I'll be racing in the Escape From Alcatraz triathlon on Sunday June 8. It's a great course (fully described below), with a 1.5 mile swim / 18 mile bike / 9 mile run. Phew. I'll jump off the boat next to the island at 8 am, and haul out of the water at Marina Green (hopefully) in a little less than an hour later. The bike rolls through the Presidio and Golden Gate Park, and then the run trots out to Baker Beach--where I have to haul ass up the sand ladder--and back again to finish at Marina Green. I would love it if you (yes, you!) came to say hello. And if you don't feel like coming out (or even if you do) you can still track/stalk me with updates via email or text message as I pass through the gates by signing up here. But please do come cheer for me. I could use the help.
2008 Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon CourseSWIM
The Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon begins with a 8:00 am plunge from the ferry, into the icy cold water between the San Francisco Piers and Alcatraz Island. The boat is quite hot with 1000+ wet suit clad participants surrounding you, so we suggest you bring fluids. The currents, ebbs, and available dates make it difficult to determine the exact starting point. Participants are unloaded from the boat in less than 6 minutes. It is quite a rush when you take the leap, like a paratrooper from a plane, for the 1.5 mile swim. The swim finish is at the Marina Green Beach adjacent to the St. Francis Yacht Club. Triathletes face the risks of strong currents, treacherous 55 degree waters and two ton sea lions. Wetsuits and hoods are strongly recommended.WARM-UP RUN
Upon exiting the water at the Marina Green Beach, triathletes proceed to the first transition area where they will switch to running shoes and warm clothing for the 1 mile warm-up run to the Marina Green. This run will take them beside the St. Francis Yacht Club, South on the Little Marina Green, and East on the sidewalk of Marina Blvd to the bike transition area.BIKE
Mounting their bikes at the Marina Green, triathletes will begin the out-and-back 18 mile ride heading west into Crissy Field via Marina Boulevard. They will climb onto Lincoln Blvd., traveling through the Presidio onto Camino del Mar. They will then climb up the hill to the Palace of the Legion of Honor. They will come down the hill and make a hard right turn onto Clement Street and ride west to Seal Rock Drive. They will make a sharp down hill left turn onto 48th street and then a right turn west on Point Lobos Drive; and ride South on The Great Highway to Golden Gate Park. Triathletes will enter Golden Gate Park from Lincoln Way onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. They will veer left on Middle Drive and go to about the center or the park. They will then turn left on Transverse Drive and make another left turn onto John F. Kennedy Drive; and ride back to the Great Highway on the north side of the park. After going north on The Great Highway, they will retrace their course back to the Marina Green for the transition to the run. Triathletes risk disqualification for drafting and forward motion to the left of demarcation cones.RUN
On tired legs, the triathletes will begin the 8 mile run to Baker Beach Battery by leaving the Marina Green, running West into Crissy Field to Fort Point below the Golden Gate Bridge. From Fort Point they battle the Presidio Headlands up and under the Golden Gate Bridge through the tunnel and onto the Coast Trail. Runners will be next to the Coastal Defense Batteries (Gunnery Locations from the turn of the century) until they reach Lincoln Boulevard, just past Battery Dynamite. They parallel Lincoln Blvd. on the narrow trail above the Coastal Bluffs to Baker Beach, where they return to the shoreline below. They will encounter the deep sand of Baker Beach through the turn around point until they reach the dreaded Sand Ladder (400 steps up the cliff). This experience will drain the legs of even the best professionals, as there is nothing like it anywhere in the sport of triathlon. More than one triathlete has used the hand cable to help them walk up the stairs. The stairs are to the run what the currents and waves are to the swim. After reaching the top of the Sand Ladder, runners will go left on the Coast Trail and back to the Finish line via Lincoln Blvd. They will then cross back under the Golden Gate Bridge and get to sea level, it is just a matter of endurance to the Finish Line.
