On June 25th 2000 I participated in the 20th Annual "The Ultimate Escape" Triathlon (popularly known as the "Escape from Alcatraz" but I think there is a dispute over which race can use that name). I expected a difficult swim, but each leg of the race posed a unique challenge. It was certainly the most interesting and unusual race I've ever done!

Swim (1.5 miles): We all got on the boat about 6:30 am for the ride out to the island. We pulled up alongside the island, a horn sounded, and everyone began jumping off the boat by twos. I went to the upper deck to watch because I was in no hurry to jump into that cold water! People began jumping off the upper deck too, so finally that's what I did, holding my goggles tight and bracing for a shock. My goggles came off, but I didn't lose them, and the shock never came -- with my full wetsuit on, the water really didn't seem that cold (it was about 60 degrees). When I started swimming, the water was cold on my face, but I got used to it after a couple of minutes. The swim back to shore wasn't too bad, and people were spread out enough that we weren't running into each other constantly. There was a little chop, but I do enough ocean swims that it didn't bother me. But as I got closer to shore, I noticed I was drifting west a bit (towards the Golden Gate). We had to aim for a narrow opening in the pier to reach the beach at Aquatic Park, and I had drifted past it. The tide was starting to ebb and the current was pulling us out to sea! A man in a kayak said to me, "You have to swim east or you're not going to make it!" I immediately adjusted my course -- just in time. The current was getting stronger by the second, and although I was aiming for the opening, it didn't seem to be getting much closer. I swam harder and harder. I was also getting pushed towards the pier and almost underneath it. A lot of people were having the same problem, so I wasn't alone! Since the opening in the pier wasn't getting much closer, I gauged my progress by watching the columns under the pier, and I could see I was moving forward slowly, so I thought I'd make it, but for a moment I wasn't sure! It was frustrating to be so close to shore but have this big pier in the way! I braced myself against a column for a few seconds to catch my breath and I got some little cuts on my hand and foot. But a few minutes later, when I finally made it through the opening, the current was suddenly gone and I felt like I was flying! Even with all the time I wasted, I still made it to shore in about 51 minutes. I took off my wetsuit, put on my sneakers, and took off on the first run, which goes from Aquatic Park (at Ghirardelli Square) over to Crissy Field, near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Run #1 (2.5 miles): When I climbed the little hill over Fort Mason, I saw an amazing sight: dozens of swimmers still in the water who were being swept farther and farther off course -- about 1/4 mile by this time! I doubt if any of them made it back to the opening in the pier. There were boats out there preparing to pick them up. After the Fort, this "warm-up" run was all flat, and I made good time.

Bike (13 miles): The bike course was short, and basically one big hill! We went up for a mile, then down (steep with curves) for a mile. Then we turned around and came back up and down. Then we turned around and did it 2 more times: 6 times up, 6 times down! I think I did it in about 44 minutes, probably just under 18 mph. As riders passed each other, there was no way to know if people were on their first, second, or third loop!

Run #2 (7.5 miles): You thought the course at Columbia MD was hard? This course included steep climbs up (and down) hundreds of feet of sandy cliffs with logs for steps, more than a mile on a sandy beach, a huge climb on pavement for the last mile before the turnaround, and narrow paths that made it difficult to pass -- despite the 2-way traffic! But I passed a lot of people, especially on the way back. The downhills and the sand really hurt my bad ankle. Around mile 3, a volunteer said I was "Runner #95", and I passed a lot of people after that, so I realized for the first time that I was actually doing quite well in the ranking! I wasn't sure how many people did the race, but there were at least 300, maybe 500.