Early tomorrow morning, hundreds of triathletes will leap from the Hornblower into the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay to start the Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon. Even for seasoned swimmers the swim course is intimidating. It’s far from the warm, calm lanes they train in. The Bay is cold, rough, and tidal. MotionBased athlete, Gary Emich, is no stranger to the challenges of The Bay. With over 500 “Escapes” (sans wetsuit), he’s the obvious choice for swim course director.
The date and start time of the Accenture Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon is perfectly aligned with the tidal flow of The Bay. Swimming from Alcatraz to the St. Francis Yacht Club is only possible during an ebb tide, when water is flowing out of The Bay. Earlier today, Gary did a pre-swim to test the currents and determine the best line for tomorrow’s race. Here's a look at his swim.
Racers will take comfort knowing that Gary is in the lead boat calling the shots. While he leads the pros on the fastest line, he has a watchful eye on those brining up the rear. It’s an intense hour for Gary while he manages the entire fleet of support boats and kayakers. Novices will aim for the yatch club, where the swim ends, while support kayakers corral them closer to shore. The current is especially strong near shore, so Gary likes his racers close to shore early. Almost every year, a couple racers miss the swim finish and do the run of shame down the beach.
If happen to see Gary, give him a pat on the back for an outstanding effort to ensure a safe race.
Good luck!
Correction - Joe Oakes, the creator of the Alcatraz Escape (way back in 1981) is the actual swim director on the water.
Posted by: Mike | June 09, 2008 at 09:26 AM
Which GPS where you using during swimming? Thanks. /Pelle
Posted by: Pelle | June 27, 2008 at 03:03 PM
Hi Pelle,
Gary was swimming with the FR305.
kk
Posted by: Kathryn Krieger | June 27, 2008 at 03:25 PM
When I look at the spec for the FR305 it does not explicit say that it is waterproof. I am looking for a GPS device that I can swim with but I need to kind of guarantee that Garmin approves using the device for swimming.
Posted by: Carsten Jorgensen | July 22, 2008 at 04:16 AM
Gary was swimming with the FR305. good luck
http://loadingvault.com/
Posted by: margo | May 30, 2009 at 02:53 AM