15-minutes of Fame: Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon

What's your "15-minutes of Fame"? Everyone is destined for it at some point in life. Maybe you’ve

brushed fame several times or possibly just once. Regardless, when it happens we tend to own it with a story to follow. It’s relative depending on who you know, and what you consider to be fame-worthy could be entirely different to someone else. Amidst the social media revolution–exposure to multiple 15-MOF increases exponentially allowing some people to rack up hours without even trying. Our 15-MOF evolves as we go through life and a better more relevant experience is allowed to trump a previous therefore creating a new, more exciting story to tell.

So my latest 15-MOF is a sub-set of a recent event and happened when the San Francisco Chronicle included my picture in their post-Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon story on Monday, June 8^th. Click SF Chronicle Story to view. Random, yes, considering there were 2000 competitors racing that day, but more likely I was an easy target for the Chronicle photographer. My shoe grimace says it all…fingers numb from the cold water as I struggle to get my tingling feet into an old pair of race flats for the 1200-meter run from the water exit to T1. Whether random, easy-target or dumb-luck, photojournalism is all about capturing the essence of the moment and I will definitely give them that.

 

My full race report goes something like this…

The ferry ride out to Alcatraz is unlike any boat-ride you’ll ever take. There is a calm masking nerves abound the 2000 athletes about “to jump” (from the ferry into the bay). This will be my 6^th jump and even knowing what to do from the previous 5, pre-race butterflies are doing barrel-rolls in my tummy. You tend to meet a lot of new people on the boat from all over the world who have traveled far to jump. Most of the nervous chatter amongst strangers is about the jump, swim and race strategy. As we get closer to the island the race director announces there is a 4-knot current, (roughly 4.6-mph) and that the water is 60-deg (balmy by bay standards considering one year I raced it was 52). It normally ranges from 1-5 knots so 4 is considered pretty strong and it always moves out to sea under the Golden Gate Bridge. Good to know as it helps to adjust your land sighting points across the bay. They liken it to swimming across the river…the faster the current the more it will carry you so aim according to your swim ability and magically you’ll land on Marina Green Beach next to the St. Francis Yacht Club. One year I over-shot the exit having to swim against the current to get back – it was no picnic. But today, despite relatively dense fog -- my sighting was spot on using familiar landmarks such as the trees and rooftops of Fort Mason to stay on track. Heeding to coaches advice I made a concerted effort to stay relaxed and gradually increase my pace. The strategy worked well settling into a comfortable 2-stroke breathing tempo and after 34-minutes I could see the beach area and water exit arch straight in front of me. That's a good feeling! I came out of the water, crowd cheering, adrenaline and HR pumping. Swim time 36:11. (29/171 in AG)

Shoe grimace and warm-up run from the water exit to T1 behind me it’s time to take on the hilly-technical bike course. The first mile on the bike is flat before you hit your first big climb from Crissy Field through the Presidio to the bluff, followed by a fun descent to the entrance of Golden Gate Park. I found a small pack of 2-3 riders to use as my rabbits moving in and out of racer traffic pushing the pace and each other. I’m having a very strong bike when on a steep hill around mile-15 some dude cut me off and slowed way down. In order to avoid contact I swerved quickly to the right and found myself down on the gavel shoulder. Slightly scrapped, knee and elbow bruised – I got up, put my chain back on which had fallen off, and got back on my bike. Struggling to start on the steep grade I looked down and my rear brake caliper got pushed against my wheel. Umm...nothing like trying to start uphill with the brakes on! A quick adjustment and I was back on my way. I was having a great bike and almost done when I went down so I had to re-focus and not let this affect me. I went on to finish the bike in 58:10. (10/171 in AG)

Exiting T2 feeling no lingering effects of the crash--the hilly run course is ahead. It’s a mixed bag of roads, single-track trails, beach and the infamous 400-step sand ladder, in-all totaling nearly 1500-ft of elevation gain. If you’re a versatile runner you will love this course. It’s no doubt one of my favorites. Not to mention it’s gorgeous with the Golden Gate peeking through the fog making for many surreal moments. After exiting T2 you have approximately 2-miles to get your legs under you before you hit the hills and trails. Pacing is critical early on this run, be patient, don’t attack and let the hills come to you. I focused on a quick but steady pace early, conservative on the uphill segments -- pushing the pace when I could, saving myself for the final 2.5 mile open-throttle to the finish. Experience and strategy pay off with a run split of 55:10 (5/171 in AG). A shout out to fellow CBCG Athlete Jake McCall who I saw a few times on the run and exchanged encouraging words...great race Jake! 

 

Despite the crash on the bike I went on to finish 9th in my Age Group (out of 171 finishers) with a time 2:38 -- just a few minutes off the podium! I learned so much about myself and racing during this highly competitive-challenging event. EFA is my all-time favorite race and I’m already looking forward to my 7th jump in 2016. As for the grimace on my face…my daughter told me…,“Dad you have that funny look all the time”…well so much for the essence of the moment….ha-ha.

A big thank you to coach Chris Bagg #CBCG Chris Bagg Coaching, Timex Factory Team and team sponsors Blue Seventy and Skratch Labs.