After a day like yesterday sort of happy I didn't get a spot in the other Escape (the popular one) earlier this month. Sunny, warm, light winds and warm water very un-summer in San Francisco like. Everyone paraded from Aquatic Park to the ferry location for our ride over to Alcatraz. This was the first trip in my life to Alcatraz and, here I was suited up to swim the mile and a-half back. The ferries circled around the back to a cove where we all jumped in the water for a mass start. A unique view of the City as you bob up and down with the others waiting for the start. My swim went well 54:31 not a blistering pace, but felt relaxed and held course well through the whole thing. The bike transition was a bit further down Crissy Fields then it has been in previous years making it a 2.5 mile run to get to the bikes. That part was uneventful but, I did run well over the only challenge, the hill at Fort Mason. Got my bike gear, took a pee and off for a hilly set of three 4mile plus loops through the Perisdo to Bakers Beach and back. My cheering section was out in force waveing pompoms ringing bells and barking. I could see my two dogs feverishly pulling at there leashes wanting to join me during the bike. I prerode the course earlier last week so knew what to expect and hit my goal a one hour bike leg. I had a friend doing the race and saw him on the bike but took until trasition to catch him. Had the bike been longer I would have cuaght him on the road for sure. So this set up the scenerio for our run, he had a few minutes on me and I was dead set on catching and passing him. The run starts out with flats along Crissy Fields to North Point and a turn around back to the stairs lead up to the Golden Gate bridge where you connect with a narrow trail along the cliffs to Bakers beach. At the beach it was a run down to the south end turn around and run back to the dreaded "sand ladder" a seires of logs tied together that leads from the beach part way back up the hill towards the Golden Gate. I saw my friend again at the turn around and knew he would soon be mine. When I did catch him I spanked his ass and blew past laughing off into the distances. Total distance of the run was 6 miles and very hilly the only flat parts being the start/finish and the beach run. Getting to the finish chute one small set of steps that after all the climbing felt like a mountian. My wife let the dogs go who were still very eager to join me and we ran the finish chute together. This was my only mistake, slowing down for the dogs was the moment my friend had been waiting for and he sprinted pass us to cross 5 second before me and the dogs. High fives and puppy dog kiss all around it was a good day and you couldn't of asked for a more beutiful day for a race.
recap: 1.5 mile swim - :54:31
2.5 mile run - :34:31
13 mile bike - 1:00:36
6 mile run - 1:06:43
total: 3:36:22 OA 141 AG 31
After a day like yesterday sort of happy I didn't get a spot in the other Escape (the popular one) earlier this month. Sunny, warm, light winds and warm water very un-summer in San Francisco like. Everyone paraded from Aquatic Park to the ferry location for our ride over to Alcatraz. This was the first trip in my life to Alcatraz and, here I was suited up to swim the mile and a-half back. The ferries circled around the back to a cove where we all jumped in the water for a mass start. A unique view of the City as you bob up and down with the others waiting for the start. My swim went well 54:31 not a blistering pace, but felt relaxed and held course well through the whole thing. The bike transition was a bit further down Crissy Fields then it has been in previous years making it a 2.5 mile run to get to the bikes. That part was uneventful but, I did run well over the only challenge, the hill at Fort Mason. Got my bike gear, took a pee and off for a hilly set of three 4mile plus loops through the Perisdo to Bakers Beach and back. My cheering section was out in force waveing pompoms ringing bells and barking. I could see my two dogs feverishly pulling at there leashes wanting to join me during the bike. I prerode the course earlier last week so knew what to expect and hit my goal a one hour bike leg. I had a friend doing the race and saw him on the bike but took until trasition to catch him. Had the bike been longer I would have cuaght him on the road for sure. So this set up the scenerio for our run, he had a few minutes on me and I was dead set on catching and passing him. The run starts out with flats along Crissy Fields to North Point and a turn around back to the stairs lead up to the Golden Gate bridge where you connect with a narrow trail along the cliffs to Bakers beach. At the beach it was a run down to the south end turn around and run back to the dreaded "sand ladder" a seires of logs tied together that leads from the beach part way back up the hill towards the Golden Gate. I saw my friend again at the turn around and knew he would soon be mine. When I did catch him I spanked his ass and blew past laughing off into the distances. Total distance of the run was 6 miles and very hilly the only flat parts being the start/finish and the beach run. Getting to the finish chute one small set of steps that after all the climbing felt like a mountian. My wife let the dogs go who were still very eager to join me and we ran the finish chute together. This was my only mistake, slowing down for the dogs was the moment my friend had been waiting for and he sprinted pass us to cross 5 second before me and the dogs. High fives and puppy dog kiss all around it was a good day and you couldn't of asked for a more beutiful day for a race.
recap: 1.5 mile swim - :54:31
2.5 mile run - :34:31
13 mile bike - 1:00:36
6 mile run - 1:06:43
total: 3:36:22 OA 141 AG 31
winning time: 2:03:34