Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon : Official Thread (Page 7)

yep, blazing saddles here too

Chris,

I'm not sure where East Beach is.  BUT, the Edwards is 7 blocks south of Marina Beach (T1/T2/Finish)  I will probably ride/walk to the race that morning.

With an 8:00am start AND within walking distance?  I can sleep in!!!!  No 4:30 am wakeup call!

The last piece is finally in place.  My boss lent me his sweet bike box.  It should keep the ride SUPER safe.  It's a vault...

Wait, don't we have to be on the Ferry by like 0630?

Meh, I plan to swim to the island first for warmup....

I will have to check...  then 4:30 it is... Ick.

does it tell you when or what bus you are on?

ok, just what times they start leaving.....you are not specifically assigned a bus, correct?

There will be many busses.  You are not assigned to one specifically, but you must get on a bus at your assigned time, or anytime earlier.  i.e., if you are a first timer, you must ride a 5:00-5:15 bus.  If you are a returning 40+ year old, you can catch any bus you want. The bus will take you to the ferry.  If you are on an early bus, it will be a hurry up and wait kind of morning.  They have body markers at the ferry wait area.

The bus schedule:
5:00 - 5:15   First timers
5:15 - 5:45   Age 29 and under
5:45 - 6:00   Age 30-39
6:00 - 6:15   Age 40+

From the Edwards, or any of the numerous nearby hotels, it is a pretty easy ride or walk to T1/T2/Finish.  Realistically, you are not going to find parking much closer til well after the event is over anyways.  I rode from that area to the start last year, with wetsuit already on and carrying transition bags.

Hehehe.... First timers at Alcatraz.

I think everyone is pretty much equal at the the shark bait aspect.

Hi there...this is my first time this event and I'm a little confused by the additional transition from the water to the bikes.  The official website isn't very specific and no one in my training group here in Houston has participated in this event.  Can someone help me visualize this or give me helpful hints?  Thanks!

You got it. 

The distance between the swim exit and T1 is about 1/2 mile or 1km or thereabouts.  It is all flat, mostly paved sidewalk but a little bit of grass and dirt too.  Decide ahead of time if you want to do this run in or out of your wetsuit, and barefoot or with shoes.

You will have one bag waiting for you at the swim exit (T 1/2?).  Use this bag to store your wetsuit (if you choose to strip it off, and almost everyone will).  Also, if you want, have a pair of shoes there for the run to T1.  (You will still have your regular gear set up at T1 and T2, so just pack shoes in the swim exit bag).

Here's a couple thoughts on the shoes:
1) Do NOT have the same shoes waiting at the swim exit as you intend to do the run in.  They will get wet and you won't want to put them on later.
2) I really recommend wearing shoes for the swim to bike.  Unless you are Andy Potts, the few seconds it takes to slip shoes on is well worth it compared to running barefoot on numb feet.
3) Use shoes that are very easy to slip on.  It's a short distance, so they don't really need to be great running shoes, just something to protect your feet.
4) Remember your feet and your fingers will be numb, so not functioning very good.  Again with the loose slip-on shoes.

I use Nike Free's for the swim to bike.  They have elastic laces and are very easy to slip on.  And they require no fine motor skills to put on.  I will have my real running shoes waiting for me in T2.

Incidentally, T1, T2, the finish line, and the expo are all in the same place.  It's just the swim exit is a half mile away.

(In case you're counting, this is a big day for shoes:  1 pair on the ferry (recommend flip flops or similarly cheap in case they get lost), 1 pair for the swim to bike, 1 pair bike shoes, and 1 pair running shoes).

Enjoy!  See you there!

Edited by Jonas Grumby 2009-06-06 12:02 AM

I can't imagine we'd get anything back from the ferry...that would be a logistical nightmare!  I had just planned on wearing a pair of throw away flip flops. 

Okay, so....why would they have the buses arranged like that?  I could see by AG to keep it orderly...but what reason would they have for making first timers get on the first bus?  I'll be honest...when I read that, I read it as "first time triathletes" so I would have planned on being on the 30-39 bus.  I'm glad somebody made the distinction.

But do you REALLY think they are going to turn you down if you go to your AG bus instead?  They can't tell by looking at you it's your first Alcatraz!  And that's an extra 30+ minutes of sleep!

Oh, this one doesn't look too bad...mostly BART.
http://tripplanner.transit.511.org/mtc/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?#tab1Selected

Wonder if that link will work...

Hmmm....crazy.  I just finally read the e-mail where all the above info came from and I'm still mystified why they would want first-timers on the first bus and how the HECK would they really know????

As for stuff on the boat..... yes, you will have a bag to put your things in.  And most likely you will get it back.  All the same, as mentioned, it's got to be a logistical nightmare.  I personally wouldn't bring anything on the boat I absolutely wanted back.  Last year I had a pair of flip flops, an old sweatshirt, a Clif bar, and a bottle of water on the boat.  I did get my flip flops and sweatshirt back.  Note:  You will not get anything from the boat back until AFTER the race, so don't wear your running shoes on the boat.

As for the buses, I don't know how they can tell if you are an Alcatraz first timer.  I'm guessing they do that so no one misses the bus.

For a great collection of tips, check out this website from the Golden Gate Tri Club: http://www.ggtc.org/Programs/static/EFA/EFAMain.aspx

hey jldicarlo, your link doesn't work.   i'm trying to get the best/easiest way to Edward II from the airport as well.

You can get on BART at SFO:

BART - Arriving San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

-ak-

Edited by Atak Kat 2009-06-08 11:52 AM