Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

I just got my e-mail too!  I will be there right along side you freezing my butt off as we jump from the ferry.

Congrats and good luck to you both

Congrats!  I think I'm going to try next year.

Got mine too! Now I just need to convince the wife to take the kids outa school... Hmm, Might be a solo mission.

There is a second lottery next month I believe.

I got in as well!! can't wait! bucket list race.  how hard is it to get in by lottery???

Getting a hotel close to the start is quite helpful.

Follow their swim sighting directions that they will give you race morning.  They will tell you how to sight if you are an average swimmer and then tell you which side of that to swim if you are better/worse.  Follow it exactly.  I was scared I would overestimate my swim ability so I followed the directions for average even though I'm really good.  And I ended up having to practically coast sideways the last half mile...I could have gone much more "direct" like the pros do.

Climb lots of hills in your training.

Climb lots of stairs in your training.

I was passing people left and right on the sand ladder because I took the stairs to my office on the sixth floor of my building every day for four months before the race.

First lottery tends to be easier and if you are a girl from a low-population state you are almost guaranteed...

Awesome!

Awesome!

Didn't do Escape, but did do the new Tri-California Alcatraz tri in August...pretty much the same course...

--Training stairs is good, but at least train hills.  The run is about 50/50 paved vs. trail (with some deep sand)...very challenging course.  I did do a bit of stair training (along with a lot of hills) and I think it must have helped:  My split for the sand ladder was 21st overall (not just AG, but OA).

--Bike is technical...unusually so for an Olympic distance course in an urban setting.  Not just climbs/descents/turns, but also some very crappy pavement (combined in a couple spots with random sand on the street).

--Definitely pay heed to instructions on swim sighting and course....although I didn't really--took a pretty straight course and did alright.  We had close to ideal conditions, though.  Swim was the easiest part of the day for me, although my individual placement on the run was a lot better.

What bike should I ride the TT or the Roadie? Since the course is hilly and technical. 

I rode my TT bike...but then I always ride my TT bike in tris, no matter how much climbing there is...

There's not a ton of total feet of climbing at Alcatraz, just a lot of steep ups and downs in the beginning/end section of the course.  There's a long flat section along the ocean (where there can be a ton of wind) that rewards a TT setup.

I just got in as well. I'm so fired up. I live right across the bay about 30 min away so you can all stay at my house. Just kidding about staying at my house. I was just telling someone about this race and the sand ladder. My day just got a whole lot better.

Congratulations! 

Be on time.  This might seem like a no brainer, but last year a surprising number of people showed up late for the buses that take you from T1 over to where you board the ferry.  If you miss the bus you...uh, don't participate.  Period.  While I was only there as a photographer, I saw a lot of long faces on folks standing on the curb as the last bus drove off into the distance.  Race coordinators were verbally very blunt in dealing with participants, too.  You snooze, you lose.

Enjoy the experience!  

I took a waterproof camera on the swim and took some neat pics of Alcatraz.   I show those pictures all the time and people can't believe i actually swam across the Bay.

Also, don't do the Alcatraz Tour until AFTER the race!   Had i went out across the Bay on a boat before the race and seen the water that upclose and what it looks like....i would have freaked out waiting to jump off that ferry.   

Lastly, eat at the Stinkin Rose and try their garlic ice cream!

Woohoo...I am in too. I am so excited. It will be a good preview for the swim of 70.3 Poconos in October :-)

I know that Macca done it on a road bike with clip on aerobars last year:
http://broadbandsports.com/node/34833


Hope to do this race one day. Good luck!

Good point...for SF Tri @ Alcatraz in August, everyone was freaked out at check-in the day before the race when the winds were literally blowing vendor booths over and the Bay was a frightening spectacle of whitecaps.

Next morning?  Despite forecasts that indicated there'd be wind, it was as calm as you could hope for.

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So I'm not the only one that things the water gap in october will be friggin freezing, nevermind the wet bike ride afterwards?
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Oh...it's TOTALLY going to be friggin freezing...I am hoping to finish without hypothermia or frostbite :-)

Also, you guys make sure to go down to Aquatic Park before the race and do a swim.   If nothing else, it'll give you an idea of the water temps that way on race day when you jump from the Ferry it won't be such a shock.    That really helped me out.