Escape from Alcatraz Race Report

Sometimes traveling is fun...other times it's not really. This was one of those times. On Monday I departed Ft. Myers on my way back to Colorado Springs. I had 3 different connections to catch...Unfortunately, my bags did not make all the connections. I arrived in COS at 7pm with NO bags. The importance of my bags: I had another flight in less than 12 hours and I needed my clothes and gear!
Fortunately, I got a call around 11pm that my bags had arrived in COS...I drove back to the airport to pick them up...drove back to the OTC...did a few loads of laundry...packed my bike up...repacked my clothes...and got a few hours of sleep. Awake again at 5am on Tuesday morning and on my way back to the airport for a non-stop flight from COS to San Francisco.
The flight was uneventful and I was able to catch a few needed hours of sleep. Everything I checked made it to San Fran and I lugged it all over to the rental car building to pick up a tiny white car that barely held my bike box with the doors closed (it took a lot of maneuvering to get it in there...and even more maneuvering when I wanted to take it out!!).
I thought I was all prepared with my pre-printed maps from the airport to the Placak's house across the Golden Gate Bridge...it was just a whole other story when I tried to follow those directions in a rental car in a new city with a bike box blocking the rear-view mirror!!! Eventually (with a few detours to tour odd parts of the city) I found my way to Tiburon and the Placak's house where I stayed for the next 3 days. Bob Placak is the race director of the Tiburon Mile Open Water swim that I participated in September of 2004. They live in a beautiful house with a view of the mountains and the bay...and they have just broken ground on a new house ON the bay with more great views! Staying with this family was amazing...they took me out on the town, to a comedy show, to great restaurants, to Giradelli Square for a chocolate sundae (didn't really need that:) and treated me just like family. I had fun hanging out with their 4 little boys...Niko, the oldest is a great little swimmer and did the Tiburon mile last year...lil'Bob is the baby and is just a ball of laughter!
Oh yeah...I did accomplish some training while I was there. I would drive to the Golden Gate bridge, park right before I crossed it, ride my bike across and then ride the race course. The views were amazing and the hills were impossible! I would always get lunch at this cute little cafe on the bay and then ride back across the bridge. In order to practice the run course I did have to drive across the bridge...the run was so much fun...off road on this little dirt path (on race day there was 2-way traffic on the 1-foot-wide path...exciting to see 230lbs Andy Potts come charging down a hill right at you...I dove off the path a few times to make way for the top guys heading back to the finish line!).
On Friday I thanked the Placak's for their hospitality and packed up to go stay the next 3 days with another friend from the Tiburon Mile race...Christine Wilson lives right in San Francisco...on the top of Fillmore Street which is one of those HUGE hills you see photos of. She was so awesome to let me stay in her apartment...it was literally 1 mile from the park where the race was organized! I did a bit of training on Friday and then rested on Saturday. I met Shannon (my Speedo rep) and the Potts family (I train with Andy Potts at the OTC) for lunch on Fisherman's wharf. Then I headed down to the race expo to check out my race wheels on my bike, pick up my race packet and numbers (I was #81), participate in the Speedo Q&A session on stage, and then listen to the Pro race briefing. After that 'rest' day I went back to the apartment to REST before race day!
The alarm went off around 5am and I crept out of the apartment so I wouldn't wake Christine up...she was heading down to the race course at 7am because her triathlon team was manning a water station on the run course! I drove down the big hill (riding up or down that thing was not one of my priorities) and then biked with all my gear to the transition area. I actually remembered everything I needed...even the extra pair of shoes that I put in the pile for running from the swim exit to T1. After I made sure everything was set up (and made a bathroom stop) I made my way to the huge line of people waiting for the buses to take us to the boat dock.
On the boat, each area is designated for a group of ages. The very front is reserved for the pros...we are the first ones off the boat so this makes sense...it's also nice to have a bit more room than everyone else! The trip to Alcatraz took about 30 minutes (we don't actually go to the island, just in the water neat it). During that time I got my wetsuit on, applied some BodyGlide, drank a lot of Gatorade and warmed up as much as I could in a confined area with a wetsuit on!
Before I knew it, we were filling out the door and lining up in numerical order. Unfortunately, the men were #'s 1-50 and the women were #'s 51-100...this meant that the guys were all 100 meters to my right before we even dove in the water. With about 10 minutes to go the told us it was time to climb over the railing and get ready to go...this was all happening while the boat was still making it's way to the start area and we only had a 1 inch ledge to stand on the other side of the railing! After about 5 minutes my arms were already getting tired from holding on!! I heard a 1 minute warning and then the boat sounded the fog horn signaling GO!!!
I didn't even hesitate...I knew how cold the water was from previous swimming experiences...but I was one of the first into the water...dove right in and started hauling butt!!!:)
I meshed in with the lead pack of guys and let them do all the hard work...following the lead boat and fighting the current, all that stuff. I just hung with them until I found my way to the front near the end of the 1.5 mile swim and I started pushing the pace to the finish. I led the chase pack out of the water, about 45 seconds behind the lead 3 guys.
Tore off the wetsuit, threw on my shoes and started running the 3/4 mile to T1...BUMMER, I'm already the 2nd woman because Barb Linquist just passed me! Oh well, lots more racing to do so I focused on going strong. Had a fast T1, grabbed my bike (and according to Mom who just saw the race on TV today, I had a great bike mount...I look forward to seeing it on TV:) and started riding. I was doing great until the first hill...and until people started passing me like I was standing still...I know I'm not a GREAT climber...but this race course hammered that point into my head! I raced as hard as I could...and as safe as I could because I passed my idol, Michelie Jones on the side of the road after she crashed and broke some ribs!
Entered T2 in about 5th or 6th place and headed on the grueling run. I wasn't feeling so hot after working so hard on the bike...I was approaching my 'zone out' limit and I didn't want to do what I did in Tempe so I eased back on the run, sucked down some energy gel and made my way out to the run turnaround. Right after the turnaround at mile 4.5 is the dreaded SAND LADDER! I had climbed it a few times in previous days, but this time it was for real...and really hard! At the top, it was all down hill to the finish, I was feeling a bit more energized with some gel inside me...so I started to pick up the pace. I went through the water station where Christine was cheering and I picked up the pace even more. At this point I didn't know what place I was in, I couldn't see any woman infront of me...but I didn't want any more to pass me.
Running down the 1/4mile finish chute is a lot of fun, there are SOO many people cheering you in and I was just smiling and having fun at that point. I HAD ESCAPED FROM ALCATRAZ!
Results were posted...I finished 11th Pro woman...first woman out of the water...pretty close to the slowest times on the bike and run...but I had SOOO much fun! I hung around for the awards, cheered for Hunter Kemper and Susan Williams who were the overall winners...Barb got 2nd, Andy got 3rd.
Everyone told me before the race that your first time at Alcatraz is a learning experience. I agree with that now...I know so much more about that race that next time I will be more prepared! And I'm already excited about the NEXT time!!
After the race...lots of packing to take care of...thanked Christine for her hospitality and cheering at the race...the next morning I said Goodbye to the city of San Fran which I had started to enjoy (even if it made me lost everytime I tried to drive somewhere!). At the rental car return I was offered a direct ride to the terminal instead of lugging my bike box on the train...that was AMAZING:) Even more amazing was sitting at the terminal waiting for my flight from San Fran to COS and hearing over the loudspeaker: 'The flight to COS is overbooked, would anyone like to give up their seats for $600 in United travel vouchers??' I was the first one in line! They put us on a flight to LAX where we spent a few hours and caught a connection to COS later in the evening! One more 'thank you' to Jasmine (my training partner here at the OTC) who drove my car to the airport at 11:30pm to pick me up (after she had spent ALL day traveling from Puerto Rico to COS!!)