Alcatraz!!!

My Mom and the boys headed up North with me for the Shark Fest Alcatraz swim on July 28,2012.  It was a great trip to spend the weekend in San Francisco with my Mom and the boys.  Sight seeing and just relaxing.  It was perfect weather for SF too!  It was actually a little hot...

A large group of the Oak Streakers came out for the Alcatraz swim.  Such a great time! 

The swim was interesting.  The swimmers walked over to two ferry's that traveled over to the Island.  There over 900 swimmers.  Here is the interesting part of the swim over 900 swimmers!!  Yes over 900 swimmers!!  What a crazy start this was for me.  Once the ferry's made it to the Island we were shuffled off the boat in a single file line jumping off the boat and into the water...it was only about a 5 foot jump.  Once you jump you need to swim fast to get out of the line of fire for another swimmer to jump in.  It was like we were sheep being herded through the gates. 

So yes all 900+ had the same start time and were out there treading water.  I was worried about the treading water.  What worried me was the water temp.  I was worried of getting too cold before the race even started from just treading water and not moving.  Thankfully the water was at least 59 degrees...probably 60 in some parts so treading the water wasn't a worry I even needed to think about.

I couldn't even hear the race bell sound because there were so many people in the water around me.  I did see the front runners of Oak Street start swimming so I figured well it is time to go.  Off I went and what a miserable start.  I felt like a trout trying to swim upstream and I didn't make much progress for the first 5 minutes.  I had people grabbing onto my legs and pulling me back or their stroke would hit my legs down and cause so much drag on me with my body that for the first 5 minutes I was nearly in a doggy paddle over a nice freestyle crawl.  I finally broke to the left of the group to get out of the masses of swimmers and found a comfortable stroke and area to just enjoy my swim. 

Toward the end of the swim you swim through the jetty that leads into Aquatic Park.  There is a strong flood that comes in and can push you very far right if you aren't in the right positioning before the tide comes in.  There were a few swimmers that needed to be re-positioned in the water because they were pushed too far right.  I must admit I was worried of becoming one of those swimmers as well.  I am not a very fast swimmer so I thought my chances of getting stuck in the tide are pretty great.  With a smile on my face though I can say I wasn't pushed too far right.  The race was pretty easy for me.  Of course, I didn't take a way a medal like all the other Oak Streakers, but I had such a blast with my family there that weekend. 

My time was 49:45...I came in a lot better off than I expected.  Of course the Shark Fest site references the swim as 1.5 miles and I am pretty sure it wasn't 1.5...if it was...it was a short 1.5 miles.