Part I The Swim

With the blast of a horn we were off! The start was not as congested as normal starts because of the large amount of space available to people. However there was a little jostling between people for the first 100 meters or so. I had decided to take the swim nice and easy like I had at my last race and I settled into breathing every third stroke on alternating sides. I paused to sight where I was going and I realized that I wasn't sure. It had seemed much clear the previous day on the boat tour but now I couldn't see where I was supposed to head for. After a few moments I finally made out the white shape of the Maritime museum at the center of Aquatic park where we were headed I looked to the left of the park and had my sights set and I was off. As I breathed on my right I could see the shore of Alcatraz starting to move away. I was actually escaping from Alcatraz!

Soon I rounded the eastern shore of Alcatraz and was into the open water of the bay. I could tell this by the increased swells of water. I found it more difficult to breath from my left side since I seemed to hit a wave with every stroke. After one wave that forced some salt water into my left eye causing some stinging I began to breath on my right side every four strokes with the occasional left breath to test to see if the waves were still coming. The waves made the swim a little disorienting and several time I would sight where I was going and I would find that I was turning to far to the right. I thought that it was odd since I usually swim pretty straight but I didn't think to much of it. As I got further into the bay I could see the golden gate bridge to my right and the bay bridge to my left. It was awesome, and I was having a blast. I noticed that I didn't seem to be very near to other swimmers. At this point I wondered how long I had been swimming and realized that I had forgotten to start my watch in all the excitement. I paused and started it and figured that I would calculate the true time later. As I continued swimming I glanced to my right and left and saw kayaks in the distance so I figured that I was still headed the right way but I began to feel pretty alone out in the water. I still continued to look up and find my self starting to point towards the right of my target at Aquatic park. I slowly began to realize that this was the current that was pulling me off course. At this point I made a more concerted effort to head to the left. It seemed to work as I kept the park in view.

Aquatic park is a beach along the wharf that is surrounded by a semi-circular pier with an opening in the middle to allow access for boats. In order to reach the beach I needed to hit that opening. As I neared the pier I could see some of the tall ships docked inside and I new I was getting close to the entrance. After what seemed like just a few more strokes I looked up to sight and no longer saw the beach and entrance but rather just the pier. I began to turn towards the left more and more with each sighting but the pier just kept drawing closer. Finally I was only a few metres from the pier and was swimming essentially parallel to it. I was barely making any headway. In fact it seemed like I was only moving a foot or so with each stroke. Then my left calf began to cramp a little. I began to wonder how long it would take to reach the opening in the pier! I was beginning to get a little tired and I also wondered whether or not I was the only one in this predicament. Soon I was buoyed by the sighting of several yellow swim caps heading under the pier. I had already been thinking about this myself so I headed under also. The middle of the pier had a cement embankment to keep the inside area free of currents. I carefully scrambled over trying to avoid the barnacles and other sea creatures that were growing on it. Even with my care I still managed to get a few scrapes. Oh well, I figured that I was earning my Escape and would have the scars to prove it! On top of the cement a number of other swimmers huddled around looking pretty tired. I could see the shore on the other side so I quickly jumped in and swam on. I immediately began to worry about my wife. She had wanted to watch for me at the opening in the pier but since I had gone under the pier she might miss me and assume that I was still in the bay. I hoped that she wouldn't think that I was lost. I neared another swimmer who seemed to be in a little trouble. I asked him if he was okay and he didn't seem to respond. I asked him again and all he said was 'I'm getting the shakes' I wasn't sure what he meant but I encouraged him that he could finish the swim. The hard part was over and there was no more current to fight. The rest of the swim should be a walk in the park. He didn't respond and I wasn't sure what to do. He was treading water okay so I decided to head for shore and let them know about him.

Several minutes later I could see the large crowd waiting on shore so I increased my speed. Then I hit bottom. I had made it! I was ecstatic to get back onto dry land. I hit my split button and headed out of the water with a time of 1:06:03. My time was longer than the 50 minutes I had been aiming for but I didn't care, I had finished the swim without having to pulled out! As soon as I got out I heard someone call my name. It was my wife Michelle. Somehow she was there. I was totally pumped at this point and headed to where my transition bag was. I got my wetsuit off without any incident and put on my running gear. I also grabbed my first Clif shot and then 3 minutes later headed down to the running path towards the Golden Gate bridge. My wife gave me a kiss and then I was off. I was feeling great!