starting point, near the SS Jeremiah (which was apparently out at sea that day). The idea was to let the current push us west, and to end up at St. Francis Yacht Club, about two miles south-west of where we started. I didn’t care about time, my only goal was to make it to shore without needing to be saved from getting swept out to sea. I had to “beat” the current.
The first 30 minutes of the swim went by rather quickly. At the start, it was all about sighting and avoiding other swimmers. Within a few minutes, I settled into a rhythm. The water was calm, my strokes were long, and my breathing was good. I felt confident. So confident, in fact, that I stopped a few times to look around and take it all in. “I’m doing it. I’m actually doing it.” All the while, the current was steadily pushing me sideways. In fact, it was so strong that it doesn’t even look like I was aiming for Aquatic Park at the start:
About halfway in, a kayaker let me know that I was drifing too far off course, and that I might need to be repositioned if I didn’t fix my trajectory. I immediately jumped into “let’s do this” mode. I increased my pace and focused on getting to shore as quickly as possible. With “Welcome to the Internet” stuck in my head, I swam and swam for what felt like ages. (In reality, it was only like 25 minutes.)
Thankfully, by some miracle, after a few more warnings words of
encouragement from the kayakers, I managed to make it to shore before getting
swept away. When my hands reached the sand, I stood up, howled, fell over,
stood up again, and trotted out of the water. Mission accomplished.
All in all, I’m pretty happy the swim and my performance. It was a great opportunity to get ready for the triathlon, and I got to cross something off of my bucket list earlier than planned. Can’t wait ‘til June!
